The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union tested the idea of appointing a tripartite presidency for the Conference on the Future of Europe (see EUROPE 12640/28) at the meeting of Member States’ Ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) on Friday 29 January.
This collegiate presidency would be made up of the presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as the leader of the country holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council, in this case the current Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, in the first half of 2021. This idea was born in the minds of European leaders to break the deadlock.
Coreper will again address the issue of governance for the Conference on Wednesday 3 February.
An executive board composed of representatives of the three European institutions will be responsible for the day-to-day work. A launch of the Conference at Parliament’s seat in Strasbourg is envisaged by 9 May, Europe Day, at the latest.
The question remains as to the length of the reflection, which was initially supposed to last two years. However, France, whose President, Emmanuel Macron, is at the origin of this initiative, wishes to see concrete results from the spring of 2022 under the French Presidency of the EU Council, which coincides with the presidential elections in the country (see EUROPE 12634/4). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)