The 27 heads of state or government of the EU Member States will adopt, on Thursday 20 June, their Strategic Agenda for the next institutional cycle, which is expected also to be a source of inspiration for the person they will propose to be the next person to preside over the European Commission post-Juncker to develop their own political programme (see EUROPE 12275/8).
Leaders are already setting up meetings for the October European summit for a "follow-up" to this agenda, according to the draft conclusions dated 17 June, of which EUROPE has had a copy.
On Friday 14 June, the Heads of State or Government of the seven Mediterranean countries - Malta, Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal - underlined the importance of stimulating "convergence" and social inclusion between Member States within a European Union capable of adapting to the "challenges of climate change, demography and digitisation". They called for a "more assertive" Europe capable of defending its interests and “common values” in the world.
At the same time, in the European Parliament, work on the strategic priorities of the main pro-European political groups - EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA - is continuing, with the presidents of these groups taking stock, on Monday evening, of the work of the five working groups (see EUROPE 12273/17).
The aim is to finalise a political declaration for the meeting of the Conference of Presidents (CoP) of the Parliament’s political groups on Tuesday afternoon. It is up to the CoP to endorse this declaration and transmit it to the Twenty-Seven.
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, responsible for leading the work of the Twenty-Seven on the Strategic Agenda, will attend the CoP. The appointments to senior European posts to be filled by the end of 2019 - presidencies of the European Commission, the European Council, the ECB and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - will be another topic that MEPs and Mr Tusk should address, including the political personality who would be able to secure a pro-European political majority in the Parliament.
In search of the best political, geographical and gender balance, Mr Tusk aims to submit to his counterparts in the European Council one name per function, as a package to be taken or left.
Other issues on the agenda of the European Summit include: the fight against climate change and disinformation, the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and, in the area of foreign affairs, relations with Ukraine and Russia (see EUROPE 12276/5).
According to the draft conclusions, the European Council should ask the EU Council and the Commission to continue work on the conditions for convergence towards "a climate-neutral EU, in line with the Paris Agreement, that preserves European competitiveness and is just and socially balanced, while building on the measures already agreed to achieve the 2030 CO2 emission reduction target”.
Support for a climate neutral target set in 2050 is increasing (see EUROPE 12276/15), but this target is not included in the draft conclusions.
On the post-2020 EU budget, the Twenty-Seven now only plan to hold discussions in October, whereas they had previously planned to reach an agreement on the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework by that date.
See the draft conclusions: http://bit.ly/2Io1AcE (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)