Thread by @alemannoEU

As the Conference on the Future of Europe comes to an end, what can we reasonably expect?

(Spoiler: a fight over whether, how, and on what to re-open the Treaties NOW)

🧵 #CoFoE

2 Originally promised by @vonderleyen in the aftermath of her rocambolesque appointment, the Conference is the first attempt at institutional reform since 2007.

It didn’t look promising in its early days, but the context has changed.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/… #CoFoE

3 Amid lack of clear majority among Member States & disagreements among EU institutions, #CoFoE was postponed to May 9, 2021 by invoking the pandemic as the official excuse for the delay
This turned out to be a bless as led to redesigning it from scratch
socialeurope.eu/releasing-euro…

4 Contrary to past reforms, CoFoE followed a different format (preparatory exercise involving ordinary citizens) & different logic (the citizens not institutions say what they want). This allowed absorption of ongoing shocks (Covid+Ukraine’s invasion) revealing EU incompleteness

5 Despite its participatory promises, the Conference on the Future of Europe - as everything European - didn’t move the masses, but this time 800 (randomly selected) citizens were directly and genuinely involved in expressing their wishes geopolitique.eu/en/articles/ci…

6 Citizens produced 178 recommendations - from abolishing national vetos to EP's right of initiative + overhaul of EU climate, social & agri policies- set to be endorsed by Conference’s plenary today before being handed @EP_President @vonderleyen @EmmanuelMacron+June #EUCO

7 The major sponsor of the Conference is @Europarl_EN already preparing a resolution calling for Treaty Reform through its (first ever) activation of Art 48 procedure. This foresees the setting up of a Convention that can be convened by simple majority of the MS in Council.

8 It will be then up to @EPInstitutional to identify WHICH Treaty provisions to be amended to accommodate citizens’ recommendations, and depending on that the procedure to follow (ordinary, with or w/o Convention, or simplified).

9 We can expect a maximalist (fully-fledge Treaty reform transcending institutional reform) and minimalist (just a few institutional changes) positions to emerge within the reformist camp.

Yet is there political appetite for a re-opening of the Treaties at all? #CoFoE #EUCO

10 While it is still too early to define #CoFoE's legacy, it is set to go down in history as a catalyst in EU self-reflection by ultimately recognizing that the ultimate holders of EU the project aren't the EU institutions or the MS but the citizens papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

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To know more on the 178 recommendations:

https://twitter.com/alemannoeu/status/1509819879410515970