Mapping of positions on the ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’

Council of the European Union

European Parliament

European Commission

• Main issue: subsidiarity, inter-institutional equality, Treaty changes, monetary concerns (Council has much smaller budget than the EP and MS are worried that if they do not contribute at least half to the Conference, the EP is going to take the lead. Unclear who, Council, EP, EC, or MS, will have to pay.)

• Main focus: governance.

• Main issue: leading the Conference process while satisfying all political groups

• Main focus: reform

• Main issue: avoid political positioning (technical approach), minimising risks

• Main focus: outreach

OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

• Form: Joint Declaration
• Outcome = non-binding EUCO report                 
• Policy-approach 
• Two years’ process, starting 9 May 2020
• Most likely a saying ‘Institutional matters and treaty changes should not be the objective of the Conference’, leaving a door open 

OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

• Form: Memorandum of Understanding
• 2 years’ process starting 9 May 2020.
• Equally includes policy issues and institutional matters (notably Spitzenkandidaten and transnational lists).
• Includes the possibility of Treaty changes
• Outcome: binding recommendations

OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

• Form: Joint Declaration
• Outcome = non-binding quarterly reports for EC legislative recommendations
• Policy-approach: policy priorities of the Commission
• Two years’ process, starting 9 May 2020 
• Institutional matters limited to European Electoral Law (mainly Spitzenkandidaten and transnational lists)
• Preference for no treaty changes.

ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE OF THE CONFERENCE

• Focus on citizens and what THEY want
• Limited European bureaucracy, inter-institutional Joint Secretariat, steering committee with equal institutional participation
• Independent personality or collegial Presidency 
• Decentralised thematic and public, web-streamed events, freely-initiated
• Including stakeholders and national parliament
• Online platform for contributions and documentations
• + results from past national Citizens’ consultations

ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE OF THE CONFERENCE

• Joint inter-institutional Secretariat
• Linear process – ‘listening-phase’ first, then Conference
• Complex transnational architecture
• Random draw of agoras' participants (<300 participants, excl. political actors)
• Thematic agoras (at least 3/MS, to be held in different locations and at least twice each)
• 1 Youth agora (16-25 years old)
• Organised civil society/ local, regional and national stakeholders should also be involved
• Use of online tools 
• Calls on its elective legitimacy to lead the Conference process.

ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE OF THE CONFERENCE

• Joint inter-institutional secretariat
• Builds on past experiences, such as citizens' dialogues, while introducing a wide range of new elements to increase outreach
• Issue-specific deliberative panels
• Suggests that a ‘European citizens’ panel’ meets several times 
• Parallel process – citizens’ dialogues and extra panels running in parallel to the Conference
• Coupled with decentralised initiatives organised by local, regional and national partners/ stakeholders.
• Setting up of a multilingual online platform/forum
• Wants a joint promotion plan