The European Economic and Social Committee has been called on to join the key body of the conference that is to chart the course of the EU's future development.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her political guidelines of July 2019 for the then incoming Commission, called for a Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) to allow citizens to have their say in the EU's future development.

Building on that, a Joint Declaration on the CoFoE was signed on 10 March 2021 by the Presidents of the EU's three main institutions (the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the EU), defining its precise scope (engaging with citizens), content (achieving the twin green and digital transition and strengthening Europe's resilience, competitiveness and solidarity) and timetable (conclusions should be produced by spring 2022).

The Executive Board is the pillar of the CoFoE's governance, since it oversees the work of the Conference and directly reports to the Conference Plenary.

The EESC, as the House of European civil society and the bridge between the European institutions and organised civil society, has been invited to join the Executive Board.

Christa Schweng, the EESC President, has taken part in all the Executive Board meetings.

Meanwhile, the EESC is fine-tuning its contribution to the CoFoE, it can count on at least three key strengths:

• its 329 members coming from all walks of life (employers, trade unions and civil society at large) and from the 27 Member States,
• its established network with the national economic and social councils and
• its Liaison Group, a network of civil society organisations, which, while not directly represented at the EESC, have strong ties with it, further increasing its outreach.

The EESC is convinced, more than ever, that through specific and concrete contributions to the CoFoE it can make a difference, ensuring that the voice of European civil society will be heard loud and clear. (sm)