 a small break. So I would like for you to take your seats. And I would like to directly welcome Mr. Weber, Ms. Garcia Perez, and Mr. Ferhofstadt. I want to welcome all three of our guests and thank them very much for being here with us today on this very important debate. A debate on the European way of how we will move forward. And to see, of course, how the conference on the future of Europe will unfold. For us it is the most important action that the European Union could have taken in these difficult times. So welcome. Our dear guests, your participation today is a proof that you are true allies of the EU's 1 million regional and local leaders who continue to struggle to overcome the pandemic and deliver a green, sustainable and just European recovery for every region and city. Our committee, of course, welcomes the conference on the future of Europe. We will contribute to its success through our political work and we will hold local dialogues with and in our regions, cities and villages, as you know very well and we have discussed. Our goal is your goal, to strengthen every part of our European House of Democracy and bring Europe closer to the people it serves. Regional and local elected politicians represented in the EU by our committee and members of the European Parliament, the only EU institution whose members are directly elected by citizens must come together to make the conference of the future of Europe a success. We understand the needs of our people and we give these conference a democratic legitimacy. Our common goal should be to respond to our citizens' call for a union that fully respects the principle of subsidiarity. The conference must make the EU more resilient to new emerging challenges from health to climate, from eradicating poverty to promoting democratic values. Our future lies in a stronger, more united European Union. We will only be able to tackle major crises like the one we just had with the pandemic and the only way that we will be able to tackle threats is together. The most effective way to delivering the just, green and digital transitions is by strengthening the democratic legitimacy and our decision making. Our children and future generation of Europeans need action today. So let's work together to create a permanent dialogue with citizens and build a Europe that delivers on the real needs of people on the ground. We can, we must and we will bring Europe closer to its people. So thank you very much for being here today and I directly give the floor to Guy Ferhofstadt, one of the co-chairs of the conference on the future of Europe. Mr. Ferhofstadt, you have the floor. Thank you very much President and I want first of all to thank you for the invitation to have this debate together with the Committee of the Regions. And if you allow me, I want to raise two issues. That is, first of all, why this conference and secondly, how and how we're going to work together, European Parliament, National Parliaments and the Committee of the Regions to make it a success. The why of the conference, I think that nobody doubts anymore of the need to have a conference on the future of Europe. We have seen in the past a number of crises, the aftermath of the financial crisis, we have seen Brexit, we have an ongoing migration crisis, we have our weaknesses in our neighbourhood and we have now a health crisis that has clearly indicated that to tackle it, only on the European level we are capable to do so. But all these crises have one thing in common and it is that they have illustrated, they have shown, they have proved that the Union as it works today is in fact not fit for purpose, not fit for the 21st century. We are in many cases, in many circumstances, we act or we act too slowly, ineffectively. The reason to organise this conference on the future of Europe is exactly that, to examine that and to repair what needs to be repaired and to propose a vision for the future. It is not the first time that we try to do this, but it's a unique experience in the way that were in the past, and I remember very well the convention of so many years ago, and other initiatives were in the past every time when we discussed the future of a European Union. This was an initiative of one of the institutions in which then other institutions, Parliament, the Commission were invited. This time this conference has been launched as a common initiative of the three institutions, together also with representatives of the national parliaments and with the presence and the active involvement of the committee of the regions. And that is unique. Unique in the sense that I know that there is a lot of scepticism about the outcome of the conference, well, will the outcome be taken into account? Well, I think the fact that this conference is launched by all three institutions with also the full participation, active participation of national parliaments and the committee of the regions is a guarantee that nobody, that no European leadership afterwards can deny the results of the conference. And the second way in which this conference is unique is naturally that we want to give a place to an active participation of the citizens in the whole process. As you know, after the summer break, there will be four in three rounds, citizens panels that will be organized with us goal to know from the citizens, to receive from the citizens their proposals, their recommendations, their wishes about the future of the Union. And it will then be the task of the conference and especially of the plenary of the conference to respond to these recommendations, to respond to these proposals and to these wishes with concrete ideas for reform of the