Preparing the EU for 2004

Summary by EURACTIV:

Preparing the EU for 2004

Heather Grabbe criticises the agenda set at Laeken for the debate on the future of Europe because it does not pay sufficient attention to the qualitative changes that enlargement will bring.

Mrs. Grabbe points to the danger that the Convention will end up debating points of principle, instead of tackling concrete problems that the EU will face after enlargement. Moreover, she claims the Laeken agenda fails to look forward to new challenges. “The EU needs to look beyond the problems in its current system, and think imaginatively about how the political dynamics of the Union will change when another ten members join”, says the author.

Heather Grabbe states that the European Council is not effective at dealing with detailed issues, and its meetings should be better prepared by a “Council of Prime Representatives”, composed of deputy prime ministers or senior minister designated by the prime ministers. This preparation council should meet frequently to work on the details of complex dossiers. In the same way, a Foreign Affairs Council could be set up, “to ensure that the EU’s huge range of policies support an overall diplomatic strategy”. According to Mrs. Grabbe, the EU also needs a permanent staff for foreign policy based around the office of Javier Solana, whose job should be merged with Chris Patten’s.

In order to involve national parliaments more in EU decision-making, the author suggests setting up a committee of national parliaments (inspired by an idea of Lord Brittan). It would have the power to ask the Court of Justice to examine whether the principle of subsidiarity was violated and could also look at past legislation, presenting a list of outmoded laws at the end of each year. A remodelled COSAC could fulfil this role.

Mrs. Grabbe also suggests that the EU’s institutions should reprioritise issues, according to what citizens consider important, and allocate appropriate resources to these issues. Tackling unemployment, maintaining peace and security and fighting organised crime and trafficking are among priorities for EU citizens.

The EU may also want to consider setting up informal coalitions of countries with an interest in particular parts of the world in order to tackle external policy, says Mrs. Grabbe. Moreover, it should forge new bonds with neighbours who have no aspirations to join the EU, like Russia for example.

The author is in favour of abolishing the division in pillars, as they are merging in practice. In essence, the EU will have to become more flexible, she says. It will have to use open methods of coordination, as qualified majority vote will soon reach its limits.

Heather Grabbe is in favour of a constitution for Europe, but stresses that this constitution must state what the EUdoesand what its aims are, not just what the Unionis. She thinks the constitution needs to be short and easily understandable. The mission statement should include an objective to which all Europeans can subscribe, without binding them to a particular constitutional model.

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Preparing the EU for 2004, by Heather Grabbe.

Heather Grabbeis Research Director at the Centre for European Reform.

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