In order to keep the momentum of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) going, the political groups in favour of greater centralisation in the European Union have pushed through a resolution that calls for a Convention for the revision of Treaties and bypasses the work in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs.

“Because it takes too long for them in the official procedures, the so-called pro-Europeans want to fix the outcome in advance so that the French council presidency can declare victory before its end”, said ECR MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, who sees the prestige of parliamentary procedures diminished and the official report on which he is Co-Rapporteur compromised by the text adopted today.

“The ECR Group rejects futile centralisation attempts and harmful democratic shortcuts. When it serves their purposes, the so-called pro-Europeans seem to be willing to use any means: even to undermine the consensus decisions of this House on common procedures”, Saryusz-Wolski commented. For the ECR Group, proposals for treaty changes are a serious matter because they could endanger the institutional balance on which the EU is based.

Mr. Saryusz-Wolski said:

“Any follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe requires genuine and objective public and representative consultation, and thorough assessment by all stakeholders. In contrast to how the centralists imagine it, the EU is a representative democracy. A list with proposals from randomly selected citizens and civil society representatives should not form the basis of institutional change and treaty reform. That’s why we reject this unjustified and premature attempt to launch a process towards a Convention.”

“The centralists have once again done a disservice to the credibility of their cause. They keep forgetting that EU policies are most effective when they derive from the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality and proximity to citizens. A possible new policy requires full democratic legitimacy and accountability.”

Mr Saryusz-Wolski also emphasised that the EU’s handling of the crises in recent years – including COVID-19 and Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine – have clearly shown how much the EU can deliver within the current Treaty framework. “We do not need to rush into institutional reforms in order to deliver results that would be divisive and slow down the EU in its readiness to serve citizens’ needs”, Saryusz-Wolski concluded.

ENDs

Notes for Editor:

In an act of protest because of shortcomings in terms of participation opportunities, legitimacy and transparency, the ECR Group had left the Conference on the Future of Europe on 30 April 2022. The same day, the plenary of the Conference endorsed the conclusions of its nine thematic working groups. The European Parliament responded to this with a resolution voted on 4th May 2022, in which it welcomed the conclusions of the Conference. The resolution acknowledged that the conclusions “require Treaty changes, inter alia, concerning the simplification of the EU institutional architecture, more transparency and accountability in the decision-making process and a new reflection on EU competences”. To this end, the Parliament has called for the convening of a Convention as provided for by Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union, and called on the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) to launch the necessary procedure. On 2nd of June 2022, the Conference of Presidents authorised the drawing-up of a non-legislative own-initiative report on “Proposals of the European Parliament for the Amendment of the Treaties” pursuant to Rule 85 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure. Six co-rapporteurs were nominated, including ECR’s Saryusz-Wolski.

The resolution adopted today by the majority groups who are in favour of a more centralised Europe, bypasses the work in the official AFCO committee by anticipating the results and making significant progress on opening the Treaties before the end of the French Presidency and the start of the Czech Presidency.

Press Release, “European Conservatives and Reformists Group walks out of Conference on the Future of Europe”, 30 April 2022 is available here.