Union. Reform that can go in different ways. We can talk about policies. We can talk about institutions. I'm always thinking that it is stupid to make a division between policies and institutions without institutions. You cannot develop policies. And the reason why you do that is because of policies that make no sense to make a split and to make an artificial division between both of them. So there are no taboos in this conference. It will be based on the citizens' wishes and recommendations, the input, but it will be the task of the representatives of the citizens, European parliamentators, national parliaments, representatives of the committee of the regions to then define, describe, propose and decide on how or how to reform the Union so that the weaknesses of the Union, the slowness of the Union and from time to time the fact that we are ineffective can be solved. There is always a question and I conclude with that that comes back. Will it be possible to change the treaties? Well, it's not the first question that we will answer. The first question that we will answer is what needs to be done and then comes only the second question. Can that be done inside the treaty as we know them today? In any way, we have secured that in the platform that launch this conference, this is not forbidden. Like I said, there are no taboos and it is the purpose of this conference to really develop a vision together with those citizens implemented later on by the representatives, national parliaments, European parliament and the other institutions of the Union. Thank you, President. Thank you very much, Mr Verhofstadt, for your insight and your very, very hard work for making this conference a success. And I want you to know that personally as President, but all the members of the Committee of the Regions and the group who will be representing us in the conference on the future of Europe, is that we are all dedicated to make this conference a success. So I would like to give the floor now to Manfred Weber, please. President Sitzigostas, dear Apostolos, dear friends from the Committee of Regions, dear Guy, dear Rache, thank you so much for the opportunity to share with you some of the ideas we have in mind when we now start with this project of conference for future of Europe. If Verhofstadt I think already answered the first question and that is, is the conference needed? I think everybody who has a fair look to what is happening in the day's European Union knows that there is a much to discuss, very much to discuss. And probably the real question is whether we can, having the last 10, 15 years in mind, that we can overcome the management in Europe driven by crisis, so migration, Europe, Brexit, COVID and then to react and improve Europe. Or whether we can change it and can come to a mechanism where we say, okay, we look to the next decade in front of us, what are the challenges and try to do our best to answer things before we are in the middle of a crisis. That would be a dream if we can achieve this. And that is, let me say one of the key questions, whether we are capable to do so, to change the whole mechanism of Europe, of European development. The key question is additionally whether there is a chance to bring things alive. He also mentioned this already. I would say there is a big chance when I see already the Strasbourg spirit, so the first meeting, I can say for my caucus, for my EPP group, there was a very good spirit where people were together who wants to discuss now, wants to be creative and wants to achieve something. And also on the council side, yes, we know there are some colleagues reluctant and skeptical on the process, but others are forward looking are motivated. So I think if we have good ideas, if we have a solid base on facts, then we can achieve something. I think there is a chance and we have to use it. I also share that this involvement of citizens is the precondition, modern politics starts with listening. And especially what you from the committee of regions have to contribute is in this regard crucial. You have the best idea about what people in their daily life need and what they expect, especially from Europe, you are close to them. And that's why you are key partners. I myself, my group and all the other groups, so Guy and I, we supported the general idea to increase the number of participants from the committee of regions inside of the conference of future of Europe. I think that is respected and that is a good decision. If I may say that listening is important, but let me add that for me, the more exciting thing is then also the question of how. So how can Europe answer the demand that requests the wishes of our citizens? There, I think that, for example, we have to consider to strengthen the executive side of the European Union. At the moment, Europe is a great legislator. So we are creating legal base for Europe on Schengen, on Euro on single market on climate change. But when it is about the executive side, we have not so much possibilities to do so. So for example, strengthening front-ex building up a European defense on against cyber war, a Brigade, for example, on this task, or to be also ready to be on the global markets in the economy more present. So to strengthen the economic, the executive side is for me one of the pillars we have to discuss. For sure, the whole debate about foreign affairs and strengthening the defense pillar will be in the center. That's obviously one of the main fields where we are currently not capable. Look to Russia, to Turkey and to China as a biggest challenge, we are not capable currently to really give a proper European answer when their Europe is too weak, is not