The commencement of the reform process was authorized by a substantial majority of the members of Parliament. Lega and FdI have a combined total of zero. The Member States now have the opportunity to speak.
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| [Future of Europe conference] |
The European Parliament wishes to begin the revision of the treaties on which it is founded in order to fully implement the proposals that emerged from the Conference on the Future of Europe, an experiment in participatory democracy in which citizens were invited to participate in the definition of European policies for the coming years. The Chamber's view is unambiguous: in order to better prepare the Union for the problems of the present and, above all, the challenges of the future, its institutional norms must be rethought.
Afco was mandated by the hemicycle to produce tangible suggestions for institutional change during the plenary session in Strasbourg, a process that would most likely take many months to complete. The attitude of the Chamber was backed by a huge majority of its members, ranging from the Left to the People's Party: only the two right-wing parties, Identity and Democracy (where the League of Nations sits) and Conservatives and Reformists, opposed the position of the Chamber (which hosts Brothers of Italy). It was precisely these two groups that said that they did not endorse the 49 ideas that were presented during the Conference's penultimate plenary session, which took place on April 30th.
As a result, in order for these "ambitious and constructive suggestions" to be fully implemented, the Eurochamber believes that amendments to the treaties are required. Moreover, as Guy Verhofstadt, co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Conference in Parliament, said at the conclusion of the session, if the Union does not want to be erased off the map, it must undergo dramatic transformation.
Other recommendations made by the Chamber include advancing integration in the domains of defense, energy, inclusive and sustainable development that fully implements the Pillar of Social Rights and enables the EU to meet its ambitious climate-change targets, among others. The EU also aspires for increased openness and simplicity in the decision-making process, including the elimination of voting and the establishment of unanimity in the Council. Finally, Strasbourg is requesting that the prerogative of legislative initiative be given more weight in the framing of European policy once again (currently only the Commission can initiate legislation).
The European Parliament has long considered reforming the treaties to be a top priority on its legislative agenda. However, according to some studies, only a small fraction of citizens' recommendations (between 10 and 12 percent) genuinely demand that the basic rules of the EU be addressed. The adoption of a Council resolution would suffice for many other issues, such as the introduction of transnational lists for the next European elections (which was also backed by MEPs this week), and it would not be required to amend the Treaties in order to alter the Dublin system.
According to Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union, after the document permitted by AFCO has been authorized by the Eurochamber, it will be sent to the Council (where the national ministers meet), which will then submit it to the European Council (which brings together the heads of state or government of the twenty-seven). In order to discuss proposals for treaty reform, it will be up to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to convene a convention (which will include representatives from national parliaments and governments of Member States, as well as the European Parliament and the Commission). For this convention to be called, a simple majority of 14 states out of 27 is required, and some nations, notably Germany, France, and Italy, seem to be in favor of starting the discussion.
As a result, it is a process that is far from straightforward or without obstacles, but one that has been in the works for some time, particularly following the perceived acceleration of the integration process that occurred (or was perceived to occur) in the wake of the pandemic crisis and the war in Ukraine. It was in 2007 that European leaders signed the Treaty of Lisbon, which went into effect two years later. This was the most recent period of change.