THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION REPORT. Europe in a period of transition

121 Recommendations 1. European citizens and the Conference on the Future of Europe The Conference on the Future of Europe − The Conference on the Future of Europe 2021-2022 should see the Union set an example to the world of how to build a genuine participatory democracy in an international organisation. − The conference must not amount to just another process of consulting civil society on the part of the institutions and should propose to the institutions the staging of the Convention provided for in Article 48.3 of the Treaty on European Union, which would be a significant boost for the Union’s legitimacy in the eyes its citizens. − Even if an amendment of the treaties does not mate- rialise, the proposals on each of the thematic groups that emerge from the conference should be able to increase the institutional legitimacy of European gov- ernance and policies. − Particularly on matters of European governance, the conference should propose a limited series of im- provements, most of them achievable without the need to amend the treaties. Improving the democratic foundations of the European Union − It is necessary to extend the community method to all political areas that still do not provide for the participation of the Parliament or are subject to special legislative procedures, when possible, using passerrelle clauses. − In addition, it is necessary first to institutionalise and then constitutionalise the practice of “lead candidates” from the European political parties for President of the Commission, so that the candidate from the political party that receives most votes is put forward by the European Council to be Commission President; and approve a transnational constituency that, through a transnational list complementing the national lists and headed by the “lead candidate”, gives the elections a European dimension. With that in mind, it is necessary to make progress on the approval of a uniform electoral law for election to the European Parliament that enables ensuring the equality of all MEPs and, therefore, of all citizens. − The multiannual financial framework must be adapt- ed to the European election cycle, so that a Parliament and a Commission returned by the polls can transform the preferences of the electorate into European polit- ical action, along with the European Council. − It is necessary to strengthen debate on European pol- icies and accountability in the national parliaments through the commitment to staging at least two de- bate sessions a year, with the head of government and a Commissioner, on the state of the European Union. 2. NextGenerationEU and the recovery and transformation of the European economy The NextGenerationEU recovery fund − The NGEU is a qualitative leap in European construc- tion. It empowers the Commission to issue debt on behalf of the EU, in very favourable financing con-