"Europe is the only way to make globalisation work for us" argued MEP Danuta 'Hübner (EPP/PL), Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, in the debate with CoR Members on the present and future of the European Union. MEP Hübner, the rapporteur on the conclusion of an Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-making between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, called for rebuilding trust in Europe as the only way to deliver on the EU promises.
Speaking on behalf of the EPP Group, President Michael Schneider (EPP/DE) named harmonisation and globalisation as two sides of the same process, through which European citizens perceive the EU.
"European citizens would like to live in a house with a safe roof and stable walls, namely: well working internal market, migration policy and external borders. But they should have a say on how to furbish the house and in which colour to paint the walls, in accordance with the spirit of subsidiarity".
CoR President Markku Markkula (EPP/FI) called for more unity in the fight against populism but also urged the EU to deliver solutions together with its citizens and communities. He stated that there is a need to communicate them in a more human and less bureaucratic way.
"We must listen and understand the needs of the citizens, while trying to develop solutions jointly. And in doing so, we need to be brutally honest" he stressed.
Theo Bovens (EPP/NL), Governor of Limburg reminded the Members that the debate takes place 25 years after the Maastricht Treaty introduced the European Union. He invited CoR Members to take the best achievements of that Treaty as a starting point for the discussions, as it has not only created the CoR but also the concept of the European Citizenship, and should be a lively symbol of debate on our shared future.
The EU's performance over the past few years has raised the question of how the potential of the EU Treaties can be better deployed to face major challenges and to deliver concrete results in response to the citizens' expectations. In certain areas this may ultimately lead to thoughts on possible future reforms of the EU and its institutional structure.
The CoR intends to contribute to the "Reflecting on the EU" political roadmap, proposing its regional and local perspective with open-minded dialogues with the citizens in the EU regions and cities to look for political solutions at grassroots level and link them with the EU level as well as with more initiatives ahead of the European Parliament 2019 elections.