Date: 2020-01-15
Mr President, Madam Vice-President and Council Representative, the starting point for our debate on the conference for the future of Europe is the outcome of the elections last year. 201 million people participated in the European elections. The second largest democracy on the globe. That is the starting point for our debate, so people believe in Europe; people trust in Europe; people want to contribute to the future of Europe. The key question is now: does my vote count? Does it really have an impact? And there we know an improvement is possible, and that's why the next decade must be a decade of strengthening European democracy. What are the principles for the working structure for us as the PPE Group? The first and most important point already mentioned is people's involvement. So, to find a way to get in touch with the ideas of our citizens to involve them in the process. The second thing is that Parliament is in the lead. That we are the representatives of the citizens. We are representing the political landscape of the European Union of today geographically, politically, from the content point of view. We are representing a Parliament where we really respect the free mandate in a very, very positive sense. For me as a group leader, it's always difficult to manage the unity of the group. We have a real free mandate and that's good, and we have, together with the Commission and Council, a good working relationship. First of all I want to underline that with Dobrevka as Vice-President responsible for the issue, we really can work very strongly together. And another element for these principles is to involve the national parliaments. All of these issues are agreed, but again, the 're-parliamentarisation' of the European Union is for our group, a key element. That is the working structure and then about the direction. Democracy is based on two principles on candidates and on a programme. You have this for a mayor, you have this for a chancellor candidate and for us it's also important to implement this on a European level for becoming the Commission President, for example. So the old debates on the Spitzenkandidat concept, last year we failed with this idea, it is still our interest as the PPE and we want to make this Spitzenkandidat process a binding process for the upcoming elections on the European level. We need a healthy competition between the European parties. That means we have to reflect again on the rules for the European political parties, and we have to consider how to strengthen the rights of this institution the European Parliament for example on the key issue, the question of right of initiative for the European Parliament, like all other parliaments have. So that is what must be the direction for the future. More democratic people decide. That is the best medicine against the anti-Europeans. And finally, are we really prepared for the challenges of tomorrow? What can we do under the current Treaty, but also, is there a need for a Treaty change? That is another element which we want to discuss during the conference on the future of Europe. So let's start today, let's work and let's have a new dream for Europe.