9 March 2021

European citizens are in favour of launching the Conference on the Future of Europe. This is the finding of the first Eurobarometer survey conducted jointly by the Parliament and the Commission on the "Special Eurobarometer Survey on the Future of Europe", which took place between 22 October and 20 November 2020 in the 27 EU Member States.

The survey reveals the overwhelming majority of respondents (92%) across all Member States want decisions on the future of Europe to take more account of citizens’ voices. This is the very purpose of the Conference on the Future of Europe: setting up a new public forum for an open, inclusive, transparent and structured debate with Europeans on those issues they deem important and impacting their daily lives.

Three quarters of Europeans think the Conference on the Future of Europe will have a positive effect on democracy in the European Union: 76% agree it represents a major step forward (25% agree totally; 51% tend to agree), with a clear majority in favour of the Conference in all EU Member States.

Responses highlight the opportunity to actively involve people from all backgrounds (51%); young people (47%) play an important role, likewise national governments (42%) and academics, specialists, intellectuals and scientists (40%). Just over half of Europeans (51%) would like to get involved themselves, with the most enthusiastic responses coming from Ireland (81%), Belgium (64%), Luxembourg (63%), and Slovenia (63%).

Respondents were also asked to single out the progresses they would like to see in future Europe: the two most frequently mentioned answers were: equalisation of living standards across Member States (35%), and greater solidarity between them (30%). Defining a common health policy (25%) and comparable education standards (22%) are also priorities indicated by European citizens.