Debate: Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE 2020
Speaker: Nikolina Brnjac
Language: EN

The situation has no doubt radically changed since we last had a chance to discuss the issue in this plenary back in January. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has, in the meantime, left deep marks on our societies and economies, leaving no one and nothing unaffected, including the plans we had for the conference.  For obvious reasons over the last few weeks and months, we had to focus our attention on the most pressing priorities for our citizens; foremost the health emergency and its economic and social consequences. If anything, however, the crisis has shown us how important it is to reflect together on the future of our Union. The Presidency therefore remains strongly committed to reaching a consensus in the Council as soon as possible, with the aim of finding an agreement with Parliament and the Commission on the timing and manner of launching the conference and on its overall concept. However, I want to strongly underline that we are doing our best to find swift agreement in the Council on this important issue. That work is still ongoing and has intensified over the last week at COREPER, ministerial and other high political levels. On 9 May, in his address to mark Europe Day, the Croatian Prime Minister, Mr Plenković, stressed the paramount value of the future of Europe open debates with our citizens and other stakeholders for shaping the vision of our common European future. He invited all EU Member States to reach a consensus as soon as possible, as well as the agreement with Parliament and the Commission.  On 26 May, the Presidency also included a discussion on the conference on the agenda of the informal videoconference of Ministers of European Affairs.  As it emerged from these exchanges, the design of the conference will of course need to take into account the recent developments. The Presidency is therefore working on the revised text of the Council’s position in order to also reflect the COVID-19 reality.  We take note of Parliament’s new resolution on the conference on which you will vote in this plenary which similarly seeks to reflect the new reality. At the same time, we believe that the nature of the conference should not fundamentally change in the light of the pandemic. The conference should contribute to the development of our policies in the medium and long term, so that we can better tackle current and future challenges while taking into account as many views of different stakeholders as possible.  While the lessons of the COVID-19 crisis should be included in our reflection, we also consider that the crisis has further highlighted the importance of the already identified priorities of the 2019-2024 strategic agenda. These priorities range from strengthening our single market to successfully delivering the green and digital transition, and delivering concrete results for the benefit and well-being of our citizens. Most importantly, we remain convinced that the upcoming conference should be an inclusive process involving our three institutions in full respect of the interinstitutional balance and of our respective roles. Likewise, Member States should be involved equally, including their national parliaments, and shared ownership remains important.  Finally, let me reiterate that to deliver on our priorities, as well as defining a vision of Europe in 10 to 20 years, cooperation among institutions will be imperative. As the coronavirus crisis has reminded us all, divisions make us weaker. Only by overcoming them will we be able to proactively shape our future.