GREEK VERSION

Brussels, 27th September 2024

Yesterday, the new board of the Spinelli Group sent a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to point out that the mission letters to the Commissioners-designate have made no reference to institutional reforms or the preparation to begin the Treaty reform process.

“Unfortunately, we regret to notice, that in your mission letters to the Commissioner-designates, no mention is made to institutional reforms or to the preparation of the Treaty change process, nor to the reform of the European electoral law, including the establishment of transnational lists.” 

As a transpartisan and pro-EU Integration network, the Spinelli Group expresses our deepest concern regarding these missing elements. In the words of the President of the Spinelli Group, Sandro Gozi:

"As President of the Spinelli Group, I promoted this letter. We want to say it very clearly to Ursula Von der Leyen: respect your commitment to treaty revisions. Reform the Union to unify Europe!"

Two years have passed since the end of the Conference on the Future of Europe, where citizens gave a clear mandate for EU Treaty reform. Additionally, it has been nearly a year since the European Parliament voted last November to call a Convention as a condition sine qua non to reform the Treaties.

Yet despite all this time and her candidacy relying on the votes of pro-European forces, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has not taken any actions to implement or begin discussions on institutional reforms, treaty changes, or reforms to European electoral law. The board of the Spinelli Group once again calls for the European Commission to be proactive in advocating for treaty reform, given its crucial role in playing the preliminary phases of the Treaty reform process (as seen in Article 48 of TEU).

This inaction comes at a difficult time for the European Union, given the flashing red lights coming from the EU economy and the growing electoral popularity of Eurosceptics who would tear down this union. As the Draghi report has shown, reform of the EU’s governance is needed to face the challenges of the moment, to improve its competitiveness, and to prepare for future enlargement. Inaction during this time of vulnerability within the EU is unacceptable given the breakdown of the rules-based international order and the return of war on the continent, the European Commission must step up and do more. For these reasons, the Spinelli Group fully intends to hold the Commissioner-designate accountable during their evaluation hearings to ensure that treaty reform is not forgotten. 

The signatories of the letter are the new member of the Board of the Spinelli Group, the MEPs Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe, France),  Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle (Renew Europe, Netherlands), Markus Ferber (EPP, Germany),  Brando Benifei (S&D, Italy),  Vivien Costanzo (S&D, Germany), Reinier Van Lanschot (Greens/EFA, Netherlands), Gabriele Bischoff (S&D, Germany), Petras Austrevicius (Renew Europe, Lithuania), Daniel Freund, (Greens/EFA, Germany), Klara Dobrev (S&D, Hungary),  Nikolaos Farantouris (The Left, Greece) and Domènec Ruiz Devesa (ex officio member, former MEP, President of the Union of European Federalists).