capable to deliver. So that is for me one of the questions of the how. I also want to underline that the idea of a democratic Europe is still not yet finalized. And I think we have to work on this. I am a member of European Parliament. I think the European Parliament is a strong democratic base. More people participated in the last European elections. We can be proud about this. But especially when it is about the idea of lead candidate, the idea of transnationalists, or even the idea of a direct election of a president of the European Council, for example, to elect directly a president of Europe. So only to consider some options on the table. I think there is a lot to do, a lot of improvements still possible to make Europe more democratic, to simply link it to citizens. And having this principle in mind, I tell you that this is probably the most important task, having Brexit in mind where Boris Johnson told people, I want to have my sovereignty back, because Brussels is not my Brussels, Europe is not my Europe. That was the main message of Boris Johnson. That gave us a clear lesson that we have to improve democracy on European level. The value base is already mentioned. And the idea and the question which also Guy mentioned on the treaty change, I would even go one step further. I would say, look to health, look to corona, currently health is not an European issue at all with our Lisbon Treaty base. And having this in mind, for me, it's obvious that the treaty change is necessary. Again, we still discuss it and we still have to assess this. But I myself, I would be ambitious on this and would go even for such a step, probably limited treaty change, but some adjustments are necessary. And finally, in all these points, I think we share this as politicians. There is an inclusive approach necessary to listen and to participate, to look for participation of citizens. But on the other hand, there's always leadership also necessary in politics. You need people who show what do we have to do to overcome the crisis in the future. This kind of leadership is hopefully there in Europe. And together, if we can count on the support of the Committee of Regions Apostolos, I think there is a good chance that we make out of this exercise a real, real success story, a new chapter for Europe. Thank you very much, Manfred. And thank you very much for your very visionary points and very clear points that you made. I'm sure that we will be able to collaborate together to make this conference a success in this very correct, in my opinion, directions that you just described. So let me give the floor now to Hirachi Garcia Perez. Ms. Garcia Perez, you have the floor. Thank you, President Chigostas. Thank you for organizing this important event with the members of the Committee of the Regions. And of course, for inviting me to participate as a member in the executive vote for the conference by the European Parliament. I think that it's essential to strengthen our cooperation between both institutions, and this is a big opportunity to start this cooperation. For the group of socialists and Democrats, this pandemic has to end up being an opportunity to return to the essential, to restore the spirit of solidarity. If COVID-19 has taught us something, we are a community where we depend on each other. From buying the food to our neighbor who was isolated and needed our help, to much more global issues, such as the global vaccination strategy to guarantee that we can all end this pandemic. Therefore, we must act as we really are, a community that worries and takes care of its people. Our future includes all of us, and that's why we have the duty of being able to celebrate this debate outside of the bubble of Brussels, outside of our institutions, outside of our spaces, and to open it to the citizenry. That's why the important role that the Committee of the Regions has, and that you have, all of you, and all of you, to be able to expand a debate in a citizenry, also needs to be transferred what Europe's idea is. This is the reason why you are also important members of the Conference on the Future of Europe, as the Committee of the Regions. We must also give a relevant role to young people. In the end, the final route will be to cause the future of the European Union for the next decades. And that's why a third of the participants in the panel of citizens will be young people, less than 25 years old. It's a decision that we collectively take, members of the executive body, and that I think marks the commitment to try to expand this voice and that young people are the true protagonists of our conference. We also need the experience of the organized civil society, as well as the involvement of the social agents so that they can give us their opinion on this whole process. The pandemic has had such an impact that we cannot give a conventional answer. On the contrary, we must make a paradigm of thinking about our society and our economy, and putting people in the center of our debates, including ecological, sanitary and social progress, which allows for a fair transition. This conference that was already planned before the crisis coincides in a moment that we have to take advantage of. We are facing a historical and new policy in which the public and the solidarity have to return to the first place. Reinforce the social dimension of the European Union and promote solidarity, cohesion, justice and social protection as a center of action. It has been a priority for social democrats since always. Unfortunately, in recent years, as a response to the 2008 crisis, from the European institutions, there has been a response in which austerity was one of the