Signing of a ‘Simone Veil’ Pact promoting gender equality; Safeguarding the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan through the creation of a European Fund for Strategic Investments; ‘G3 Climate’ summit bringing together the European Union, the United States and China; Rejecting private sponsors...
The Renaissance delegation of French elected representatives in the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament has formulated its political priorities and many ideas to make the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (FPEU), which will take place in the first half of 2022, “a campaign tool” for the re-election in France of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in the French presidential elections of May 2022 and, at the European level, the marker of the “return of French influence” at the mid-term of Parliament legislature.
Furthermore, the French Presidency should also serve, according to Renaissance, to create “a new dynamic” at European level. This would be based on Mr Macron’s speech in Strasbourg on 19 January 2022, which was itself prepared at a Renew Europe seminar extended to the future German Chancellor and the Spanish Prime Minister. This process could even lead to “a transnational European movement” with a view to the 2024 European elections, according to the French elected representatives.
The document, a copy of which has been given to EUROPE, first recommends ten or so key measures that can be finalised in the first half of 2022 or be the subject of a political agreement in principle in Parliament and/or the EU Council. These include the climate package including the future EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (see EUROPE 12685/19) and the revision of the system of exchanging greenhouse gas emission quotas.
Other important issues include: - the European framework on minimum wages; - the establishment of the future Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA); - the ‘DSA/DMA’ legislative package on the liability of digital platforms; - the creation of own resources for the EU budget, including a European tax on large digital groups; - the reform of the Schengen area.
‘Simone Veil’ Pact. In the second part, the Renaissance elected representatives set out some innovative ideas for the future of the EU that France could put forward during its rotating Presidency.
“While women’s rights continue to be unravelled in several European countries, such as Poland, and with the pandemic having a very negative impact”, the French authorities could organise an informal meeting of all European Ministers responsible for gender equality on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2022, to sign the ‘Simone Veil Pact’, an intergovernmental convention in which States would commit to introduce in their countries the most protective measures for women (see EUROPE 12398/11).
Such a meeting, recently mentioned in Parliament by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, during a debate in reaction to the ‘sofagate’ affair (see EUROPE 12706/9), was first organised in November 2020 (see EUROPE 12605/24).
In the climate field, ocean management could be a policy in its own right, says Renaissance, as the EU is the world’s largest maritime area. The delegation also raises the question of the internationalisation of the ‘European Green Deal’, why not at the One Planet summit in January 2022. Another avenue to explore is holding a ‘G3 Climate’ summit including the EU, the US and China, which could commit to carbon neutrality, ending fossil fuel financing and the deployment of decarbonised electric mobility.
Economic issues are also addressed. MEPs believe that a new 100 billion euros European Fund for Strategic Investments could take over from national recovery plans by using the margins provided by own resources in the EU budget. This fund would aim to “create new European innovation champions” and would contribute to strengthening the EU’s digital, energy, health and aerospace sovereignty. The idea of transforming the European Innovation Council into a European DARPA is again put forward.
Finally, the French members of the Renew Europe Group make several recommendations concerning the communication, events and method of the FPEU. The French Presidency will have to set an example in terms of environmental protection and try to bring Europe closer to the territories, in particular by holding an informal EU Council meeting overseas.
Citizens’ High Mass. As for the ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’, an initiative originally launched by Emmanuel Macron, the first anniversary of the work of this pan-European consultation exercise should be the occasion to hold “a citizens’ high mass and a specific European Council” in Strasbourg. According to Renaissance, this will be an opportunity to promote a new start for fundamental institutional reforms for the EU, such as the end of unanimity in the EU Council, the creation of transnational lists in European elections, the Parliament’s right of initiative, and even the creation of a “permanent citizens’ assembly”.
See the Renaissance contribution (in French): https://bit.ly/3nHXu20 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)