Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi delivered a five-point plan to change the European Union and “bring it closer to the citizens” on Thursday 2 May in Florence at the State of the Union conference organised by the European University Institute (EUI).
Opening this annual event with a speech on democracy, the former Minister for European Affairs of the Monti and Letta governments, now in the service of Giuseppe Conte's government, claimed the right to criticise the EU while being pro-European. He defended the idea of reforming the Union's institutional architecture, which must maintain “the link” with European citizens, to whom “the institutional system” is not easy to explain.
“We have lost the long-term visions”, the Italian deplored, regretting that the EU has become a ”prisoner of very complex situations”. However, if it does not modernise, the EU is in danger of “dying” or “exhausting itself”.
Tinged with federalism, his first area concerns the European Parliament, which, according to Mr Moavero Milanesi, should be able to hold the right of legislative initiative in equal shares with the Commission. “We cannot imagine that a Parliament elected by universal suffrage would not have this legislative initiative”, he said, echoing a demand from the Five Star Movement.
Such a legislative development could be achieved through an interinstitutional agreement with the European Commission and the Council of the EU, without revising the Treaties. This would mean, for example, accepting the legislative initiative of a given political group or a sufficient number of MEPs meeting the threshold required for the formation of groups.
For the Minister, this sharing of the legislative initiative at European level would allow citizens to better understand the role of MEPs and “to be part of [the political] direction” taken.
The second approach mentioned by Mr Moavero Milanesi is to clearly define what a ‘political’ Commission is, as Jean-Claude Juncker wanted for his mandate. “We must give a real meaning to the term ‘political’ Commission”, explained the Minister. Similarly, the College of Commissioners should truly represent the political balances in place in the Member States.
The third initiative envisaged is to transform the European Parliament into a real budgetary authority, capable of setting up new own resources for the EU budget. Parliament should therefore take the political initiative to promote the creation of new own resources for the EU budget in order to increase its capacity, without increasing the Member States' regular payments.
By own resource, the liberal leader means a European corporate income tax, a tax on cross-border financial transactions, an income tax on Internet operators and a tax on large cross-border polluters (carbon tax at the EU's borders).
With a larger European budget, new European policies could then be activated, for defence and security, managing the migration challenge and stimulating the economy.
Migration. The 4th point defended concerns European migration policy which, according to the Minister, should carry out actions in the countries from which migrants depart.
“There needs to be a broad investment plan” for migrants who are considering, especially for socio-economic reasons, trying their luck in the EU, and an EU intervention capacity to assist these people “before they leave”, said Mr Moavero Milanesi. And these actions should complement the EU's internal legislative arsenal, which must also include a “structured system for the rapid distribution of migrants arriving in Europe between Member States”.
Finally, there is a need for a “real European foreign policy” and a “real defence policy” which do not currently exist because of the “decision-making mechanisms that provide for unanimity for each important decision”, advocated Mr Moavero Milanesi, convinced that Member States should also reach decisions by qualified majority on these sensitive issues affecting national sovereignty. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)