Conference on the future of Europe: Books

This book sheds light on how member states and EU neighbours reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of European solidarity, what they expect from the EU, and other member states, and how they are ready to contribute to common action. The volume reveals how European countries experience and perceive solidarity from the EU and towards the EU in different policy dimensions, such as intra-EU mobility, healthcare and financial and economic aspects of Europe's recovery. The book offers national perspectives and perceptions of solidarity and concrete aspects in different policy areas.

This edited volume explores the opportunities and challenges facing the European Union in the future from different disciplines and assesses the EU's prospects across various policy areas. Using the European Commission's 2017 White Paper presenting five different scenarios for the future of Europe to 2050 as an organising framework for analysis and debate, the volume reflects upon the drivers of the EU's future, including its changing place in an evolving world, a transformed economy and society, heightened threats and concerns about security and borders, and questions of trust and legitimacy. The concluding chapter summarises and compares the findings to determine which of the scenarios is the most instructive to understand and plan European Futures to 2050, and beyond. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European integration, EU politics/studies, and more broadly international relations, as well as European policy-makers.

As the European Union undergoes a major, self-proclaimed democratic exercise – the Conference on the Future of Europe – and approaches Treaty change, this volume offers a new model of citizen participation to address Europe’s long-standing democracy challenge, and respond to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed are a set of democratic innovations, ranging from citizens’ assemblies to regulatory gaming to citizens’ initiatives and lobbying, which are complementary, not antagonistic, to existing representative democracy across the European continent. These innovations are emerging bottom-up across the continent and getting traction at local, national and EU level in a new era powered by technology. This book brings together academics as well as practitioners to give a forward-looking, holistic view of the realities of EU citizen participation across the spectrum of participatory opportunities.

Our European Future offers solutions to rethink our socioeconomic model in the glare of the environmental and digital transformations; to redefine Europe’s role in the world to contribute to renewed multilateralism; to strengthen investment in public goods; and finally, to re-invent our democratic contract. The book brings together the insights of renowned experts from across Europe, and it should prove a handy guide for any progressive thinker, policymaker or activist, and for any citizen who would like to take part in the necessary democratic debate about our future.

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the AFCO Committee, analyses possible avenues for further political integration in the EU after Brexit. The study maps the multiple crises that the EU has weathered in the past decade and explains how these crises, including the recent Covid-19 pandemic, reveal several substantive and institutional weaknesses in the current EU system of governance. The study considers the potentials of the nascent Conference on the Future of Europe to renew the EU and examines the obstacles and opportunities for EU treaty reforms, considering the option of channelling the Conference’s outcome into a new Political Compact, subject to new, less-than-unanimous ratification rules.

In the light of Brexit, the migration crisis, and growing scepticism regarding the European integration process, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the most pressing problems facing the European Union in the 21st century. Written by experts from various disciplines, the contributions cover a wide range of economic, legal, social and political challenges, including populism, migration, Brexit, and EU defence, foreign policy and enlargements. Each paper includes a historical account, insights into the problems and challenges confronting the EU, and an assessment of the institutions and policy instruments applied by the EU in response. Discussing each of the problems as part of a process - including the historical roots, current situation and potential solutions - the book allows readers to gain an understanding of the European Union as a living project.

"The European Parliament elections in May 2019 did not bring about the rise of populism in Europe that had been feared by many. Instead, while populism was contained, a broad pro-European majority emerged that today carries the new European Commission with its ambitious green, digital and geopolitical agenda. However, Euroscepticism remains a significant force to be reckoned with in national and EU-policy making. The present book offers a better understanding of the different types of Euroscepticism that exist across Europe. It also shows that Euroscepticism is best addressed by understanding well the often valid concerns that are at the origins of Eurosceptic forces. If this is done in time, Euroscepticism is not something to be afraid of. It is part of a vibrant European democracy that is resilient enough to embrace those who criticise the reality of the European project with good arguments; and that stands ready to develop and improve day by day to become a more perfect Union."

