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Minister Byrne attends virtual launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe in Strasbourg
The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D., attended the virtual/in person hybrid official launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe in Strasbourg.
Minister Byrne said “I am delighted to be part of the launch of The Conference on the Future of Europe today, May 9th, which is Europe Day. I hope this will be the start of a real and active citizen led discussion across the EU and across the island of Ireland”.
The Conference on the Future of Europe will include a range of events across the EU aimed at promoting greater citizen involvement. It will provide all EU citizens with an opportunity to consider the challenges the European Union faces and our policy priorities in addressing them together. Europe cannot recover from the COVID-19 crisis without the support and trust of its citizens.
An EU-wide Multilingual Digital Platform has been launched as part of the Conference. This portal is available in English and Irish and all EU citizens, including those living in Northern Ireland can take part. The platform can be accessed at Conference on the Future of Europe (https://futureu.europa.eu/). The platform will allow citizens from across the EU to engage directly and have their say on the topics that they consider important for the future of the EU. It will enable EU citizens to put forward their ideas, comment on other people’s ideas, create and participate in events and the platform will also act as a central hub where all contributions to the Conference will be brought together and shared.
Minister Byrne said:
“In Ireland, we have a positive record of direct engagement with citizens through the Citizens’ Dialogues and the Citizens’ Assembly. I hope to build on this engagement throughout the Conference and welcome the opportunities this platform can provide to facilitate this. The Conference on the Future of Europe will be the voice of the people setting out our vision of Europe for the next generation. I encourage everyone to engage with the platform and submit your ideas and suggestions. I look forward to announcing our own plans for the Conference here in Ireland at the official Department of Foreign Affairs launch on Friday, 14th May.”