The European Affairs ministers will meet in Stockholm on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 to discuss the future of the EU and the challenges it will face in the years ahead.
According to the letter preparing the informal meeting of the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, the aim is to discuss “how we can be even better equipped to face future challenges”.
According to Swedish minister Jessika Roswall, the ministers should “concentrate on the changes deemed strictly necessary for the smooth running of (the) Union”. “This means identifying the essentials rather than the niceties, bearing in mind that even minor reforms will come up against obstacles ,” she said.
Ms Roswall highlighted three possible topics for discussion. The first is linked to enlargement, when in the future the EU could have up to ten more members than at present. Eight countries are officially candidates for membership (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Moldova), one country is a potential candidate (Kosovo) and another country, Georgia, has been granted European prospects.
“If we focus on the policy areas that are likely to be most affected by enlargement, are there any specific changes that are needed to meet our future challenges?” the minister asked.
She also wonders, in a 10-year perspective, what implications will be necessary for the distribution of the budget so that it is able to meet the EU’s most important future challenges.
Finally, “without entering into a debate on treaty change” the minister would like to discuss with her counterparts the institutional changes that could be made to enable the Union to function and take decisions effectively in a new geopolitical environment.
Over dinner on Wednesday evening, the ministers will discuss the future of the EU with former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb and researcher Nathalie Tocci, who, according to the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, will come to “share their views and experiences”.
Discussions between the ministers will continue on Thursday 22 June. These open discussions on the future of the EU are set to continue over the coming months.
Progress in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
During a working lunch, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, will give an oral report on the progress of reforms in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia with a view to their European integration.
As a candidate country for EU membership, Ukraine must meet seven criteria to open accession negotiations, and Moldova nine. For its part, Georgia, which has been granted European perspective, must fulfil twelve criteria in order to qualify for candidate status.
The European Commission will publish its progress reports on these countries in the autumn.
Rule of law
In parallel with the informal meeting of ministers, the Stockholm Symposium on Democracy and the Rule of Law will be held to discuss efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the EU.
The debate will focus in particular on the consequences that deficiencies in the rule of law can have on the economy, the tools and initiatives put in place by the EU to protect the rule of law within its borders, and ways of developing a culture of the rule of law.
See the preparation letter: https://aeur.eu/f/7lo (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)