Dear colleagues, when we ask ourselves about the future of Europe, the first thing to solve is: which role should we give to citizens? If we don’t solve it, in a few years, with other MEPs, the same debate will have to take place and it will be a defeat. Do we want to be uninterested, passive, distant? Or, on the contrary, do we want that their voices really count and they can participate directly in European democracy? I not only refer to the elections of members [of EU Parliament] and senior positions, but to habilitate mechanisms in order to participate in debates and decision taking. We must update the governance of our democracy. The insatisfaction that runs through Europe only benefits europhobic populisms — there is a real basis that justifies that insatisfaction. The alternative cannot be the temptation of euroscepticism, the future of Europe is not for conformists or sceptics, but [for] exigents.

Carles Puigdemont (PDeCAT/JxC), European Parliament, 15th january 2020

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