EU’s attempt to reform itself branded ‘biased from the very beginning’ The strong broadside comes after a symbolic event on Wednesday to mark the start of Conference on the Future of Europe. Adobe Stock 11 Mar 2021 Ursula von der Leyen and David Sassoli, presidents of the European Commission and Parliament respectively, signed a joint declaration kicking off the process for the Conference. The forum, scheduled to formally begin in May, will be the first opportunity at comprehensive reform of the EU in more than a decade. The Conference will include randomly selected citizens’ assemblies as a key component and aims to develop firm proposals on how to make the EU more democratic, effective and bring it closer to citizens, by spring 2022.