Assita Kanko looks ahead to the “Conference on the Future of Europe”: “The priority is to bring Europe closer to the citizen”

MEP Assita Kanko has been appointed to be part of the European Parliament’s delegation to the Conference on the Future of Europe. “The citizen wants a decisive Europe that is a strong player on the world stage. But also a Europe that respects its own diversity in the traditions and identities of those citizens, so that people can feel European without stopping being Catalan, Portuguese or Flemish.” I will be working on this within the European Parliament’s delegation that looks at the Future of Europe and am very honoured to be part of this delegation.”

The Conference on the Future of Europe is an initiative of the Commission, the Council and the Parliament with a view to having European citizens exchange thoughts on the future challenges and priorities of the EU. Ahead of the first plenary session of the Conference, which takes place in Strasbourg on 18 and 19 June, Assita Kanko said: “The EU and its Member States are currently facing very considerable challenges. Problems such as the economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, the broken migration policy, polarised societies and climate change require not only more cooperation and transparency, but also more thoughtfulness, clarity and courage.”

Digital impact on our lives

Now the various MEPs will get to work in working groups. Speaking about her work in the “Conference on the Future of Europe”, Assita Kanko says, “As a member of the ‘Digital Transformation’ working group, I will be working closely on the digital future of Europe. Today’s digital technology has a huge impact on our lives, as the mass teleworking during the coronavirus crisis has made clear. No one may miss the digital train. Our companies in Flanders and Europe must also be given and seize sufficient opportunities to make economic progress through digital initiatives.”

Fix what is broken and strengthen what already works

“As a Eurorealist and as a politician in this field, I will always continue to advocate for feasible European cooperation that is supported by the citizens. I hope the EU tries to fix what is broken and strengthen what already works. That would be a nice starting point for this Conference on the Future of Europe,” Assita Kanko concludes.