In Luxembourg on Tuesday, 12 April, EU countries’ ministers for European affairs took stock of the Conference on the Future of Europe’s work—which has entered the crucial phase of reviewing feedback from citizen debates—and action to be taken with regard to the conclusions that will be drawn in Strasbourg on Monday, 9 May.
We are in “a phase of finalising proposals”, indicated French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune. In the serious time in which we live, this work is “necessary to strengthen our institutions, [improve] how we operate, and make the EU an even more democratic, more sovereign, and more efficient family of ideas”, he felt.
The aim of the final plenary meeting—scheduled to be held in Strasbourg on Friday, 29 April, and Saturday, 30 April—will be to reach a decision regarding the proposals from the nine working groups, which are organised by theme, by assigning them a priority (see EUROPE 12930/22). On this basis, the Executive Board will be responsible for finalising the conference’s conclusions, which will be forwarded to the three co-presidents, Roberta Metsola for the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen for the European Commission, and the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Mr Beaune reported discussions between Member States “on the method, mainly, of the process and on the action that will be taken” in the Council of the EU. After 9 May, it will be up to each institution of the EU, in accordance with its competences, “to follow and implement the recommendations” of the conference by choosing the priorities that will generate the greatest consensus, noted the secretary of state.
On Tuesday, ministerial debates reportedly did not focus on the possibility of initiating a process that would lead to launching a convention on institutional reform of the EU. However, this is what a majority of the MEPs who are participating in the conference and who sit in pro-European groups in the European Parliament want.
Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič gave his assurance that the EU institution remained committed to taking action based on the results of the conference.
Upon her arrival in Luxembourg, Croatia’s minister Andreja Metelko-Zgombić stressed the importance of “all inputs and suggestions of citizens [being] faithfully translated into the outcome of the Conference”. Her Finnish counterpart, Tytti Tuppurainen reiterated that the “initial purpose” of the conference was “about listening to the citizens”. In her opinion, Finns want the EU to produce results in the areas of security and defence, climate change mitigation, and protection of common fundamental values. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)