Future of Europe: Leaders’ Agenda for Gothenburg

Our discussion about the European Council (EUCO) and the new Leaders’ Agenda for thematic meetings continued with a look at the briefings from the  European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and the EUCO conclusions of 19 October and EU27 conclusions 20 October 2017 (Article 50 TEU), in EPRS: keeping tabs on the European Council.

The Leaders’ Agenda timetable was described by president Tusk as a living document, apt to change over time, but let us take a look at the near future. Less than four weeks from now, the heads of state or government are going to convene in Gothenburg (Sweden).          

Gothenburg Social Summit

Sweden’s prime minister Stefan Löfven and the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker have invited the leaders to a Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth in Gothenburg, 17 November 2017. The Social Summit website already offers some information and  the #SocialSummit17 hashtag on Twitter provides occasional updates ahead of the gathering.

As a background, most of my spring and autumn 2017 blog posts about the social market economy, the social pillar and the reflection paper on the social dimension of the European Union can be found through the blog post Future of Europe: social dimension, except three later ones in Swedish, which look at the Nordic EU-members in the discussion about the future of Europe: the general orientation in Norden i EU-utkanten?, then the introductory entry about the Commission’s White Paper  Vitboken om EU:s framtid i Norden and the article about the reflection paper on the social dimension  Diskussionsunderlaget om EU:s sociala dimension i Norden.

Ahead of the Social Summit, readers interested in the labour markets in the EU and related social pillar and dimension matters, can find a handy compilation on the EPRS Blog about what think tanks have produced lately.

***

The other issue on the Leaders’ Agenda for this meeting is described as Education and Culture (30th anniversary of Erasmus).

The European Parliament and the European Commission already celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme in Strasbourg, 13 June 2017. The Council of the European Union provides an overview of ongoing issues in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council configuration (EYCS) during the Estonian Council presidency, as well as the main results of the previous EYCS Council meeting 22-23 May 2017. The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council configuration (EPSCO) is another potential source of issues for the European Council in Gothenburg under the headline Education and Culture (30th anniversary of Erasmus).

In the context of the Social Summit, perhaps the European Council wants to deal with the Youth Employment Initiative (EYI), supporting the Youth Guarantee efforts in distressed regions with high youth unemployment, or show interest in matters rarely seen on its agenda, but let us leave guessing and look at possible EUCO value added later, when there is something more concrete to work with.

Ralf Grahn

EPRS: keeping tabs on the European Council

The blog posts European Council: United we’re stuck? and European Council: Leaders’ Agenda presented facts and expressed doubts regarding the efforts of the EUCO president Donald Tusk to overcome paralysis or stagnation among the heads of state or government.

It remains to be seen, if the Bratislava implementation report, the description in the invitation letter and the timetable downloadable from EUCO’s Leaders’ Agenda web page, are going to turn the European Council into the impetus provider they imagined in Article 15(1) TEU, or remain an impetus taker and the main obstacle among the EU institutions and others in the quest for a better future of Europe.

The first meeting on Tusk’s list was the October 2017 European Council.

October 2017 European Council

The European Parliament is not only an initiator of EU reform, but the institution representing the citizens of the union keeps tabs on what the European Commission (promoting the general interest) and the intergovernmental institutions - the Council of the European Union and the European Council - do. Instrumental is the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), which publishes studies, evaluations, fact sheets and briefings.

Ahead of the October 2017 European Council and with a view to the proposed Leaders’ Agenda, the European Parliamentary Research Service Blog published a background post on what makes it to the EUCO agenda and why, as well as an outlook for the European Council meeting 19-20 October 2017 (including the Article 50 TEU, i.e. Brexit part), also in a more easy to read briefing form (pdf), plus links to three other publications: an updated check-list of European Council conclusions, a briefing on the European Council and the 2017 State of the Union proposals, and a list of the current members of the European Council.

They are all relevant references beyond the EUCO meeting, although here I single out the Pre-European Council briefing (outlook), which can be read as a background note to the European Council conclusions 19 October 2017 EUCO 14/17 and 20 October 2017 (Article 50) EUCO XT 20014/17, regarding migration, digital Europe (in the aftermath of the Tallinn Digital Summit, the jewel in the crown of the Estonian presidency of the EU Council), security and defence with a view to launching a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) before the end of the year, and external relations, which were discussed during the first day.

The briefing note (outlook) point 7 and the EU27 conclusions regarding the Article 50 TEU UK withdrawal (Brexit) negotiations can also be read in parallel. However, for this blog the EPRS briefing point 6, regarding the Future of Europe (discussed informally by EUCO), is of special interest, although by now we have the Leaders’ Agenda.

Ralf Grahn

EMU progress references

After the blog entry Reflection paper on EMU future we take a look at what has happened regarding the  priority ‘a deeper and fairer economic and monetary union’  during the first half of the European Commission’s term in office.

In July 2017 the EPRS European Parliamentary Research Service published The European Commission at mid-term: State of play of President Juncker’s ten priorities (35 pages; available also in French), where the text on priority 5, A deeper and fairer economic and monetary union, on pages 17-19, offers a clear summary of developments.  