fundamental principles and we forget people as the center of our debate. And that is why we have also seen how our public systems have been deteriorated and have responded in a much weaker way to a global pandemic like the one we find. That is why I think it is an important moment to be able to address this debate. At the moment, we have already seen how those recipes of the past were not the idoneses and we now have an instrument like the Nest Generation U that can address this change of paradigm that we refer to, how to modernize our economies, how to make them more resilient and how to address the challenges and challenges we have. As the treaties clearly say, the European Union is a community of values, not an economic organization. And yet, this last weekend, we have been witnesses of announcements in European media, by the Hungarian government, promoting the reduction of the European Union to a simple market. This would be a fundamental mistake. And of this, we also have to talk at the conference about the future of Europe, about the values of the Union that support a political project that goes much further than the simple market. This crisis has made it clear once more that the market does not solve everything nor rewards all sectors, which is key for the well-being of our society. For example, we take the lack of strategic autonomy to produce vaccines, the lack of investment in our health services, the lack of professionals in the health sector, or the precarious working conditions of so many workers. During the conference, I hope that we can also address the launch of the health union. I hope that the conference proposes the strengthening of the social dimension. For too long, we have left this element in a second place. Economic policies have not been accompanied by social measures. Poverty and inequality have increased, and the situation will worsen with this crisis, unless we put all the solutions on the table so that this does not happen. We need to prioritize the citizenry, to listen to it. It cannot be that we make a debate without taking into account the great challenge we face in these moments. The European Union has developed and surpassed each crisis, and this time it should not be different. This time it is a constant development union, more than ever that needs to address the necessary changes. And for me, this conference represents the beginning of a new step to continue to advance. We need to cooperate, we need to listen, we need to talk, and to be able to organize these necessary debates in a moment like the one we find ourselves. So I put myself at your full disposal, both personally as president of the group of socialists and Democrats, to be able to advance in these challenges. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Garcia Perez. I would like to open the floor now to our members for our debate, and I would like to give directly the floor to Mr. Geblevich from the EPP for two minutes, please. Thank you, Mr. President, dear Chair Garcia Perez, dear Chair Verkhovsat, dear Chair Weber, dear Manfred. And it is a great pleasure to welcome all of you on behalf of the EPP Group in the CUR. We value greatly your efforts for the start of the conference on the future of Europe. For many years, regional and local leaders have been the best ambassadors of the EU policies decided in Brussels. We have explained the benefits of the EU to our citizens. We have defended Europe regulations, and we have implemented regulation meticulously in Polish voivodeship in the German land, in the Spanish autonomous communities. Today, we have a different level of ambitions. We are now ready to be co-creators in European decisions and to go beyond consultative role which we have. We have at least three good reasons. First, we have the expertise and detailed information about which legislation works for our citizens. Second, we have political legitimacy through elections, the closest possible to voters. We have daily contact with our citizens and we get constant information on their needs and demands with current consultations too. Last but not least, we have institutional structure with the CUR which is already in the loop of the legislative process. We expect that conferences will bring these functions together and create a structured way to involve citizens through their regional representatives on a permanent basis. I would like to hear your opinions on how we can strengthen our role in the work of European Parliament's report, for example. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The floor now to Mr. Speisch from the EPP for two minutes, please. I would like to have a close exchange between the region and the European Parliament. I think that is a good start today. With the constituent plenar assembly, it was noticeable that the will to a serious debate in the future of the Union and also the will to change there is. I would be very happy to hear that we have to approach this ambition. In my eyes, these changes do not only have to do with the political field, but also with the institutional reforms. I believe that we have to strengthen the democratic principle of the Union. For example, I think of an initiative of the European Parliament, which is being repeatedly asked for justice. At the same time, we also have to strengthen the principle of subsidiarity and relationship in the decision-making processes of the Union. Subsidiarity must not be seen as a prevention principle, but much more than an instrument of efficient and effective implementation and control of legislation. A strength of the subnational lovers, which is therefore not a selfish purpose. It is necessary to give the expertise, especially with regard to the effects of the European legislation, to make money effectively. For a reform of the work of the EU, we do not have to reinvent the wheel. In the past, concrete suggestions were already made about EU reforms. I think, for example, on the report of the task force for subsidiarity, relationship and less but efficient trade. With this, you should consider yourself intensively. I am looking forward to the joint work in the work groups of the Conference on the Future of Europe and hope that the ideas and suggestions of the citizens will be changed. