​​​​On the 9th of December, during the last CIVEX meeting of the current mandate, EA members took part in the debate on the opinion "Local and Regional Authorities in the permanent dialogue with citizens", drafted by our member Mireia Borrell Porta, Secretary for External Action and the European Union of the Government of Catalonia. The debate took place as part of a discussion on the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

In her statement, Ms Borrell Porta argued that saying that the EU needs to communicate better with its citizens is not enough, adding that current challenges that the EU faces are not just about communication but also about active listening. In order to repair what she calls "broken chains of transmission between the EU and its citizens", local and regional authorities, led by the European Committee of Regions need to act as messengers. Ms Borrell Porta also stressed that for the new dialogue to bring real change there is a need for community building, participation, open data and online platforms, as well as for a transformation of administration to ensure open, equal and permanent dialogue with citizens. 

During the second part of the meeting, EA members took part in the Annual Dialogue with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights on the regional and local perspectives on putting the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights into practice. The commission meeting was also an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of CIVEX over the last 5 years.