From Rome to Sibiu The European Council and the Future of Europe debate From Rome to Sibiu The European Council and the Future of Europe debate Study Abstract The purpose of this paper is to assess the follow-up and delivery by the European Council on the priorities that were set in the declaration adopted in Rome on 25 March 2017 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome. The analysis shows that in the year since Rome, and a year before the special summit on the Future of Europe debate, due to take place in the Romanian city of Sibiu on 9 May 2019, substantive progress has been made regarding the debate itself and implementation of the policy priorities identified in the Bratislava Declaration/Roadmap and the Rome Declaration. The evidence so far suggests that the European Council, as well as the other EU institutions, have followed up on the pledges made in Rome, in an effort to boost the legitimacy of the EU, connect with a disaffected public, and combat Euroscepticism. The Leaders' Agenda, adopted by October 2017, made an important contribution to the Future of Europe debate and, furthermore, was a potentially far-reaching institutional innovation for the European Council. Under the Leaders' Agenda, discussions among Heads of State or Government now attempt to resolve seemingly intractable policy disputes by means of a new working method. Not only has this helped to operationalise the Rome Declaration, it seems also to have consolidated the European Council's position at the centre of the EU policy-making and agenda-setting framework. For more general information on this topic, see the parallel EPRS publication, The Future of Europe – Contours of the current debate, and also visit the European Parliament homepage on Future of Europe. AUTHORS Suzana Anghel and Ralf Drachenberg, Policy Analysts, European Council Oversight Unit Desmond Dinan, Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University, Virginia, USA, in his capacity as Visiting Fellow with EPRS. To contact the Unit, please email: EPRS-EuropeanCouncil [email protected] ABOUT THE PUBLISHER This paper has been drawn up by the European Council Oversight Unit of the Directorate for Impact Assessment and European Added Value, within the Directorate–General for Parliamentary Research Services of the Secretariat of the European Parliament. LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN This document is available on the internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff of the European Parliament as background material to assist them in their parliamentary work. The content of the document is the sole responsibility of its author(s) and any opinions expressed herein should not be taken to represent an official position of the Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy. Manuscript completed in April 2018. Brussels © European Union, 2018. PE : 615.667 ISBN: 978-92-846-2728-8 DOI: 10.2861/442210 CAT: QA-01-18-297-EN-N PE 615.667 2 From Rome to Sibiu: The European Council and the Future of Europe debate Contents List of figures .................................................................................................................................. 4 List of tables .................................................................................................................................... 4 Executive summary ....................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Citizens' attitudes towards the EU ........................................................................... 9 1.1. Citizens’ expectations and policy concerns ............................................................ 9 1.2. Citizens' expectations and the Future of Europe ................................................. 10 2. The Future of Europe debate and developments in the European Council since the Rome Declaration ............................................................................................. 12 2.1. Phases in the follow up to Rome ............................................................................ 12 2.1.1. Phase 1: Anticipation.......................................................................................... 13 2.1.2. Phase 2: New ideas ............................................................................................. 14 2.1.3. Seizing the opportunity ..................................................................................... 16 2.2. Leaders' Agenda ....................................................................................................... 17 2.3. A comparison of key contributions to the Future of Europe debate ................. 20 3. Implementation of the policy priorities of the Rome Declaration .................. 24 3.1. Priority clusters ........................................................................................................ 24 3.2. European Council meetings .................................................................................... 28 3.2.1. European Council of 22-23 June 2017 .............................................................. 28 3.2.2. European Council of 19-20 October 2017 ........................................................ 29 3.2.3. Gothenburg Social Summit of 17 November 2017 ......................................... 30 3.2.4. European Council of 14 December 2017; Leaders’ Meeting and Euro Summit of 15 December 2017 ............................................................................ 31 3.2.5. European Council of 22 March 2018; Leaders’ Meeting on taxation and the Euro Summit of 23 March 2018 ......................................................................... 33 4. General analysis ........................................................................................................ 36 4.1. Policy delivery .......................................................................................................... 36 4.2. Leaders' Agenda ....................................................................................................... 37 4.3. Contributions of various actors .............................................................................. 39 4.3.1. Strengthened position of the European Council President .......................... 39 4.3.2. Rotating Council presidency ............................................................................. 39 4.3.3. Varying influence of the Commission (proposals) ........................................ 40 4.3.4. Varying national contributions ......................................................................... 41 4.3.5. European Parliament involvement .................................................................. 41 4.4. Striving for unity while tackling contentious issues ........................................... 42 4.5. Outlook on the road to Sibiu .................................................................................. 43 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 45 Annex 1 European Commission contributions to Leaders’ Meetings ............................... 48 Annex 2 Heads of State and Government addressing European Parliament on the Future of Europe ................................................................................................................... 49 Annex 3 European Council attention to Bratislava policy commitments ......................... 50 PE 615.667 3 Study List of figures Figure 1 – Responses to the question 'My voice counts in the EU' ......................................... 9 Figure 2 – Political concerns of EU citizens ................................................................................ 9 Figure 3 – Trust in institutions ................................................................................................... 10 Figure 4 – Attitudes about the Future of the EU...................................................................... 10 Figure 5 – Timeline of key developments in the debate on the Future of Europe .............. 12 Figure 6 – Meetings of Heads of State or Government April 2017- March 2018 ................. 14 Figure 7 – Meeting of EU Heads of State or Government under the Leaders' Agenda ..... 18 Figure 8 – Rome Agenda policy priorities addressed by ....................................................... 28 Figure 9 – Rome Agenda policy priorities addressed by ....................................................... 30 Figure 10 – Rome Agenda policy priorities addressed by ..................................................... 31 List of tables Table 1: Key events in the Future of Europe debate March 2017-March 2018 ..................... 13 Table 2: Main issues to be discussed at EU Leaders’ Meetings, October 2017 – June 2019 ...................................................................................................................... 19 Table 3: The Bratislava Declaration and Roadmap, Rome Declaration, and Leaders Agenda ........................................................................................................................