Since then, the European Parliament’s Legislative Train Schedule has been updated until the end of September 2017. It offers a general description of the EMU priority and a table with access to individual EMU proposals, including demands for legislation by the Parliament, explanatory text and further references. There is also a print/pdf version for each priority.

We are going to return to these EMU progress references at various times, perhaps you, too.

***

On Twitter you can find updates from the general EU reform discussion under the hashtag #FutureOfEurope, with #deepeningEMU dedicated to the creation of a more robust, resilient and democratic economic and monetary union.

Ralf Grahn

Progress on the European Commission’s ten priorities

After our customary pit stop on the European Commission’s State of the Union 2017 web page,  the Commission State of the Union 2017 brochure (108 pages) continues on page 35 with a section Progress on the European Commission’s 10 priorities.

Starting from the 2014 political guidelines for the Commission - with the ten priorities presented in detail in the booklet A New Start for Europe - the SOTEU 2017 brochure dedicates two pages or more to each priority in a readable mix for an educated  general reader (or participant at a citizens’ dialogue) about statistical fact, legislative progress, individual examples, next steps and potential benefits.

This means that on more than twenty pages in all (pages 35 to 59, to be exact), there is more context and detail (and support for arguments) than the Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker was able to highlight during his hour-long state of the union address.

Since I am not going into each Commission priority in this blog post, here is a reminder of what they are at headline level:

1. A new boost for jobs, growth and investment

2. A connected digital single market

3. A resilient energy union with a forward-looking climate change policy

4. A deeper and fairer internal market with a strengthened industrial base

5. A deeper and fairer economic and monetary union (EMU)

6. A balanced and progressive trade policy to harness globalisation [renamed and updated]

7. An area of justice and fundamental rights based on mutual trust

8. Towards a new policy on migration

9. Europe as a stronger global actor

10. A union of democratic change

Trade and investment   

Circumstances have changed for the sixth priority, leading to a new title and revised content. The headline A Reasonable and Balanced Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. reflected the expectations of a groundbreaking Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Since the TTIP negotiations are on hold during the new US administration, this has liberated Commission resources to pursue and initiate (separate) free and fair trade deals and investment agreements with other important trading partners, while conducting negotiations in a more transparent manner. Besides, the Commission has moved towards a more protective (or protectionist) mould for trade policy, labeled as ‘not naïve’. The latest proposals were published the day after the SOTEU address. See IP/17/3182 and  IP/17/3183, the launch of trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand, as well as other links in the press releases.    

Worthwhile summary

The SOTEU brochure section Progress on the European Commission’s 10 priorities is a worthwhile summary of progress in various areas for an educated public interested in EU affairs.

For professionals interested in more exact references to legislative processes, I would recommend the EPRS publication presented in the blog post European Commission priorities at mid-term. Even more detailed, if we consult the background documentation (print versions), is the European Parliament’s Legislative train schedule, last updated to the end of June 2017.

Naturally, outside perspectives and independent views are necessary in order to evaluate gaps between wishes and realities, between gloss and gaps. In a 16 September 2017 post, The State of the Union [What Think Tanks Are Thinking], the European Parliamentary Research Service Blog has compiled titles and links to more than fifty papers from research institutes and organisations since April 2017.

After the state of the union speech, we can expect more activity with a specific SOTEU focus from think tanks, organisations and individual writers. Thus, a new and hopefully thematic compilation from the EPRS soon would be welcome.

SOTEU brochure in progress  

Having come this far, we might as well remind ourselves what the remaining part of the State of the Union 2017 brochure promises to deal with:

Better Regulation

Delivering on What the EU Promised: Enforcing More Effectively Our Joint Decisions

The State of Public Opinion in the EU

Progress in the Economic Situation

Policy Implementation Report

The European Solidarity Corps: One Year on

Visits to national Parliaments

Citizens’ Dialogues

Letter on the Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and a More Democratic Union   

We continue the presentations in future blog posts.

Ralf Grahn

European Commission priorities at mid-term

In the summer of 2014 Jean-Claude Juncker presented his agenda for jobs, growth, fairness and democratic change, as political guidelines for the then next European Commission. The ten priorities available in the brochure A New Start for Europe are:

1. A New Boost for Jobs, Growth and Investment
2. A Connected Digital Single Market
3. A Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy
4. A Deeper and Fairer Internal Market with a Strengthened Industrial Base
5. A Deeper and Fairer Economic and Monetary Union
6. A Reasonable and Balanced Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.
7. An Area of Justice and Fundamental Rights Based on Mutual Trust
8. Towards a New Policy on Migration
9. A Stronger Global Actor
10. A Union of Democratic Change  

Commission mid-term

Two and a half years into the five-year  mandate of the Juncker Commission, the European Parliament published a mid-term review in English and French:

The European Commission at mid-term - State of play of President Juncker’s ten priorities (EPRS European Research Service; July 2017; 38 pages)

La Commission européenne à mi-mandat - État des lieux de dix priorités du président Juncker (EPRS Service de recherche du Parlement européen; Juillet 2017; 45 pages)   

The publication presents a quantitative record and a qualitative assessment of progress on the ten priorities of the Juncker Commission.