In recent years, governments and parliaments at all levels have involved citizens more frequently in participatory decision-making to improve quality, transparency and ownership of policies at local, national and European level. EU member states and institutions as well as cities and regions have held thousands of citizens’ dialogues and consultations on the future of Europe and are ready to continue this exercise to make the European Union more democratic and transparent. This publication brings together reflections on how this could happen in the years to come. The “Leaders Agenda” adopted by the informal European Council in Sibiu on 9 May 2019 and the “Political Guidelines” of the European Commission President-elect, Ursula von der Leyen, presented on 16 July 2019 in the European Parliament put citizens’ involvement in EU policy-making at centre stage. Ms. von der Leyen suggested a two-years’ “Conference on the Future of Europe” to begin in 2020, which would “bring together citizens (…), young people, civil society and EU institutions as equal partners” with a “clear objective, agreed between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission” and the possibility to suggest “legislative action if appropriate”.

Public authorities from all levels of government increasingly turn to Citizens' Assemblies, Juries, Panels and other representative deliberative processes to tackle complex policy problems ranging from climate change to infrastructure investment decisions. They convene groups of people representing a wide cross-section of society for at least one full day – and often much longer – to learn, deliberate, and develop collective recommendations that consider the complexities and compromises required for solving multifaceted public issues. This "deliberative wave" has been building since the 1980s, gaining momentum since around 2010. This report has gathered close to 300 representative deliberative practices to explore trends in such processes, identify different models, and analyse the trade-offs among different design choices as well as the benefits and limits of public deliberation.

The European Union is at a crossroads. Slowly recovering from a series of financial and economic crises, with trust fundamentally shaken by processes of disaggregation and increasingly nationalist politics, it is searching for new visions that are at once inspiring and workable. In its White Paper of 1 March 2017, the Commission proposed five non-exclusive options for the Future of Europe. As put by the Commission, the five scenarios are illustrative in nature to provoke thinking. They are not detailed blueprints or policy prescriptions. Likewise, they deliberately make no mention of legal or institutional processes - the form will follow the function. This book takes the current state of the Union seriously. However, it aims to debate not only the political vision of Europe, but also the issue of legal integration beyond Brexit. Apart from addressing the institutional challenges for the EU, the contributions to this volume focus on two key areas: rule of law and security. Rule of law and security are not only paradigmatic for the future of Europe but are also closely connected to a particular vision of Europe based on 'integration through law'; a vision that has been strongly contested in recent years.

This book proposes a profound reform of the EU and identifies its deficiencies. The book’s proposals are based on the concepts of limited supranationality and a balanced view of the nation state. The EU is mainly needed to secure peace, promote prosperity, compensate for the relatively small size and limited power of its member states, and ensure their compliance with the essential principles of Western civilization. The balanced view of the nation state implies avoiding nationalism and war and safeguarding the advantages which a well-designed nation state has in comparison to the EU. The book presents a variety of proposals, such as redesigning EU law-making and EU treaty-making, subordinating the role of the European Commission, a Court of Appeal, and a new composition of the European Central Bank. It also discusses possible ways to ensure the survival of the Eurozone. If the book’s proposals are translated into practice, the EU could be in better shape in the future.

This volume provides an interdisciplinary perspective on trust in the EU from the vantage point of political science, law and economics. It applies insights from a number of different dimensions - political institutions, legal convergence in criminal and civil law, social trust, digitalization, the diffusion of political values and norms, monetary convergence and the legitimacy of political systems - to approach the highly complex issue of trust in the EU in a clear-sighted, relevant and insightful manner. Written by renowned experts in the field, the style is accessible and reader-friendly, yet concise, knowledgeable and thought-provoking. The individual chapters combine up-to-date research findings with reflections on on-going political debates and offer useful, concrete ideas on what steps the EU could take to address the challenge of trust. The book provides the reader with invaluable insights into how trust, or rather the lack of trust, poses a challenge to the future of the social, economic and political developments in the EU. It is a must-read for policy-makers, students and interested members of the public who feel concerned by the future of Europe.

With a Foreword by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. This book sheds light on the political dynamics within the EU member states and contributes to the discussions about Europe. Authors from all member states as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey assess how their country could get more involved in the European debate, taking the reader on a journey through various political landscapes and different views. The chapters cover issues ranging from a perceived lack of ambition at the periphery to a careful balancing act between diverse standpoints at the geographical centre. Yet, discussions share common features such as the anxiety regarding national sovereignty, the migration and border discourse, security concerns as well as the obvious need to regain trust and create policies that work.