On Tuesday 7 May, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced his expectations ahead of the informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Sibiu (Romania) on the future of the Union.
"A few weeks before the European elections we must send a message that I hope to be united and that I want to be hopeful", said Mr Juncker at the opening of his press conference in Brussels. Recalling that the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (Brexit) had not yet taken place (see EUROPE 12233/1), he added that the "need to talk about our future" was "more present than ever". This intervention in the Commission's press room took place a few days after the publication of a contribution from the institution to prepare for the Sibiu Summit (see EUROPE 12245/7).
In a context where the European elections could see the abstention rate reach a high level and the Eurosceptic or Europhobic forces obtain a significant number of seats in the European Parliament, Mr Juncker considered that it was "urgent" to show citizens that the European Union was working for them, "without interfering in the smallest details of daily life".
The President of the Commission also welcomed the assessment of the Commission and the EU during his term of office and affirmed that he had kept his promise to act forcefully on the major issues and not to act too much on more secondary issues (big on big and small on small). He also considered that "today's Union is stronger than yesterday's Union", in particular because of the return of growth after the economic and financial crisis.
Referring to ten priorities that he had placed at the top of the European agenda in 2014 (migration, internal market, economic and monetary union, etc.), Mr Juncker assured that "everything has been done".
As for the future of the Union, the current President of the Commission wants to strengthen the EU's social dimension, make it a stronger power on the world stage or put an end to unanimity in the Council of the EU in certain areas. For him, a "better future" can only be achieved through "European unity".
When asked about one of its key currencies on the "last chance Commission", he said that the institution had achieved results where it should, in terms of employment, growth or public finances.
In addition, in view of the European elections, Mr Juncker reaffirmed his determination to "fight against populists, extremists". Finally, he stressed that the Commission should not be taken as a "scapegoat" to explain the citizens' vote, and said that Europe was not responsible for everything. For him, national policies partly explain the voting of Europeans across the continent.
Link to the Commission's documents on its five years of action: https://bit.ly/2WsqZ9D (Lucas Tripoteau)