CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: EU OVERHAUL IN THE MAKING?

EVENT REPORT | NOV. - DEC. 2020 https://eurac.tv/9R_S

With the support of CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: EU OVERHAUL IN THE MAKING?

EVENT REPORT In 2020, hundreds of EU citizens were meant https://eurac.tv/9R_S to be invited to reflect on Europe’s future at a conference that will debate European policy priorities in an attempt to introduce direct democracy in EU decision-making over the course of the next two years.

The conference, a brain-child of the Europe- an Liberals (Renew) and French President Emmanuel Macron, was meant to discuss with all EU institutions, member states and EU citizens what a future EU should look like, 17 years after the last European Con- vention.

But while the European Parliament launched the debate on the Future of Europe conference earlier this year in January and outlined its position ahead of talks with the Commission and Council, the latter has re- mained hesitant to kick off the process. Contents While many view this as an attempt to blur the conference with a vague mandate, in particular, to prevent institutional reforms, Member states stymying debate on member states insist the conference is not a EU’s future, says MEP 4 convention and results should instead only be summarized in a joint declaration, instead of Boosting EU’s democratic direct legislative initiatives. legitimacy: Parliament seeks 6 electoral reforms On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has After a Decade of EU Pragmatism, overturned the schedule for the project before It Is Time to Talk About Democracy 8 it even started. Again This event report examines what obstacles lie on the way and what topics could be shaping the discussion. 4 EVENT REPORT |CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE | EURACTIV

INTERVIEW Member states stymying debate on EU’s future, says MEP

By Alexandra Brzozowski | EURACTIV.com

MEP Gabriele Bischoff during European Parliament plenary session. [EP/ Genevieve Engel]

fter the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way the president of the “If people want treaty changes, we pushed the Conference on European Commission is elected and are open to that too,” Suica said. Athe Future of Europe, a two- allowing transnational candidate lists year soul-searching exercise aimed in European elections. “This is a conference, a two-year at reforming the EU after Brexit, onto process, and not a convention, which the back-burner, the recovery from Some of these proposals would means it is not about coming up with the health crisis could present a new need changes and amendments to a list of treaty changes. It is rather a opportunity, Socialist MEP Gabriele the EU treaties, a torturous procedure new approach to engage citizens and Bischoff told EURACTIV. requiring unanimity among member involve them in what kind of Europe states. they want to live in and how to increase Gabriele Bischoff is a German MEP Europes capacity to act,” Bischoff said, for S&D and member of the European Upon the announcement, “but at the same time, it is also about Parliament’s Working Group on the Commission Vice-President Dubravka testing the appetite for change – also Conference on the Future of Europe Suica did not rule out that the for treaty changes.” conference might initiate changes to However, member states’ reactions It started as a radical Franco- the EU treaties. to the conference have been distinctly German set of proposals, including lukewarm, particularly compared to

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the European Parliament. in the common market, which then in Europe.” was followed by a sort of awakening,” But for that it’s important that this “We had a very clear position as Bischoff said. is not the usual, top-down academic Parliament who should chair it, we middle-class debate on the future of defined criteria and outlined our “The next minute we know we had Europe.” goals,” Bischoff said. one of the deepest integration push so far with de-facto Eurobonds and “After the last elections, where The assembly picked Guy the recovery programme, that no one we had a much higher voter turnout Verhofstadt, the former Belgian would have anticipated a year ago,” than before and a very active civil prime minister and current liberal she added. society engaging in activating people MEP, to lead the process, but EU to participate in the elections, we diplomats have expressed unease “If you ask citizens, almost no disappointed a lot of people with not about Verhofstadt’s suitability to lead one realised that, there were no sticking to promises regarding the the conference given his federalist debates about this, there is actually Spitzenkandidat,” the German MEP views and status as a polarising figure an interest not to have debates about said. across the bloc. this,” Bischoff said. After a traumatic two months “The problem is that in the According to Bischoff, the of fighting between the EU’s Council, couldn’t agree on anything conference could prevent mistakes institutions and political groups for 5 month and instead of coming up made during the last European over the distribution of top jobs, with alternative suggestions, they are Convention in 2004, where the debates many policymakers proclaimed the just saying ‘no’ for another 5 month largely happened at interinstitutional Spitzenkandidaten system and the – this is irresponsible,” the German or intergovernmental level, leaving idea of transnational lists to be dead. MEP said. many to regard the Constitutional Treaty as an elitist construct. “You cannot announce that you As EU member states paved the have Spitzenkandidaten, you have way for the opening of discussions The Constitutional Treaty was them touring around Europe and with the Commission and the ratified by 18 member states, which debating and then after the election, Parliament in June, it has become included referendums endorsing it in you say, there is no need for this.” clear there will also be no obligation Spain and Luxembourg. on the part of the EU institutions to “It’s very important before the actually address the issues raised in However, the rejection of the next election, that we really have the debates. document by French and Dutch a properly defined and regulated voters in May and June 2005 brought procedure for the Spitzenkandidaten EU ambassadors stopped short the ratification process to an end, principle,” she said. of committing to any possible although the bulk of the substantive treaty change, and the compromise changes were kept in the Lisbon However, with the delay in the circumvents the issue by simply Treaty agreed two years later. start of the citizens’ consultations, stating that the conference itself hopes for workable results are should not be the same as the formal “We need to create a European dwindling. convention that is needed for an public space with this conference to amendment to the treaties. avoid mistakes of the past,” Bischoff “In parallel, we already have to said. work on that, we cannot wait until According to the Socialist MEP the 2023,” Bischoff said, adding that COVID-19 pandemic has been both a When asked about what will Parliament will start to work on a new curse and blessing. happen if citizens decide they electoral law “quite soon”, likely in want less Europe, Bischoff said the spring next year. “What I find so striking is that in conference would be an “opportunity this pandemic the first reaction was to reconnect with the people that lost nationalistic closure of borders, even faith in Europe, that are sceptical and not letting medical products pass to really engage citizens everywhere 6 EVENT REPORT |CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE | EURACTIV Boosting EU’s democratic legitimacy: Parliament seeks electoral reform

