News of Europe | 14/2023
Dear readers,
To talk about enlargement and treaty change is not enough, as the Granada summit showed. European governments need to act. The European Parliament opened the way by tabling its report on the amendment of the treaties (see our previous editions) and backed accession talks with Moldova (see below). Will the Council show the same sense of history?
And now, to your newsletter,
Out of the poll. Slovak voters called back former Prime Minister Robert Fico to rule the nation. Fico, who resigned in 2018 following his involvement in the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak, vowed not to aid Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. On a positive note: Fico won’t be able to rule on his own, his party having secured only 23 % of the votes.
The UEF's Political Commission on Rule of Law, Values & Cohesion will hold an online debate on 18 October on this topic. Register here.
Granada Summit: Two Days That Did Not Change Europe
Thursday: European Political Community summit. Leaders of the wider Europe met in Granada on Thursday for the third edition of the CPE. The war in Ukraine once again was discussed at length, in the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky. Europeans criticised the lack of goodwill from the United States, whose aid is held by Republican lawmakers. Emmanuel Macron called the American help a “wonderful complement” which should not replace Europe’s own efforts.
Friday: European Council meeting. Leaders of the European Union (not the same thing, mind you) met on the following day. On the agenda of this informal meeting: the migration crisis and Eastern enlargement. Discussions were most heated on the question of Ukraine's accession to the EU. European Commission Ursula von der Leyen pleaded the cause for a Union of 30 members, while more sceptical heads of state voiced concerns about the date of 2030 for enlargement. France and Germany agreed to the date, on the condition that the necessary institutional reforms are carried out.
The UEF answers: It's not so much a question of what needs to be done (enlargement), but about how to do it—Europe needs a strong institutional change. Read our latest news release.
Migration was the second hot topic of the Council meeting. Poland and Hungary, reinforced by the recent victory of eurosceptic Robert Fico in Slovakia, opposed the proposed reform of the European asylum system.
The European Parliament backed the start of accession talks with Moldova after a vote was cast last week. The country, also destabilised by the presence of pro-Russia troops on its territory, was granted candidate status alongside Ukraine.
Decade-long prime minister Xavier Bettel faced crucial elections in Luxembourg this weekend. However, the centre-right party CSV came first, dealing an important blow to Bettel, and will lead the talks to form a new government.
The UEF's Political Commissions on Foreign Affairs & Security (PC3) and Digitalisation, Climate & Biodiversity (PC5), held a live debate on AI, Cybersecurity, and Democracy on Friday. You can hear the replay here.
Don't forget the other live debates of the UEF's political Commissions. 12 October, 18:00: The AFCO Report and the Process for Treaty Reform (register here). 17 October, 18:00: Policy Solutions for Restoring Growth and Competitiveness in Europe (register here). 18 October, 18:00: Debate on the Slovak elections (register here)
Thank you for your continuous readership. Let us know what you think of News of Europe at this link.
Federalist regards,
Alexandre Météreau
on behalf of the UEF Secretariat