On Europe Day 2022, President Macron travelled to Strasbourg to take part in the closing ceremony of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which began on the same day last year, and which he initiated.
Representatives of the European Parliament, national parliaments, the European Commission and European citizen panels took part in this unprecedented citizen consultation exercise, which ran for one year, to draft proposals for the Europe of tomorrow. The ceremony was an opportunity for European citizens to share their experiences, speak about the proposals made and submit them to the institutions’ representatives.
In his speech, President Macron spoke about the conflict in Ukraine. He reiterated his support for the Ukrainian people and their President, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and reaffirmed the aim to end this war as swiftly as possible.
He then outlined the two requirements upon which tomorrow’s Europe must be founded: sovereignty and effectiveness. He also spoke about the need for European sovereignty, to allow our continent to control its destiny, by choosing its own partners and no longer depending on them. He explained that, to increase effectiveness, he supported the MEPs’ proposal to review the treaties.
Lastly, he called on Europeans to reflect on a new European political community, which, beyond the European Union, would offer Europe’s democratic nations a new space for cooperation.
