#EuropeDay 2022: Let's improve the EU's for a better future!

On 9 May, we mark the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration, which laid the foundation for what is now the European Union. This year Europe Day will coincide with the closing event of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The year-long Conference on the Future of Europe has shown that citizens are demanding more social Europe, a stronger and more democratic Europe, more inclusion, more sustainability.

As Workers´ Group we welcome very much that this final set of recommendations takes into account our demand for tangible results that makes a difference for the daily life of working people and their families. It shows that with a sense of openness and willingness for constructive and inclusive cooperation, individual citizens, together with representatives of organized civil society, Parliament's governments and EU institutions, deliver concrete proposals to build a better future of Europe. Now, one of our goals should be that there is a proper follow-up after the end of this process, in which we will enter in the second phase and in the actual implementation of the citizens' proposals.

Some proposals are possible within the existing EU treaty. Some more ambitious demands, such as to widen the EU's competences in social policies; to include a Social Progress Protocol to ensure that social rights take precedence in case of conflict with economic freedoms; beefing up the European Health Union or making the EU decision-making more effective, would require Treaty changes. Therefore, the proposal for a new Convention on the future of the Europe, proposed by the European Parliament, is a welcome proposal to implement these fundamental changes.

"A new Convention will give a big boost to the EU's ability to act. On the contrary, if the Conference brings no changes, it will be irresponsible and be perceived as more Brussels talk with no real added value for citizens." Oliver Röpke, President of the Workers' Group at the EESC said.

Europe needs to change. How the EU responds in protecting its workers, protecting refugees, tackling the climate emergency, and in managing the economic and social recovery after the pandemic will shape citizens' views for 2024. With the European elections approaching, the next months will be crucial in reinforcing the feeling among people that the European Union actually matters to them, their families and their lives.

Recent in memory are the rise of extremist and anti-European tendencies in several Member States and a loss of confidence of citizens in the European institutions, but similar issues can arise everywhere, particularly with the current situation of the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and derail the climate fight.

Let's improve the EU's for a better future!