Dear colleagues,
My name is Luca Visentini and I speak here on behalf of trade unions from all over Europe.
The citizens’ panel have discussed and pushed forward an impressive and very ambitious set of proposals and demands, which together with the inputs posted in the online platform will enable us to make the future of Europe better and more inclusive.
I would like to mention just two of these ideas.
The first is about the need to build a new economic model after the pandemic, an economy at the service of people’s needs and wellbeing. – A sustainable and inclusive recovery, where everybody can make a decent living and get a fair opportunity, where nobody is left behind.
The second idea I want to mention is about the need to reconstruct our European social model after so many crises – to offer to every citizen a decent job, a decent salary, adequate social protection, and defence of human and social rights.
Based on all this, we have now the responsibility to deliver.
Deliver an open and constructive discussion in the Working Groups and in this Plenary, by contaminating and interacting between citizens, institutions, civil society, and social partners.
Deliver ambitious and visionary results, which must have a concrete impact on the policies of the European Union and on the functioning of our democracy, including through Treaty changes where necessary.
We should take all the time we need for this discussion – we should not exclude any outcome, any action, we are not here just to defend what we have, we are here to change.
We have to keep the promise we made to European citizens to build together a better Future of Europe.