EU future

Substantially the systematic treatment provides both comprehensive and detailed views of progress regarding each priority. From long term future to immediate proposals, the briefing serves as a reference tool for a discussion about EU themes, regardless of time perspective.

Thus, the EPRS mid-term analysis offers a point of departure for the debate about the future of Europe #FutureOfEurope, Juncker’s speech about the state of the European Union 2017 #SOTEU and the draft Commission Work Programme #CWP2018.

Detailed documentation and helpful links enhance the usefulness of the EPRS mid-term review, even if it is highly annoying to be thrown to the beginning of the publication when you return from a link.

Ralf Grahn

European Parliament: Future of Europe and SOTEU

Since there is just a little time, before the plenary debate about the future of Europe #FutureOfEurope and the state of the European Union #SOTEU address begins in the European Parliament, I am going to direct your attention to earlier blog articles on Eurooppaoikeus (FI), Grahnblawg (SV) and Grahnlaw (EN). In the Grahnblawg post Hopkok om EU:s framtid you can find direct or indirect references to 31 blog articles in Finnish, Swedish or English about the publications and the discussion, and in Europaparlamentet om tillståndet i EU 2017 we already approached the European Parliament as the host of the debate.

SOTEU press release   

The European Parliament has published an informative press release with useful links about the future and the state of the union debate, especially the references under Shaping Europe’s future.

Still, it is astonishing that the press release did not mention the European Commission’s so called white paper (so called, because it contained no concrete proposals):

White Paper on the Future of Europe - Reflections and scenarios for the EU27 by 2015; Brussels, 1.3.2017 COM(2017) 2025 final

Annexed to the press release is a four-page presentation of Eurobarometer results on selected topics, with EU citizens generally ahead of the heads of state or government.

EPRS briefings

In June the European Parliamentary Research Service EPRS published a short note Mapping the ‘Future of the EU’ debate, which summarised four resolutions from the European Parliament about the future of EU27. The second page described the invitation by the Juncker Commission to a debate about the future of the European Union, notably the general white paper and the five subsequent thematic reflection papers, but also recorded the process of the EU27 leaders from the Brexit vote to the Rome declaration.

A few days ago, the post The 2017 State Of The Union Debate In The European Parliament on the European Parliamentary Research Service Blog reminded readers about the role of the SOTEU debate for the adoption of the annual Commission Work Programme (CWP). The article highlighted a fresh blog post Next Steps In The Debate On The Future Of Europe, which recalled the white paper and the five reflection papers, and it linked to an updated briefing note about the future: The 2017 State of the Union Debate in the European Parliament (September 2017; 6 pages).

The briefing relates the discussion based on the white paper and reflection papers, but also contains reminders of the birth of the State of the European Union  debate, SOTEU’s role in the annual legislative programming, its constitutional significance and an outlook on the role of the president of the European Commission.

Ralf Grahn

The Cost of Non-Europe project

Politicians joining forces with experts?

Real calculations, real numbers and different areas of expertise are needed if people are to decide what is better for them – Europe or non-Europe, summarised Kristina Belikova in the July 2014 story The Cost of Non-Europe in the Gbtimes. She referred to Klaus Welle, the secretary-general of the European Parliament, at the Martens Centre reasoning why the Cost of Non-Europe project made this parliamentary term different (pages 8 and 9):

My twelfth argument is that Jean-Claude Juncker’s ten points are in fact the Parliament’s ten points. And this is not an issue of copyright. Because Juncker's five points were inspired by what Parliament had been elaborating under the heading of ‘Mapping the Cost of Non-Europe’. Do you remember? Based on parliamentary reports adopted in Plenary, we had produced an agenda of what should be done over the next years – a positive agenda for European integration. We had asked ourselves what could be additional benefits of European regulations. What is the value added if we were to get rid of 28 sets of different national regulations in order to have one set of European regulation instead. You remember: this is not new; this is the original approach that paved the way to the Single Market. As I have said: nothing new, nothing sensational. This is a well-established methodology coming from the 80's. And you may also remember that we had identified a potential of one thousand billion Euro, per year, of potential benefit if further European integration were to happen in the area of:

- a genuine digital Europe,

- an updating of our Internal Market in the field of services,

- an updating of our financial service regulations,

- a genuine energy union,

- a better cooperation in security and defence,

- and others.

---

What needs to be done in the years to come and why is this important? This is important because at the end of the day, if you draw a line under the agenda for the next five years, this is a programme for growth without debt.  

This would have been impossible without the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS; overview), particularly its European Value Added Unit (EAVA), which provides European Added Value Assessments and Cost of Non-Europe Reports which analyze policy areas where common action at EU level is absent but could bring greater efficiency and a public good for EU citizens.

***

In future blog posts we are going to look at what the Cost of Non-Europe Reports teach us about the potential of a seamless internal market (single market).

Opportunity knocks, when politicians join forces with experts.  

Ralf Grahn