The Conference on the Future of Europe is an unprecedented, open and inclusive exercise of consultative democracy. It is a bottom-up, citizen-centred exercise that seeks to enable citizens from all walks of life across Europe to voice their expectations of the European Union in a stronger voice, so that they can contribute to shaping the future direction and policy of the EU.

From April 19, thanks to the new digital platform, https://futureu.europa.eu/, citizens from all over Europe have the opportunity to express their views on any issue they consider important for the future of the EU. The digital platform also provides the opportunity for citizens and stakeholders to participate in events, or to organize their own events. All participants and events are subject to the obligation to adhere to the Charter of the Conference, which sets the standard for a pan-European dialogue, with respect being the key word.

European Parliament President David Sassoli said: "The platform is a key tool that enables citizens to participate and contribute to the planning of Europe's future. We need to ensure that their voices are heard and that they play a role in decision-making, regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. European democracy, representative and participatory, will continue to function despite adversity, because our common future demands it."

The digital platform is fully interactive and multilingual: citizens can communicate with each other and discuss their proposals with fellow citizens from all member states, in the 24 official languages ​​of the EU. The platform ensures full transparency (basic principle of the Conference), as all contributions and results of events will be collected, analysed, audited and made public. The key ideas and recommendations that will emerge from the platform will be used to provide feedback for European Citizens' Group meetings and plenary sessions, where they will be discussed to draw the Conference conclusions.

The platform is structured around key themes, such as climate change and the environment, health, a stronger economy, social justice and jobs, the EU in the world, values ​​and rights, the rule of law, security, digital transformation, European democracy, immigration, and education, culture, youth and sports. There is also a "horizontal" approach where "other ideas" can be expressed, as citizens have the opportunity to raise any issue they consider important.

The platform also provides information on the structure and work of the Conference. It is open to all EU citizens, to EU institutions and bodies, to national parliaments, to other national and local authorities and to civil society. The platform will fully respect users' privacy and EU data protection rules.