On Thursday 6 October, the Heads of Office of the National European Movement Councils came together in Brussels to exchange views on current challenges and share ideas for the organisation of a conference in The Hague in 2018.

While discussing each Council’s challenges, it became clear that many of the national offices are facing the same difficulties. While the UK national office is facing an extremely challenging situation following the EU referendum, other national offices also face similar challenges with regards to public perception of politics at the national and European level.

The proposed 2018 Conference provides the European Movement with an opportunity to address these challenges within an innovative framework. The Conference will not merely be a celebration of the 70 year anniversary of the European Movement, but will additionally focus on effectively addressing today’s reality. The Heads of Office agreed that we should focus on engaging citizens in this project. The purpose is to create an inclusive platform by clearly identifying the current issues that matter most to citizens, and allowing for open debate on these issues. The Conference will thus provide an opportunity to gather citizens’ views and present these to EU representatives.

Being aware of the fact that back in 1948 the European project was able to move forward thanks to the shared desire to have peace and stability in Europe, the Heads of Office agreed that the crucial question for the 2018 event would be to ask ourselves: what is it that we have in common in Europe today? What do we now want to achieve together in Europe? With the aim of having a structural impact on the creation of a new narrative for the ‘European project’, the European Movement also plans to organise smaller events leading up to the 2018 Conference.

Take a look at photos from the meeting here: