On Wednesday 3 July, the President of the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament, Dacian Cioloș, called for the creation of a conference on the future of Europe.
"Our group proposes to launch a conference on the future of Europe, led by the European Parliament (...) for at least two years, starting in 2020, to propose ways to improve the democratisation process" concerning the election of the President of the European Commission, he announced to the press on the margins of Parliament's first plenary session in Strasbourg.
In his view, this conference should bring together not only the three institutions, but also members of civil society and citizens.
"We need the Spitzenkandidaten, such an instrument, but the system will only be credible if we find a way for citizens to vote for the Spitzenkandidaten. For us, it is not enough that they are appointed by a political party or family. We need to find a mechanism so that all voters can express their opinions on the candidates", he explained. If transnational lists are one idea, there could be others.
For Mr Cioloș, the discussion should therefore start next year "to give us time to take decisions in the second half of the mandate and adopt legislative proposals to be ready for the elections (of 2024) with new instruments".
The President of the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament said that the Parliament had already proposed this mechanism in discussions between political groups for a common agenda and that it would do the same with the new Presidents of the European Commission and the EU Council.
Create a 'digital' parliamentary committee
Pending the next elections, Mr Cioloș highlighted his group's priorities for the next five years. One of them is digital. In his view, the EU is not ready for digital transformation. "I have proposed to discuss with other groups the possibility of creating a committee or sub-committee on this issue", he announced, recalling that digital is not only about the single market and trade, but concerns a much broader area. "Digital technology is increasingly present in all fields", he said.
The group's president also highlighted European industry, which must be at the forefront of achieving sustainable development objectives and fighting climate change. He added that it was necessary to invest in innovation so that European companies and start-ups would no longer relocate.
Mr Cioloș also called for a new political vision in order to have agreements whose social and environmental dimensions will be indispensable.
Moreover, according to the President of the Renew Europe Group, the rule of law, human rights and democracy are non-negotiable values. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)