The EPC has followed the discussion around the Conference on the Future of Europe from the start and contributed to the debate with a number of input papers, roundtables and public events. It will continue to work on the Conference and remain an active part in the debate, both before its start and during its course.
Listed as one of her political priorities, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen brought the Conference on the Future of Europe, originally a proposal of French President Emmanuel Macron, into the political debate in the summer of 2019. She suggested a two-year process from 2020 to 2022, in which EU citizens “play a leading and active part in building the future of our Union.“ Since then, discussions about the Conference on the Future of Europe have become more and more concrete in the European institutions, the member states, and among civil society. Although the Coronavirus has led to a postponement of its start and its detailed setup and content is undecided, it will start in the course of 2020. The pandemic, however, has altered the focus and modus operandi of the Conference, but at the same time, made it even more important than before. The crisis has shown that the future ‘new normal’ will not be a simple continuation of the status quo ante. The Conference on the Future of Europe will have to reflect the new, post-crisis realities and lead to the reform of the EU as such.