The Executive Committee of the Conference on the Future of Europe did not meet on Monday 3 May. It was therefore unable to finalise the composition of the plenary session of this pan-European citizens’ consultation exercise, despite the fact that the launch event of the Conference will take place on Sunday 9 May in Strasbourg (see EUROPE 12708/25).
The main point of contention concerns the prerogatives of the plenary session rather than its composition. It is expected to be composed of 108 national MPs, 108 MEPs, 54 representatives of the Member States, 3 European Commissioners, as well as members from territorial entities of the States and civil society organisations. The option for European citizens to sit in the plenary and participate in decision-making has not been settled.
On the role of the plenary session, the recent declaration of the Conference of Presidents of the political groups (CoP) of the European Parliament has somewhat strained discussions with the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council, which is responsible for negotiating on behalf of the Member States.
On Thursday 29 April, the CoP called for an adequate composition of the plenary session to ensure “all main stakeholders” are represented and for the plenary session to have the “final say” on the recommendations to be made to EU leaders from spring 2022. A process whereby the plenary session could deliberate and make proposals based on the work of citizens’ panels “would give the Conference the utmost legitimacy and effectiveness”, the European Parliament believes.
On this issue, MEPs received support from national parliaments. In a letter sent by COSAC to the three co-chairs of the Executive Committee at the end of April, of which EUROPE has seen a copy, Luís Capoulas Santos, who chairs the European Affairs Committee of the Portuguese Parliament, asks that the interim report of the Conference be transmitted to the EU27 and presented to the public “after being endorsed by the plenary session”.
At this stage, the EU Council is sticking to its guns: the Executive Committee should have the final say on the recommendations.
Legally, there is no obligation to find a solution by 9 May, as the first plenary session of the Conference will take place in June. However, from a political perspective, a continued stalemate on institutional issues will send an unwelcome signal. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)