“I believe the moment has arrived for a European Convention” to reform the treaties on which the European Union is based, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday 14 September in her annual State of the Union speech.
Ms von der Leyen said that a revision of the EU’s functioning could enshrine “solidarity between generations” in the treaties. “Every action that our Union takes should be inspired by a simple principle. That we should do no harm to our children’s future. That we should leave the world a better place for the next generation”, she said.
And, according to the Commission President, a reform of the treaties is all the more necessary as the EU will be enlarged in the future.
Unsurprisingly, these words were well received within the pro-European political families. The Belgian Liberal Guy Verhofstadt, who led the European Parliament’s delegation to the Conference on the Future of Europe, warned Ms von der Leyen that she will be held to her word.
“Ursula von der Leyen finally says a clear ‘yes’ to the European Parliament’s proposal for a European Convention. (...) The main objective of the Convention must be the abolition of national vetoes”, said Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA, German).
The Parliament has already voted twice in favour of convening a Convention on the basis of Article 48 of the EU (see EUROPE 12968/17).
Conference on the Future of Europe. In June, the European Commission announced that it would unveil, during the State of the Union speech, the recommendations of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which it intends to take on board and implement.
In her speech, Ms von der Leyen mentioned an initiative on “mental health”, which will aim, among other things, to make care accessible and affordable (see other article in this newsletter). In its Letter of Intent, the Commission lists twelve others, including a revision of the waste management framework, a proposal on the detection and registration of asbestos in buildings and an EU space strategy for security and defence.
On Wednesday, the Commission reiterated that the citizens’ panels, which were set up as part of the conference, will be integrated into the policy-making process so that they can make recommendations ahead of key policy proposals, such as on food waste.
See the Commission’s Letter of Intent: https://aeur.eu/f/32e (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)