The State of the European Union 2017

REVIVING THE DEBATE ON POLITICAL UNION AFTER BREXIT

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political union have primarily been of an inter-

governmental nature, low-intensity and short-

lived, largely because of the accumulation of

convulsions and emergencies that swamped the

European agenda as a result of the global eco-

nomic and security crises.

Sixty years after the signing of the Treaties of

Rome, 2017 may see the start of the revival of

the process of political union, but only if we can

overcome certain fears and a certain lack of po-

litical will and if the drawing up of complete and

realistic visions of the future takes priority.

To gauge the chances of that revival happen-

ing, we have to analyse recent documents of

strategic importance.

First, the one known as the Five Presidents’

Report,

which was drawn up on the initiative of

President Juncker, in close cooperation with the

President of the Euro Summit, the President of

the Eurogroup, the President of the European

Central Bank and the President of the European

Parliament. It had an integrationist intent: To

move beyond the intergovernmental approach

that characterised the political management of

the economic and monetary crisis over the last

seven years.

The report follows the viewpoint that “we

need to shift from a system of rules to a system

based on the institutions to guarantee that EMU

rests on a transparent and extremely solid

architecture”.

Juncker, J. C.; Tusk, D.; Dijsselbloem, J; Draghi, M., and

Schulz, M.:

Completing Europe’s Economic and Monetary

Union. Report by: Jean-Claude Juncker in close cooperation

with Donald Tusk, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Mario Draghi and

Martin Schulz,

Brussels, 22 June 2016. Available at: http://

ec.europa.eu/priorities/sites/beta-political/files/5-presidents-

report_es.pdf.

European Commission. Available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/

news/2015/06/20150622_fr.htm. The translation is ours.

Over the last few years, a high-level discus-

sion like that one, seeking the way to “guaran-

tee that the political union rests on a transpar-

ent and extremely solid architecture” was

unthinkable.

However, from now on, it may not be so un-

thinkable, insomuch as, as in 1992, the consti-

tutional reform of the structure of EMU is seen

to be inseparable from the reinforcement of

political union.

Second, an important European Commission

document currently in the process of drafting

could contain the vision of the future of a feasi-

ble political union through the putting into

practice of concrete proposals. It is to be adopt-

ed in 2017, coinciding with the 60

anniversary

of the signing of the Treaties of Rome on 25

March 1957. We are talking about the

White

paper on the future of Europe

What can we expect from the

document?

Its announcement appears in the address on the

State of the Union by the President of the

Commission in September 2016 in the follow-

ing context: “Europeans are tired of the endless

disputes, quarrels and bickering. Europeans

want concrete solutions to the very pertinent

problem that our Union is facing. And they

want more than promises, resolutions and sum-

mit conclusions. They have heard and seen

these too often. Europeans want common deci-

sions followed by swift and efficient implemen-

tation. Yes, we need a vision for the long term.

And the Commission will set out such a vision

for the future in a White Paper in March 2017,

in time for the 60th anniversary of the Treaties

of Rome. We will address how to strengthen

and reform our Economic and Monetary Union.