Pascal Durand (Renew Europe): "Suica just sufficient, but hardly inspiring. A Conference to rethink Europe should not be about constraints but about ambition"
During this evening's AFCO hearing of Commissioner-designate Dubravka Suica, Renew Europe Coordinator Pascal Durand saw a Commissioner who was attached to the European project but will need an extra push to be more ambitious and concrete, especially on the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Pascal Durand, AFCO Coordinator (FR): "The Conference on the Future of Europe will be the most important undertaking of this new parliamentary mandate. It can therefore not be an ivory tower exercise. We need to include citizens in this process on the same footing as the politicians and the institutions. I am happy Mrs. Suica responded positively to my question that citizens’ fora should have the same vote, voice and decision-making power as the institutions. But the Commissioner-designate was often too prudent, too imprecise and almost reluctant in her answers about our common challenge to reform the European Union, as well as on her demographic portfolio. She often referred to the constraints of the mandate given to her by Mrs. von der Leyen, while Europe is struggling with the fact that we have to address 21st century problems with 20th century institutions. A Conference to rethink Europe should not be about constraints but about ambition.”
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Bram Delen
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