More than 150 representatives of European organisations, city councils and EU-information centres from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia have met in Vienna on occasion of the final conference of the transnational project "The Future of Europe - Our Opinion Counts" supported by the European Commission and discussed key apspects of our common European future.

The debate which took place on March 28 and 29, 2003 was based on the outcome of 26 workshops in the ten participating countries, a convention simulation by young people from all participatiung countries as well as survey conducted in parallel in the ten countries as well as on the input given by 25 qualified personalities in the two days of the Vienna conference.

The delegates to the conference,

• expressed their strong believe that the European idea of securing peace by integrating peoples and states in an ever closer Union is now more relevant than ever;
• called for a new attempt of a achieving a political Union, including a European foreign policy and a European defense policy;
• drew the attention of the political class that the European citizens must be put back in the centre of the European political system;
• are convinced that a European identity as the sum of the different local, regional and national identities is the best basis for a strong Union between the people of Europe;
• strongly support a substantial reform of the way Europe is governed through a European federal constitution guaranteeing that all decisions are equaly based on the political will of the member states and of the European people as expressed through the elections to the European Parliament.

Vienna, March 29, 2003