News item | 10-05-2022 | 13:28
On 9 May 2022 (Europe Day) Minister Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs was in Maastricht. There he spoke with participants of the Dutch civil dialogue Look at Europe† And he gave a speech: about his vision on the European Union (EU) and the citizens’ dialogues. He also discussed current developments in Europe, such as the war in Ukraine.
Hoekstra in conversation with the Dutch
Minister Hoekstra talked to about 40 participants of the Dutch civil dialogue in Maastricht Look at Europe† From September 1 to November 14, 2021, all Dutch people could share their opinion and ideas about the EU via the citizens’ dialogue. In total, about 13,000 Dutch people have made use of this option. In this last meeting, they discussed their ideas about the future of Europe with the minister, and participants shared their experiences during the Citizens’ Dialogues.
A video about the experiences of one of the participants of Kijk op Europa will be published here shortly.
Speech Hoekstra about Europe
Minister Hoekstra concluded his visit to the Maastricht Music Foundry with a speech in the context of Europe Day. The speech could be followed live, and is watch back on YouTube†
In the speech, Hoekstra discussed the war in Ukraine. It has major implications for security in Europe, and is also an extreme example of how our way of life, our view of the world, our view of peace, security and civil rights has been fought over for years.
On the world stage, the EU will have to fight again what we took for granted until recently. A new approach is needed that protects our way of life. And for that we need more European clout. More defense. And more diplomacy. Hoekstra emphasized the importance of the involvement of the Dutch in the future of Europe.
Minister Hoekstra: “I think we should organize civil dialogues such as Look at Europe much more often. Especially when it comes to Europe and how it relates to the rest of the world.”
Maastricht and the European Union
Maastricht has special significance for the EU. The Union started there 30 years ago, with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. In 1992 there were only 12 Member States. The EU has now expanded to 27 countries. The treaty marked the start of close cooperation in areas such as foreign and security policy. Would you like to know more about the importance of European cooperation – and about the Dutch EU plans? Read it in the State of the Union 2022. This also contains the results of Look at Europe brought.
Final Report Conference on the Future of Europe
The European Union wants to know from its citizens what they think about Europe and what they want and expect from the EU. That is why in 2021 and 2022 the EU organized the Conference on the Future of Europe†
On 9 May, the final report of the Conference on the Future of Europe – of which the results of the Dutch citizens’ dialogue Look at Europe part – presented to the Presidency of the Conference. These are the presidents of the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission. Those EU institutions are now going to look at how they can give substance to the ideas and proposals of European citizens. look at it final report of the Conference on the Future of Europe†