The Conference on the Future of Europe is a most welcome initiative aimed at reforming the European Union’s policies and institutions. It is a citizen-led series of debates and discussions that will enable people from across Europe to share their ideas and help shape our common future.
The brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, the conference is jointly organised by the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission and should be concluded next year.
The EU is without doubt a success story which has given millions of its citizens peace and prosperity as well as numerous political, social and economic rights. However, the EU needs to reform itself in order to face the new challenges it is confronted with.
One thing which COVID-19 has highlighted is the urgent need for the EU to develop its crisis management capabilities. Where it makes sense to act together, such as during a pandemic, then more competencies should be given to the bloc. There is certainly scope for the development of a proper health union within the EU, not only to deal with deadly virus outbreaks but also to tackle a whole range of health issues such as cancer and antibiotic resistance.
The Union also needs to have a stronger voice on the global stage and the time has surely come for a strengthened EU common foreign policy. Many of the EU’s global challenges – climate change, nuclear proliferation, an assertive Russia and China, terrorism, cybercrime, changing patterns of diseases, resource depletion, the growth of populism and authoritarianism as well as fake news – can only be properly addressed if Europe deals with them together.
The EU should seriously consider having its own foreign minister – instead of the ‘High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’ – who would be given additional responsibilities when representing the bloc on the world stage. It must also look into how its defence union can be strengthened and whether the bloc’s unanimity requirement in foreign policy should be reviewed.
Another area where the EU should have more clout is climate change. The EU and member states have shared competences here. However, it would surely make sense to hand over responsibility to Brussels. This would mean that the EU would negotiate international agreements on climate change on behalf of the entire bloc and the member states would be legally obliged to abide by the European Commission’s ambitious targets of cutting carbon emissions.
While the single market is without doubt a huge driver of economic success throughout the EU, more needs to be done to encourage its full potential. One such area is the digital economy. Europe needs to develop a truly digital single market which would be a huge driver of economic growth and prosperity. And the time has come for a proper debate on strengthening the EU’s economic and monetary union so that the bloc will be better prepared in the event of another financial crisis.
The EU needs to consider strengthening its democratic credentials. Perhaps the time has come for the president of the European Commission to be elected by a Europe-wide popular vote. This will give citizens more of a say in how Brussels is run.
And the bloc should include more safeguards to ensure that the rule of law within the member states is always adhered to. This is not always the case as we know from our experience in Malta as well as the experience of countries such as Hungary and Poland.
After all, if the EU is truly a ‘Union of values’ then it should live up to its name.