THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION REPORT. Europe in a period of transition

23 The Conference on the Future of Europe: what does it mean, what is its purpose and what can we expect from it José Candela and Carlos Carnero Tell me and I will forget. Involve me and I will remember. Chinese proverb Meaning The Conference on the Future of Europe is a historic and extraordinary opportunity for the Union to set an exam- ple to the world of how to build a true participatory democracy , taking this to mean the full integration of civil society into the three phases of the entire political decision-making process: preparation, adoption, and application. Born out of a Joint Declaration 1 on 18 March 2021 by the presidents of the three main institutions of the Union (European Parliament, European Council, and European Commission), the Conference on the Future of Europe (henceforth the Conference) was launched on 9 May 2021, Europe Day. 1  The text of the Joint Declaration on the Conference on the Future of Europe 2021-2022 can be read here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/ES/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021C0318(01)&from=ES The Conference is set to last a year. Its Rules of Proce- dure 2 (henceforth Rules) define it as a citizens-focused exercise for Europeans to have their say , for the at- tention of the European institutions, on what they expect from the Union in the coming years. Participating in the Conference are the institutions and bodies of the Union, its member states, and civil society. The conclusions of the Conference will be analysed by the Union institutions, which will decide how to follow up on them in 2022. This decision may consist of either merely taking note of those conclusions or starting the procedure provided for in Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union that can lead to legislative action to modify the treaties. After several years’ delay 3 , the chief problem to be resolved before launching the Conference was its govern- 2  Adopted on 9 May 2021, the Rules of Procedure of the Conferen- ce can be consulted here: https://futureu.europa.eu/uploads/decidim/ attachment/file/9245/sn02700.es21.pdf 3  For a detailed examination of the debates on the timeliness and form of a Conference or Convention on the Future of Europe in re- cent years, see: José Candela and Carlos Carnero, The Conference on the Future of Europe, in: Report on the State of the EU 2020, edition by the Fundación Alternativas and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Spain, Madrid, 2021, pages 123 and following. Available at: https://www.