Athens, 6 February 2020
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Athens, 6 February 2020 To: - President of the European Parliament Mr. David Sassoli - President of the European Commission Ms. Ursula von der Leyen - All attached recipients Topic: Conference on the Future of Europe Related documents:1. Communication from the European Commission 2. European Parliament resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Parliament’s position on the Conference on the Future of Europe (2019/2990(RSP)) Honourable Ms. President of the European Commission, Honourable Mr. President of the European Parliament, It is with particular interest that the International Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (I.A.O.) (www.eiao.org), was informed by the European Commission and the European Parliament on the decision to launch the Conference on the Future of Europe. An in-depth discussion process, to be completed within a period of two years, which will lead to proposals on the European Union’s future policy priorities, also giving European citizens a greater say on the European Union’s activities and how it works to their benefit. Policy fields to be identified would be European values, fundamental rights and freedoms, Democratic and institutional aspects of the EU, Environmental challenges and the climate crisis, Social justice and equality, Economic and employment issues including taxation, Digital transformation, Security and the role of the EU in the world. It is noteworthy that European institutional organs have agreed that the Conference process should be an open, transparent inclusive process with the participation of the European citizens. More specifically, the European Parliament welcomed the European Commission’s proposal for a Conference on the Future of Europe believing that, 10 years after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it is an appropriate time to give EU citizens a renewed opportunity to have a robust debate on the future of Europe so as to shape the Union that we want to live in together. Furthermore, the European Parliament resolution includes concrete proposals for the organization, composition and governance of the Conference process. The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (I.A.O.) firmly believes that the future of Europe is the future of the world and, therefore, welcomes the initiative of both the European Commission and the European Parliament. Moreover, the I.A.O. deems that all inter-parliamentary bodies, being fervent supporters of independent parliamentarism values and of the open participatory democratic process, also rising above regional interests and in the name of the citizens they represent, have the duty to actively seek a catalytic and institutionalized presence in the shaping of positions on issues of major importance ,such as Europe's future course. Thus, in light of this unique opportunity, the I.A.O. calls all counterpart Interparliamentary institutions –in terms of thematic scope or geographical designation- either effected in any way by EU political decision-making, or as stakeholders of joint decision-making, to pursue a dynamic presence in the Governance of the Conference process. In addition, the I.A.O. encourages all counterpart institutions of a parliamentary nature to contribute in the shaping of common positions through a coordinated participation in the debate and via co-organization of joint activities. The I.A.O. urges the European Parliament to provide interparliamentary bodies with a forum for presenting their positions during the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Future of Europe is not a national issue, but a key issue for each and everyone of us to contribute at individual, local, national, regional, continental and international level. It is the very nature of Interparliamentary institutions - cross-border, supranational and multicultural- that provides a promising assurance of a better future. Closing, we would like to suggest to the European Parliament to include Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) representatives to the debate on Conference process Governance. The I.A.O. extends its deep esteem and states its readiness to participate in the whole process. Yours Sincerely, The Secretary General Dr. Andreas Michailidis Member of the Hellenic Parliament Recipients: - Vice Presidents of the European Parliament: Mairead McGuinness Dimitrios Papadimoulis - Vice-Presidents of the European Commission: Maroš Šefčovič Dubravka Šuica Margaritis Schinas - Members of the European Parliament on the Motion for the Resolution: Dacian Cioloş, Guy Verhofstadt, Pascal Durand Manfred Weber, Paulo Rangel, Antonio Tajani, Danuta Maria Hübner Iratxe García Pérez, Gabriele Bischoff, Domènec Ruiz Devesa Ska Keller, Philippe Lamberts, Daniel Freund Martin Schirdewan, Helmut Scholz - Chair or Co-Chair of the European Political Groups in the European Parliament: Group of the European People's Party (EPP), Manfred Weber (Germany) Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), Iratxe García Pérez (Spain) Renew Europe Group, Dacian Ciolos (Romaniaα) Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), Ska Kellerfrom (Germany) & Philippe Lamberts (Belgium) Identity and Democracy (ID), Marco Zanni (Italy) European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Ryszard Antoni Legutko (Poland) & Raffaele Fitto (Italy) Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), Mannon Aubry (France) & Martin Schirdewan (Germany) - Inter-Parliamentary Organisations: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (ΡΑΜ) Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) Pan-African Parliament (ΡΑΡ) Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) Parliamentary Assembly of the Union Russia - Belarus Latin-American Parliament (Parlatino) Parliament of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) The Arab Parliament (ΑΡ) Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (PA CIS) South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) Baltic Assembly (ΒΑ) Nordic Council Parliamentary Assembly of the GUAM (Georgia – Ukraine – Azerbaijan – Moldova) Organization for Democracy and Economic Development Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (ΑPF) - Civil Society Organisations: International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN) Organisation ‘Religions for Peace’ - Europe (RfP-Europe) Movement for Politics & Policy for Unity (MppU) International Center – Communion and Liberation World Council of Churches (WCC) European Council of Churches (ECC) Focolari Movement Niwano Peace Foundation King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) Community of Sant’Egidio Cc: - Members of the International Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (I.A.O.) - President of the I.A.O. General Assembly, Member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Mr. Sergei Gavrilov - I.A.O. Parliament – Members - Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions - Muslim Council of Elders .