Vargova: Tone of CoFoE Would Have Been Different in COVID-free Alternative World

Brussels/Bratislava, November 30 (TASR-correspondent) – The Council of the EU, as an institution representing member states, doesn’t just help run the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) on the institutional side, but also with a series of activities on domestic soil, in direct contact with citizens of the EU, head of Slovakia’s Permanent Representation to the EU Petra Vargova told TASR in an interview on Tuesday.

Vargova stated that it wasn’t in the interest of the Council of the EU or the member states to form some “convoluted structures” for the CoFoE, even though its structuring has grown more extensive than planned.

She added that the aim was to avoid the creation of a “Brussels bubble”, stuck in endless talks and divorced from reality.

“Now, it’s up to the people to speak their minds, make it clear that it’s them who will play an important role in shaping the future orientation of Europe and say where they would like to see Europe a few years down the road,” claimed Vargova.

Vargova conceded that it’s too early to assess the outcomes of the CoFoE at this point, also because the conference had a delayed start due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The conference would have begun sooner, in a different tone and with different topics, had there never been any pandemic,” she stated.