If the Conference on the Future of Europe is not to be a consultation exercise like so many others before it, it should lead to “tangible actions and results”, says the Commission in a draft communication which it will present on Wednesday 22 January.
In presenting her political programme for the next 5 years, the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, undertook to ensure a follow-up to the Conference debates, which could begin on 9 May and last 2.5 years, “including with legislative action and proposals for Treaty change if appropriate”, recalls the text of which EUROPE has received a copy. “This is a key outcome and a novelty of this Conference”, it adds.
The Commission is considering the creation of a ‘feedback mechanism’ to ensure that the ideas expressed in the debates on the future of the European Union are translated into concrete recommendations for the development of European policies. This mechanism could take the form of quarterly reports from the Commission and be fed by opinion polls and analysis of trends observed on social networks.
From an organisational point of view, the European institution does not go into the details of how the work is carried out and the creation of the bodies responsible for steering it on a day-to-day basis, unlike the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12404/1, 12405/1). The Commission stresses the importance of reaching out to as many European citizens as possible, especially young people, using already active networks (Erasmus, European Solidarity Corps, DiscoverEU), while not forgetting older people, who use networks less and prefer traditional forms of dialogue.
It spoke of a multilingual online platform that would compile all the work and contributions and broadcast the debates online, with the topics addressed reflecting the priorities set out by the European Commission and the European Council’s strategic agenda, as well as how to make the European elections even more democratic.
Ideally, the Conference would begin its work on 9 May, Europe Day, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, with Dubrovnik as a possible starting point, within the framework of the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council. It is fitting that the European Commissioner for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, was mayor of this Adriatic port from 2001 to 2009.
On Wednesday 22 January, Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) will debate the EU Council’s position, which could be finalised at the General Affairs Council on Tuesday 28 January. The three main European institutions will then draw up a joint declaration setting out the modalities and objectives of the Conference.
See the draft communication: http://bit.ly/2sLqii0 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)