The S&D Group is today launching the #Progressives4Europe initiative to promote progressive views and voices to feed into the Conference on the Future of Europe launching on 9 May.

The #Progressives4Europe initiative, developed in cooperation with the Party of European Socialists (PES), PES Women, Young European Socialists (YES), the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and Solidar, will be promoted at a high-level hybrid event in Rome on Monday 3 May. Many more events will be organised all across Europe at local, regional and national level both online and in-person.

#Progressives4Europe includes the first multilingual debate platform in 24 EU languages and more, alongside a dedicated Facebook page, that encourages people to submit views and ideas online to help shape the Progressives’ contribution to the debate on the Future of Europe.  

 Iratxe García, S&D Group president and member of the Executive Board for the Conference on the Future of Europe, said:

“The Conference on the Future of Europe provides a unique opportunity for citizens to contribute to the discussions about what kind of Union we want to build. The future belongs to all of us and we should not take these decisions alone in the Brussels bubble. The pandemic has made us all familiar with new tools to connect with each other online and this new platform will give us a chance to listen to a wide range of voices. Nothing can replace face-to-face encounters, but with these new tools, we can reach out to people much further. I encourage everyone to join the debate and I hope for broad participation, as democracy will only be deepened through this Conference if we involve those who are usually excluded from the public debate. Young people in particular must have the chance to write and decide their own future.”

 Marek Belka, S&D vice-president responsible for engagement with citizens, said:

“From the very beginning, we have championed the use of new, digital ways for people to have a direct say in the Conference on the Future of Europe. The multilingual platform we are launching today is a new tool for people to submit their ideas on Europe and share their opinions on policies and how the EU works. We need to listen to as many voices as possible to make sure that we are building the post-pandemic Europe people expect and deserve. At a time when face-to-face meetings and physical interaction is limited, it is more important than ever to make the most of online tools so that people from all corners of Europe have the chance to get involved and to have their voice heard.”