Once again Treaty Reforms is missing from the European Council Conclusions

PRESS CONTACT
18/10/2024
Press Release
UEF

October 18, 2024

The meeting of the European Council on 17 October in Brussels focused mostly on the dramatic international situation including the conflict in Ukraine - highlighted by the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - and the escalating conflict in the Middle East, in particular the dangerous situation in Lebanon and its potential consequences.

An important point of this EUCO was to initiate the debate on the topic of strengthening European competitiveness, a discussion based on the reports by Enrico Letta “Much more than a market” and Mario Draghi “The future of European competitiveness”. The European leaders called on the member states and institutions “to take work forward to meet the challenges identified in the reports” and they will continue the debate at the informal EUCO taking place in November. 

However, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) regrets to note that no mention of Treaty Reforms was included in the European Council’s Conclusions. Despite institutional reforms being necessary to address the root causes of the EU's economic challenges, as highlighted in the reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, they were absent from the final Conclusions.

The UEF recalls that citizens provided a clear mandate to the European institutions for urgent EU Treaty reform following the Conference on the Future of Europe, which concluded in 2022. In November 2023, in response to this mandate, the European Parliament initiated the procedure under Article 48(2) of the Treaty on European Union and adopted its proposal to amend the Treaties.

After sending letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and the heads of EU Member States, alongside our sections and partners from the Spinelli Group, European Movement International (EMI), and the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe), the UEF expresses deep concern over the European Council’s lack of action. “The battle with the European Council still remains. We have already sent two letters to Charles Michel (President of the European Council) who replied ‘yes, don't forget, we started the discussion as part of the European Council's strategic agenda’. This is fine, but we have to put it on the agenda for a decision.” said Domenec Ruiz Devesa, former MEP and UEF President, “As UEF we should now look to the new President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, to relaunch this issue in a few months' time.

This inaction is particularly troubling given the urgent context of upcoming EU enlargement(s), and the importance of the fourth Copenhagen Criterion, which addresses the EU's preparedness for new member states' accession and the potential need for internal reforms: “Enlargement cannot be unconditional. It must go hand in hand with the deepening of political union” concludes Domenec Ruiz Devesa.

The UEF reiterates its call for a real consideration of Treaty Reforms by the European Council and expresses the importance of aligning the Council’s Conclusions with the aspirations of citizens. 


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Press contact

Ilaria Caria
Secretary-General
secretariat@federalists.eu

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