In the week that Maastricht celebrates the 30th anniversary of the treaty, a new major European initiative will visit the city. Two hundred citizens are considering the future of the European Union.
Prestigious event
With the Citizens’ Summit, Maastricht is, next to Florence, Dublin and Warsaw, one of the cities that managed to win the prestigious event. From 11 to 13 February, a selection of citizens will come together in the MECC conference center in Maastricht. They speak out on themes such as migration and Europe’s place in the world, subjects that are high on the current European agenda. “It is unique that Maastricht has managed to win this top. It says a lot about the way Europe sees Maastricht,” says Vera Tax.
Selection of participants
The citizens discussing in Maastricht come from the 27 member states of the European Union. They have been carefully selected to ensure that as many different demographic groups as possible are represented. “A third of the participants are young”, says Gonny Willems, director of Studio Europa. “There is emphatically a focus on young participants, in order to give that group a voice in particular”.
Cynicism about process
Despite the weight of the meeting, the Citizens’ Summit is barely alive. Sander van Hoorn, NOS correspondent in Brussels, has an explanation for this. “It is wonderful that citizens participate, but what are they going to do with it? What happens if those citizens say that the money-consuming relocation circus of the European Parliament between Brussels and Strasbourg must finally come to an end? That is not going to change. So the question is: what power does the conference club have. Then we quickly become a bit cynical. If it’s nothing, you should pay attention to it?”
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brave
Willems mainly describes Van Hoorn’s attitude as ‘healthy cynicism’. “You can’t say much about it yet. But it is courageous what the European institutions are doing. It is up to politicians what is done with the recommendations. It is a careful process, the citizens are protected. It is real democracy in the pressure cooker.The citizens decide on Sunday which priorities they choose in the themes of migration and abroad.They give them to the concluding plenary meeting in Strasbourg.But I would like to emphasize that this process is included in both the German and the Dutch coalition agreement. People really take it seriously.”
citizen forums
The European initiative is in line with a broader trend to explicitly involve citizens in decision-making. Venlo and Maastricht, for example, have the Citizens’ Budget, the concept that citizens choose on which part of the municipal budget is spent. In 2018, the Province of Limburg organized three Civic Summits in football stadiums to involve ordinary people in policy choices. “It’s the first time in Union history that we’re doing this,” Tax said. “I don’t share to say that nothing will come of it. It’s not easy, we’re doing it for the first time. And politicians don’t find it easy to pass citizens who participate in the same political process.”
Recognition
“When you speak to the participants of the panels, they are very happy to be heard,” says Jeroen Lenaers. Like Vera Tax, the MEP, representatives from the parliaments of the Member States, from Stramproy is one of the selected participants in the closing plenary session in Strasbourg. This is where citizens meet with MEPs and representatives of civil society organisations. “They don’t expect all the recommendations to be adopted. But if we can take part of it, the project is already a success for me.”
Talk to yourself
The Citizens’ Summit in Maastricht is part of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In addition to the physical meetings, citizens can also submit ideas online. That’s still possible through the Conference platform.