The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group decided to give the conference on the future of Europe, which concluded with a range of about 300 EU-federalist proposals, a fitting response, by ending their participation to it, while slamming the door on the way out.
The proposals, that involve scrapping veto powers for EU member states, more power to the European Parliament, more EU financing for EU climate action and of course an EU army, can be summarized as “more power and money for Brussels”.
Reactions were tough but fair.
Swedish ECR MEP Charlie Weimers stated:
“The Conference on the Future of Europe attracted mostly those who want to centralize more power in Brussels. Entire process plagued by self-selection bias. Critical voices ignored already at the planning stages. No consideration of repatriation of powers to Member States.”
His Dutch ECR colleague Michiel Hoogeveen MEP highlighted a new opinion poll, revealing the lack of public support for COFOE proposals in the Netherlands:
“The Conference on the Future of Europe is a failed experiment. Research by I&O commissioned by JA21 shows that there is hardly any support for the results. “Citizens have been used to the ideas of politicians”:
Italian ECR MEP Carlo Fidanza summed it all up, describing COFOE as a “farce”.
It is doubtful European citizens would disagree, in case they have even heard about COFOE.
Real Conference on the Future of Europe 