News item | 08-04-2022 | 12:17
What do the Dutch think about the European Union (EU)? Minister Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs is in Strasbourg for the Conference on the Future of Europe†
Visit to Strasbourg
The penultimate plenary meeting of the Conference on the Future of Europe will be held on 8 April. In this meeting, Minister Hoekstra will present the results of the Dutch civil dialogue Look at Europe explain the themes of values and rights, the rule of law and security. He will also speak with the Dutch youth representative, and with one of the Dutch who participated in the citizen panels.
Minister Hoekstra: “It is important that the Dutch are more involved in the work of the European Union. We will make every effort to ensure that the wishes and ideas that have been collected are followed up.”
The Dutch ‘View on Europe’
From September 1 to November 14, 2021, all Dutch people could contribute ideas about the future of the EU. The opinions, ideas and recommendations of the more than 13,000 participants have now been collected.
What happens to the results?
In the Netherlands
The final report of the civil dialogues was presented to the Senate and House of Representatives on 8 March 2022. The wishes and ideas collected are valuable for the further development of Dutch EU policy. The cabinet is happy to include this.
In Europe
The outcomes of the European and national citizens’ panels are discussed in plenary sessions of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In addition, a final report of the Conference with the results will be presented on 9 May 2022 to the Presidency: the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission. On the basis of the final report, the EU institutions will consider how they can implement the input from EU citizens.