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The floor now to Mr. Karl Heinz Lambert from the PES for two minutes. The European elections in 2024 are the actual goal that must be controlled. With the conference, many expectations and hopes are connected. These should not be disappointed, because that would have fatal consequences. The same applies to the previous citizens' dialogues. Too often, citizens are asked and too often there will be no more or only enough to take care of the implementation of the final results. This must not happen this time. The best way to prevent this is to include the local and regional bodies with their more than one million elected mandatars in the work conference. This can and will play an important role in the ADR. Colleagues and colleagues, in order to remain future-oriented, I must free the European Union from a series of skirmishes. I would like to call some of this from the view of the SBE Fragtion by the name. There would be the fall of values in matters of equality, tolerance, justice, democracy and solidarity. There is also the insufficient possibility of action in the area of social justice and the supply of goods. There is also the limitation of the investment possibilities of the states and the regional bodies. And there is also the deficit of democracy, that we experience again and again on the level of decision-making between parliament and commission. Moreover, there are many good reasons for the use of the subject of society. Some of them are the European decision-making processes of the head to the feet. It is really about meeting the people where they live, in their heads and in their hearts, that the values of the European Union must be clear. Thank you very much. The floor now to Birgit Onet for two minutes from the PS Group. We can see the regional and local levels in view. The citizens of the European Union have the opportunity to express their ideas and ideas about how the European Union should look in the future. It is clear to us, whether it is the question of social justice, the climate change, the digitization or the question of law. The regional and local levels of the European Union have the opportunity to express their ideas and ideas about how the European Union should look in the future. The regional and local levels must always be thought of. There cannot be a strong and future-like Europe without its regions. According to the general explanation, it is now about specific suggestions of the local and regional levels on the digital platform of the future conference. The clock is ticking. Here is an important task for us in the plenary meeting. We have to make sure that the region and the region can benefit from each other in the future. In the end, it is also visible and necessary to include the results of the conference. In addition, another aspect is important to me. We also have to take into account the ideas of the citizens who would require the implementation of contracts. It is also important to make it transparent and open to discussion. No doubt we should close the conference. The conference is a unique opportunity for the citizens of the EU to take part in the renewal of our community. For a union that is more than just an economic space, which stimulates identity and strengthens the social balance. It is also up to all of us to use this opportunity. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The floor now to Mr. Igea Arisketa from the Renew Europe Group for three minutes. Mr. President, it is an honour to represent Renew Europe the Liberal Party and my region in this conference. Europe has demonstrated in this crisis the importance of its existence, the importance of being able to face a global challenge. People have understood, citizens have understood what globalisation was about. Globalisation was about not being a genome in the world that a virus in another part of the world could generate a problem for all of us to compete for the same products that we have to compete to get the vaccine. That is the value of Europe, that is the importance of Europe. However, from the committee of the regions I think there is an important issue that we have to deal with in this conference of the future of Europe. What is the future of our rural areas of our rural areas? That is why we represent the regions not only of the citizens. It is good that Europe defends and should not forget what the citizens feel that live in our immense rural areas. If it forgets this it will happen again, what happened with Brexit. If people want to know the importance of treating the problems of the population, of the rural world that look at the map of voting of Brexit and look where the voting was produced against Europe. We have to be able to focus the problem of the population. We have to be able to dedicate some time in this conference of the future of Europe to our immense rural areas. It cannot be that the Green Deal, that the Green Agreement is at the cost of those who live in the green lunges of Europe. It cannot be that the future of connectivity, smart cities, technology is only