Athens, 26 October 2022

Inter-Parliamentary Meeting of Committee on Constitutional Affairs of European Parliament on "Conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and the role of national parliaments in the European Union"

An Inter-parliamentary Meeting of the European Parliament Constitutional Affairs Committee took place in Brussels following the completion of the Conferene on the Future of Europe (CoFE) in May 2022, aiming at exchanging views with national parliaments on the follow-up and implementation of the CoFE final report, comprising 49 proposals and 325 concrete measures regarding the Union’s reform as reflecting citizens' expectations, also including possible changes to the Treaties.

The meeting was attended by keynote speakers from the European Parliament and the European Commission, the two Co-Chairs of the CoFE Executive Committee, the MEP and Head of the European Parliament delegation to the CoFE Guy Verhofstadt, as well as the Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica. Representatives of the Parliaments of the previous French Presidency, the current Czech and the upcoming Swedish Presidency also participated and presented their views, as well as MPs from 24 Chambers of EU national Parliaments . The Hellenic Parliament was represented by Mr Ioannis Bournous, member of the Hellenic Parliament's delegation to the CoFE.

The two Co-Chairs of the CoFE Executive Committee outlined preparatory steps taken by the institutions they represent regarding the CoFE conclusions implementation process, always in full respect of their competences and the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality enshrined in the Treaties. Mr Guy Verhofstadt recalled the European Parliament Resolution - adopted by an overwhelming majority in June 2022 -, calling for a Conference to revise the Treaties as a follow-up to the CoFE, also announcing the drafting of a report containing concrete proposals regarding the revision of the Treaties, scheduled for approval in the Plenary next spring. In this context, Mrs Dubravka Šuica noted the European Commission's will to immediately start the process for the Treaties’ revision, also pointing out that most of the 2023 Work Program priorities are linked to CoFE proposals .

National Parliament representatives expressed their overall satisfaction over the CoFE outcome and results and European citizens’ active involvement, also highlighting the potential of national Parliaments to play an important role in their implementation. Diverse views were expressed, however, regarding the timing of launching the revision process of the Treaties, due to current ongoing crises.

Taking the floor, Mr I. Bournous underlined the binding nature of CoFE conclusions, which point to the direction of a real Union reform. He moreover welcomed the inclusion of a new round of Citizens' Committees, -on grounds of their decisive and valuable  input- in the European Commission’s 2023 Work Program.

He also elaborated upon the main factors leading to the CoFE, namely, structural deadlocks, the lack of transparency and democratic accountability, as well as of common policies to promote real and substantial member state convergence, but also the alienation of European citizens from European institutions, coupled with the marginalisation of the European Parliament and national parliaments.

Mr Bournous called attention to Europe’s current critical state of affairs, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and facing multiple crises, moreover highlighting persisting nationalist approaches of certain countries pursuing own interests at the expense of others; blind spots in EU institutional architecture still allow for such practices, severely affecting a wide range of policy fields, from growth and employment to common migration policy.

Closing, he argued that the implementation of the CoFE's proposals prior to the Treaties’ revision should be pursued, yet should not be used as a pretext for indefinitely postponing the Treaty Reform Conference, stating characteristically that "EU citizens will not tolerate evasive tactics and hindrances blocking the path towards a better Union."

 

 

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