On 7-9 January, the European Citizens’ Panel on “Climate change, environment/health” will put forward its recommendations for the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The Panel’s work over the weekend will be hosted at the campus of the College of Europe in Natolin (Warsaw, Poland) while its plenary meetings on Friday and Sunday will take place at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. Some 200 panellists from all Member States, different ages and backgrounds, will decide on their recommendations for the future of Europe. They will build on their work done in two previous sessions, held in Strasbourg on 1-3 October and online on 19-21 November, and focus on the following topics: better ways of living; protecting our environment and our health; redirecting our economy and consumption; towards a sustainable society; and caring for all.

You can find all relevant information, including the latest report on the Panel’s work, on the dedicated Panel 3 webpage. The draft agenda is available here.

European Citizens’ Panels in light of the evolving COVID-19 situation

The Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe’s established practice is to take advice from the partner institutes on the ground, as well as local or national authorities, in deciding whether Panels should go ahead or be postponed in light of the evolving COVID-19 situation.

In December 2021, the Executive Board decided to hold the Panel 3 session with panellists physically present, in full respect of the health measures in place in Poland. To make sure all panellists can take part, hybrid facilities will be available to connect remotely as well. As was the case for the Panel meeting that took place in Florence in December 2021, only fully vaccinated participants and attendees will be physically admitted to the venue.

At the same time, the Executive Board decided to postpone the Panel meeting that was originally set to take place in Maastricht (Netherlands) on 14-16 January, until the public health conditions and measures in place permit the Panel meeting to go ahead.

The meetings of the Panels comprising all 200 panellists will be livestreamed on the Conference’s Multilingual Digital Platform, as well as on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre (Friday and Sunday) where recorded versions will also be available.