for the big cities. Technology, the Green Agreement, all that has to reach our immense rural areas. That is why we have a committee of the regions and not only a parliament that listens to the voice of the territories. There are services that do not lend to the citizens, there are services that lend to the territories, the environmental services, the infrastructure services, all those services have to reach the heart of our rural areas. If we lose the link, if we continue to generate this disaffection between these rural areas of all Europe and the European project, we will see a serious political problem grow. It is good that we defend individual rights. It is good that Europe is the triumph of the right to authoritarianism. It is good what for us as liberals is essential, which is the triumph of individual freedoms. But let us not forget that there are immense areas within Europe that feel disaffected, that are in danger of their future and their future as regions, their future financial and this conference of the future of Europe has to have very present the future of our immense rural areas. Thank you very much, Mr. Ciampetti from the ICL Group. Thank you President, honourable deputies, dear colleagues, intervening less than two weeks ago in the full session of the conference on the future of Europe or underlined as the principle of subsidiarity must be at the centre of our reflections. Europe needs a new model of democracy and this objective can only be dealt with with a great simplifying effort that meets at the lowest levels of the public organization, the power of choice and directness in precise areas and certain possibilities. From this requirement, the principle of subsidiarity was put at the base of the same European Union and the Committee of Regions is the place where it is possible to work with quality for this objective. Let us not forget what is the motto of the European Union united in diversity because we have given life to a great community that can skip all its components. Europe is not the homogenization of the knowledge of the cultures and traditions but the sum of our identities. A sum where it is possible to recognize every element and where every element contributes to giving life to a new and dynamic reality. Europe is also worth what Matt Maganti said about the fragmented Indian continent. Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be at the same time the beauty and the proof of our civility. Of course, European integration is a fundamental process. We have no other benefit from cooperation in the sectors of the free market, of the policy of cohesion and of the energy policy such as transportation or for the fight for climate change. In these sectors our cooperation is not only maintained but even reinforced. In many other sectors we notice that the pace of integration is now at the control of the various institutional levels from local and regional administrations to the governments and parliament of the Member States. More and more often, European Union is transferred new competences that are not attributed to treaties or that treaties are defined in very general terms. My claim that the conference is not an attempt to legitimize the European bureaucratic centralism or the centralism of the single states. Unfortunately, however, I take a series of worrying signals in that sense. One of them is given for example from the composition of its executive committee in which they are fully represented only three political groups of the European Parliament. Then in the full session of June 19 it is proposed as a panacea the problems of the European Union the abolition of the rule of unanimity. It is a passage that leaves perplexity that is faced with extreme caution because it contains in itself the risk of the annihilation of any form of dissent and the marginalization of minorities and minority institutions. We can allow ourselves to run this danger in a historical moment in which, in fact, minorities and opponents are often brutally exited. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The floor now to Ms. Mao Pertius. Please. Thank you, Mr. President. In Europe, of all the people this assembly of rhetoric is not while Europe is everywhere that we are the European Union there are still too many people who do not feel listened. We must fight if the European Union must modify this treaty to raise the future as it was mentioned but above all we must think of the way to make the European Union more inclusive and more democratic. The conference on the future of Europe is the ideal occasion to welcome and obtain the reactions of the citizens and we think that the mechanisms linked to the European Union must last beyond the conference. We want the European Union to address all these citizens who live in a capital in a small village. The European Union gains influence if it is able to speak the language of the people including the language of minorities. The Union is more visible when it favors the local cultural heritage which makes us so proud of the European Union. The Union is more integrated and more consistent when it ensures the connectivity between these peripheries and the center. Thus, the citizens living in the islands, for example, deserve to have the same opportunities that their father living on the continent and must benefit from the opportunities of the unique market and European digital. The Union, with its solid challenges of the 21st century and the solidarity is at the heart of the European project. However, we regret that the regional skills and lives were neglected despite the fact that we were in the first line to face the impact of Covid and to reduce these