By Alexandra Brzozowski | EURACTIV.com

Pro-European protest in from of the European Parliament in Brussels on election night 26 May, 2019. [EURACTIV/AB]

U lawmakers have called for According to them, “zipped” lists or Homeless people and prisoners in reforms, including lowering the similar initiatives could help achieve countries that allow them the vote also Evoting age, transnational lists, more gender balance in the chamber. faced “obstacles” in exercising their and gender balance rules, ahead of the right to vote. next European elections in 2024. Moreover, the resolution pointed to the fact that minorities and more Lowering the minimum voting age Electoral reform, MEPs stated in than 800,000 citizens with disabilities to 16, changes to campaigning and a resolution adopted this week by were effectively excluded from the funding rules, and the establishment 468 votes to 194, would be one of the 2019 polls due to a lack of accessible of a European Electoral Authority “lessons to be learned” from the 2019 voting centres or other bureaucratic were among the recommendations. European elections and should be on barrier. the agenda of the planned Conference MEPs also say other initiatives, on the Future of Europe. such as transnational lists, would

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increase the “visibility” of European transnational lists, a reduction of political parties and movements. the number of Commissioners, the However, according to Casale, the right of legislative initiative for the delay has done no favours to the EU’s The so-called Spitzenkandidaten European Parliament, and an end to image. process, whereby the lead candidate unanimity in decision-making. of the group that wins the election “It is supposed to be a bottom-up would become the frontrunner Also, citizens should have more process, but we’ve spent over a year for the European Commission influence on EU economic policy, fighting at the top about who is going presidency, was killed off last year according to Renate Tenbusch, to chair it and steer it and I think that over compromises struck between director of the Friedrich-Ebert- sends a very negative message to member states. Stiftung office in Brussels. citizens,” he said.

“Parliament’s strong suggestions “Citizens need to have a say Asked what would happen if in this resolution, like the call for the between elections and for that, we citizens in the consultation process gender balance rules that we are still must overhaul the institutional decided they want less Europe, Casale lacking, and for transnational lists architecture of the EU and give more said “there’s always that danger from to transform the European elections power to citizens, but also to the populists”, but the consultation into a single European election, need European Parliament as the only should not hesitate to “reach out to be taken into serious consideration directly elected EU institution,” she to all of the parts of Europe… have by the member states,” said French said. conversations with the groups of rapporteur Pascal Durand (Renew people and with organisations that Europe). WHAT CITIZENS MIGHT perhaps are not the actual EU fan WANT (OR NOT) club”. “We expect that they will be focal points for the Conference on the Commission Vice-President “We need to listen to what people Future of Europe too. It is high time Dubravka Šuica has not ruled out have to say and to give people a voice that we tackle existing challenges that the Conference on the Future of and above all listen and act on what and prepare for future ones by Europe might initiate changes to the they have to say,” he concluded. abandoning outdated attitudes and EU treaties. However, there is little embracing the European dimension appetite in member states and among of our politics,” Durand added. citizens for such a far-reaching step.

