2017, a new chance for Europe
The Appeal of May 9th and the book Europe, la dernière chance written by Guillaume Klossa and Jean-François Jamet
The Appeal of May 9th 2016, launched by Guillaume Klossa, founder of the action tank EuropaNova, reminds his previous book Europe, la dernière chance written with Jean-François Jamet, economist, in 2011. Both released before French presidential elections, these texts advocate for a new role of Europe.
The world is changing. The book focuses on the main global changes and on European challenges among these dynamics. Which changes? On the international stage the actors have moved on. The United States of America have grown away from Europe and strengthened their relationships with China. Emerging countries, including China, Brazil and India, have gained wealth and decision-making power and built thus new balances with former world powers including European states. The global population is ageing and increasing fostering the race for new supplies of natural resource. As growth factors, advances in technology and in knowledge have become new competition fields. The appeal sums up definitely these geopolitical, social, economic and demographic dynamics through the word “marginalization”.
The book widens European stakes beyond the participation in the international community. It fosters Europe to be a testing ground for new world governance supporting human interests in the twenty first century. To this end Europe will face 3 main challenges. First challenge: the citizens. In the book the citizens should recognize the European successes; in the appeal they should take part to the political project. The common goal here is popular consent and support to European improvements regarding democracy, peace, social, economic, institutional and human rights. Second challenge: the European social, economic and political plan. According to the book this plan should lead to a better effectiveness in case of crises. The appeal describes it as a project for the future, a dynamic and an improvement. Third and final challenge: the knowledge and advocacy of European values. While in the book elites are in charge of this challenge, in the appeal it concerns everyone. In this way the authors put forward a political project from a global realistic vision.
Europe can change. Each text suggests a short and middle-term action plan including political and institutional reforms. We will focus on the institutional ones. The texts support pragmatic changes of existing institutions in order to increase their ability to react in case of emergency and their democratic legitimacy[1]. In the book reforms aim also to improve political incarnation and visibility. In practical terms the appeal encompasses 3 main works: the selection of the President of the European Commission (EC) based on the European parliamentary elections, the removed possibility for a single Member State to modify European Union (EU) treaties using national referendum, the development of the own European budgetary power. A collective debate about a new EU Treaty would precede these reforms. The book introduces further in this debate a gradual and more substantial institutional change scenario. First step. The Presidents of the EC and of the European Council would be elected by the European Parliament. The Commissioners of the key-policies would become Deputy Presidents of the EC. In particular, the Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs would chair the Council of Ministers of Finance and Economy and would represent abroad the EU in this field. The European and national parliaments would take part to the European semester (of economical and fiscal policy coordination) (http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/european-semester/). The EU would develop a borrowing capacity. Second step. The positions of Presidents of the EC and of the European Council would merge. Our new European President would be elected by the European and national parliaments. Third and final step. The European President would be directly elected by the EU citizens. Starting from 2019?
Schema of the major institutional changes
The French presidential elections of 2017 are a new chance. French citizens have received both texts a year before the elections. In 2011, a European pact for the next President of the Republic, added to the book’s addenda, was submitted to candidates running for the 2012 elections. It reminded to the next President his or her responsibility in European Politics and the leading role of France in the building of Europe. It fostered empathy for Europeans and common solutions. It described the French history through humanistic vision and quest for progress[2]. In 2016, the appeal has been widely released in the press triggering a collective reflection which recognizes the impact of citizens in the building of Europe. Moreover the appeal targets all the Europeans: it was written by Europeans, it is available in eight languages, and it is signed by people of different nationalities. It may be an attempt to reassure the French: you are not alone, even after the Brexit, the Europeans are waiting for you in 2017 to rethink Europe and are ready to commit starting with the 2017 campaign.