effects on the territories. Let's really think that centralization is the solution to their problems. Will they become realities without the contribution of the regions, cities and villages that are in charge of the implementation? We need more decentralization more collaboration and respect for the international level. It is time to take action and apply the principle of solidarity value the role of the territories and together we can make the difference. Thank you very much, Mr. Frey. Please, from the Greens. Dear President, dear members of the European Parliament, dear colleagues, the expectations at the conference for the future of Europe are for the Green Party in two ways. First of all, this applies to the nine important points that have to be discussed openly. In this case, the agreement in the Council the use of household goods in the area of agraria, the climate change and the rule of law. But there are also great expectations on the European level and on how this can be achieved. I am convinced that the participation of the citizens after the bottom-up approach has to be carried out. The citizens have to participate in the conference in all of Europe. The individual leaders have to mirror the diversity of the population without challenging anyone. So, regardless of religion, race, skin color, origin, gender, political or sexual orientation. In my region, Baden-Württemberg, we have this kind of citizen participation with dialogue models and so-called coincidence citizens also recommend for transnational or inter-regional dialogue. It is important in all areas that these citizens feel the impact of their participation. This also has to mean that opinions which are called priority in the work group and the planning in the execution and in the final sequence of the conference take place. Only if we take our people seriously in the regions of Europe wins the European Union credibility. We all have to do and we can all take responsibility at this conference. Thank you. Thank you. The floor to Mr. Lagarde for one minute. Okay, the floor to Hirachi Garcia for the closing statements. Thank you, President. President and thanks to all and to all for your contributions that with different sensitivities because obviously Europe is diversity and to be able to enrich a project from different points of view I am sure that we share common goals which is how to build more and better Europe and we are going to do it in the way in which we have to be able to represent those different points of view. I was listening to Mr. Ciambetti to make reference that the conference or the structure of the conference of the future of Europe does not represent the reality of the institutions because in the case of the European Parliament we are only three members of the three major groups and simply to clarify that you also know what is the functioning that we have established in the negotiation to get this conference ahead we insist a lot as European Parliament the need that all the groups represented in the Executive Board and therefore although it is true that we are only three full members we act as institutions and as European Parliament in a joint way for us, for the seven members European Parliament in the Executive Board all the decisions we take them in a consensual way we understand perfectly what also the respect to all types of positions is and that is why we also work so that in the representation of the national parliaments there could be a greater number of faces to guarantee this plurality Europe can not be understood if it is not with diversity and understanding that there are different positions and therefore for me it is something that I respect as a fundamental value of the European Union from there we will put our priorities but I think that we have all coincided in that we have common challenges and that we are going to work for them to make more and better Europe and also to achieve a balance in the future conference of Europe between what are the political debates of political content and also of the institutional I agree with what Mr. Speich said that we need to talk about the right to initiative in the European Parliament because obviously as you know we are the only European institution chosen directly by the citizens through their vote and I think we must address those debates as well of unanimity that many occasions is blocking fundamental and necessary policies for Europe but also to incorporate a dimension of local and regional levels that all of you represent so I insist on putting me at your disposal and getting that we can deepen throughout these next months in the debates we have ahead thank you very much the floor to Manfred Weber for his closing remarks please thank you so much for all the comments and I think we share a lot of points for example the question of rural areas I like this very much, not only cities in mind also the question of being aware about the risks of this whole exercise if we create expectations from a citizen's point of view we also have the risk to create disappointment if we are not delivering so I think we have a same common understanding I would only point out two subjects which are for me important first of all about the question I would say the idea is not more Europe per se, that's not the idea of the exercise my idea is really to have a better delivery process to what people expect from Europe so to have a better Europe, a functioning Europe that is what we need that people see in their daily life like with the Covid certificate in their hand on their mobile phone that Europe helps me in my daily life that things are getting better Europe, a functioning Europe but close