A 2018 electoral law reform, “I am not against treaty change, which aimed to further Europeanise but I don’t think citizens are actually the bloc’s electoral processes, has so asking for treaty change,” Roger far failed to be ratified by all member Casale, secretary-general of New states. Europeans and acting president of Europe’s People’s Forum, told CONFERENCE CONTENT IS EURACTIV., explaining that changes KING could be achieved without changing EU treaties. According to a recent report, European elections have to become “The conference needs to respond more meaningful, with a bottom-up to what citizens care about and right approach to civil society and citizens’ now, what they care about most of all, involvement. is health, and the environment, and jobs, and in other words in creating a Among their recommendations, green, healthy, dynamic future for all the authors cite EU-wide of Europe,” he said. 8

STAKEHOLDER OPINION

DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network. After a Decade of EU Pragmatism, It Is Time to Talk About Democracy Again

By Julian Plottka and Manuel Müller | Institut für Europäische Politik

Demonstration in favour of the European Union. Italy - January 2019. [Shutterstock/Mike Dotta]

uring the crisis-ridden the centre of the Conference on the seems to prove, once again, that last decade, the EU has Future of Europe. EU intergovernmentalism does Dstumbled into a new not work. From the multi-annual intergovernmentalism presented as Manuel Müller is Senior Researcher financial framework and the rule of an apparently pragmatic problem- at the Institut für Europäische Politik, law mechanism to the Conference solving approach. But side-lining Berlin. on the Future of Europe, the list of the European Parliament is not just dossiers stuck in intergovernmental a problem for the EU’s legitimacy, but Julian Plottka is Senior Researcher negotiations is long and ever growing. also results in negotiation deadlocks at the Institut für Europäische Politik, Only the hope remains that the on important policies. To enhance the Berlin, and Research Associate at the German government will secure some legitimacy and the efficiency of EU University of Passau. last-minute compromises before decision-making, it is necessary to put Christmas eve. the debate on European democracy in The German Council Presidency

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Almost to the day twenty years ago, pragmatism, there have always parliamentary and participative on 11 December 2000 in Nice, another been efforts to make the EU more democracy. It outlines specific generation of European leaders learned democratic. The Spitzenkandidaten recommendations for making the limits of intergovernmentalism. In procedure in 2014, the Hübner-Leinen European elections more meaningful a four-day European Council summit, report on the reform of the European and civil society involvement they hammered out a last-minute deal electoral law in 2015, the debate about more bottom-up. Additionally, a for an EU treaty reform. The result transnational lists all pointed in the special focus is placed on economic was so miserable that one year later right direction. Still, all these efforts governance of the monetary union they not only decided to embark on a finally got stuck or were watered down as a policy area that has particularly new reform, but invented a whole new beyond recognition by the Council. strong effects on citizens’ evaluation procedure: the European Convention Today, the European Parliament’s of European democracy. that was meant to put the EU on strong Committee on Constitutional Affairs democratic feet. (AFCO) is working on a report on the During the last years, it has often Parliament’s right of initiative. The been argued that citizens are not However, the Convention’s inter-institutional negotiations on interested in institutional navel- democratic spring was short-lived. a mandatory transparency register, gazing. Whether this is true or not, After the failure of the European covering the European Commission, citizens do have a lot of interest in Constitution, its main contents were Parliament and Council, have democracy. Since it has come under rescued in the Lisbon Treaty, but resumed after the 2019 elections. But threat from right-wing populists only through an intergovernmental irrespective of the quality of ideas, all over Europe, citizens have conference and avoiding further citizen little to none of these efforts is noticed become concerned with the future involvement. Subsequently, rapidly outside the Brussels bubble. And even of democracy. It should therefore accumulating crises put the European though the level of citizen satisfaction not come as a surprise that the 2019 Council even more at the centre of has been recovering since the end of European elections, when many EU politics. In the name of pragmatic the Euro crisis, more than one in three feared that Eurosceptics could capture and quick problem-solving, informal EU citizens are still unsatisfied with the European Parliament and that the intergovernmental institutions EU democracy and almost two in five European project itself was in danger, like the Eurogroup frequently side- believe that their voices do not count resulted in the first increase in turnout lined the European Parliament. But in the EU. Meanwhile, ten years of since 1979. this new intergovernmentalism not avoiding fundamental institutional only damaged the EU’s legitimacy, reform have done little to stop national But as crucial as fighting back the as the level of citizens’ satisfaction populists in Hungary, Poland and enemies of democracy is, it is even with the EU dropped and national- elsewhere from undermining Europe’s more important to turn the debate. populist parties rose during the democratic base. Defensive restoration will not suffice crises. It was also an invitation to to win the hearts of citizens. They power plays and blackmailing by It is thus time to take the debate long for a positive vision of the future national governments, ultimately to a new level. Both the deadlock of European democracy: a vision that leading to negotiation deadlocks of intergovernmentalism and goes beyond the day-to-day policies on important policies. Meanwhile, the unacceptable levels of citizen without getting lost in the vagueness calls for comprehensive democratic dissatisfaction underline the urgency of an unattainable utopia. The planned reforms were dismissed for a long to strengthen EU-level democracy Conference on the Future of Europe is time referring to the “Pandora’s box” enabling the EU to address future the venue where such a vision could argument: Should we really risk challenges. As a contribution to this emerge. The debate on European opening such a big issue in such a necessary debate, our recent study democracy must become the centre of complicated time? on “Enhancing the EU’s Democratic its deliberations. Legitimacy” analyses reform needs Of course, even during these and presents both short and long- years of ill-guided intergovernmental term proposals in order to reinforce THE DUTCH BID FOR EMA

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