Work is already underway in the European Parliament to follow-up on the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and make citizens recommendations a reality.

The Socialists and Democrats will vote in favour of the follow-up report tomorrow (Wednesday) to send a message to EU governments. The European Parliament is ready to play its part in improving people’s lives, strengthening social rights and enhancing democracy in the EU.

In a bid to respond to citizen’s recommendations of strengthening the EU’s social dimension, the S&D Group supports enshrining the principle of social progress in the Treaties, making it a permanent and irreversible fixture in EU law and to guarantee that economic freedoms can never take priority over social rights.

S&D President Iratxe García said:

“The Conference on the Future of Europe was a milestone, and citizens expressed their own views on our shared future. This is what they demand: stronger rights for children and youth, decent wages and working conditions, a minimum income, reinforced social dialogue and collective bargaining, affordable housing, day-care and gender equality.

“Now it is time to turn the proposals into reality, it is time to establish a true Social Europe. This requires making the European Pillar of Social Rights legally binding and integrated into the treaties, along with a Social Progress Protocol. But let me be clear: changes to treaties or a convention are not an end in themselves, and we will only support them wherever they are required to build the EU our citizens are demanding.”

S&D Vice-President Gaby Bischoff said:

“Looking back, we can be proud of our role as the European Parliament in the Conference on the Future of Europe. We have been the driving force behind this initiative from the start, turning an abstract promise into a concrete participatory process. Despite the obstacles, the Conference has been a real success story for participatory democracy, with citizens at the heart of process, and civil society and social partners involved at every step.

“Now the citizens’ proposals are on the table and they are in favour of a more effective EU, a more democratic EU and a more social EU. People want better living and working conditions, equal opportunities on the job market, ambitious climate and energy targets, fair tax policies and a European Union that is capable of acting in an international context that is becoming increasingly complex.”

Note to editors

The vote on Wednesday 4 May comes ahead of the Europe Day gathering of the presidents of the Conference on the Future of Europe on 9 May, where EU leaders mark the formal end of the consultative process launched one year ago.

The resolution on the follow-up on the Conference will call for the Commission and the Council to work with the Parliament to deliver on citizens’ demands with legislative proposals, but it will also call for a Convention. By activating the procedure for revising the Treaties, as provided for in article 48 of the Treaty on the European Union, the Parliament will task the Constitutional Affairs Committee to start the procedure for a Convention.