to citizen Europe and not a more Europe per se and a lot of colleagues mentioned the subsidarity point I know the concern behind that Europe is doing again a regulation again a rule, again a bureaucracy and so on, that's not what we need but I tell you when I have the images from Bergamo one and a half years ago in mind when our Italian friends were first in the European Union on the Covid crisis and they had no protecting masks anymore in their in their hand and in Germany, in Austria in France and so on they didn't gave them the necessary medical thing then we cannot argue with subsidarity then we need clear rules on solidarity on European Union and when we currently discuss about the Indian variant on Covid then I cannot accept to argue with subsidarity when it is about implementing the Schengen rules I want to have a European wide ban on areas where we have a variant which is dangerous for us as Europeans it makes no sense that Germany France and Italy makes different approach on travel bans to India for example or to Great Britain that is what we need so that's why a functioning Europe where people see that this is really working and that is what I want to answer and finally I think we all are aware that we have a great chance and we can achieve it if all pro Europeans those who believe truly in the strong development for Europe are working together and that is what we for sure will achieve I'm sure about this Thank you very much my friend let me give the floor now to Guy for his closing remarks as well so thank you very much President so very short there has been raised the issue of the short time that this conference will run that's true but it's a fact and I'm an optimist by nature I think as politician it's necessary to be optimist by nature but I think that finally that's maybe a good thing if we have not a lot of time because we need to come forward with a number of conclusions already in March that will in my opinion just create an environment and a pressure to come forward with bold and courageous proposals so I have never seen in politics good things coming out when we had a lot of time it's I think it's good that we search a short period we organize and the city's panels and the plenaries and deliver the conclusions that are needed and that brings me to a second point that has been raised and Manfred already touched about that the whole question of subjectivity and federalism and so on and so on look let's be very clear about this what can be better done on the European level because there is an added value given by the European level we need to do that and what is better done with an added value on the local level or the regional level or sometimes the national level that needs to be done on that level so instead of having a theoretical discussion about subjectivity no, naturally subjectivity is a basis principle for the union but it means also that where we can prove that there is added value there is a better result if we work together we need to do that and we need to be courageous and also to elaborate further on different forms of subjectivity because I agree that subjectivity for the moment is a little bit a negative thing you can block proposals for legislation not how that proposes for legislation so that are my two small remarks that I wanted to make but I want foremost salute the unanimity in all the interventions to say that this conference is not only important but that this conference needs to be a success look, we live in a world and we are going to live in a world where it is completely different of the world of yesterday certainly and even of today with two big powers and America with two competing models and I have to tell you I needed one and certainly not the other the Chinese model it's time that we take stock of that that we are concerned about the need to better develop based on the European civilization our European model and the conference of the future of Europe is certainly a way to achieve that thank you President thank you very much and I would like to thank all three of you for participating in this very interesting debate for the Committee of Regions but for the European citizens most importantly and I want to reassure you once again that we are committed, absolutely committed into making this conference on the future of Europe a success our team of people who represent us in the plenary is ready to give their best towards acquiring this goal our high level group on democracy that we created with Henman Van Rompuy chairing it along with a very experienced group of people is here to provide us with advice so we are with all our strength near next to you to make this effort a success and we will make it we will make it a success together involving always citizens and the real needs so thank you very much for being here with us today and we will certainly collaborate a lot during the months to come thank you very much to all three of you for your time and your efforts thank you and dear colleagues we are beginning our debate now on the European democracy action plan I would like to give the floor to the first vice president who will preside this meeting because I have an urgent matter that I need to attend Mr. Vasco Cordeiro and I would definitely would like to ask a thank very much the vice president of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Ms. Uroba who is joining us for this very interesting debate thank you very much Commissioner the floor to Vasco Cordeiro for chairing the rest of today's plenary thank you well thank you Apostolos it's my pleasure to welcome the vice president of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Vera Uroba for a debate