Europe’s Choice: Which Direction Can Integration Go after the Conference on the Future of Europe?

Abstract

At the Conference on the Future of Europe organised in 2021–2022, participants put forward a number of proposals for reforming the way the European Union works. In addition to closer cooperation in policy areas, reforming the functioning of the institutions would enhance the Community dimension. All of these proposals would require the support of all Member States, but nations are currently significantly divided over the future of the EU. This paper examines three proposals for reform to illustrate the debates that have been raging between nations for decades, to show why the unanimous will of Heads of State or of Governments is essential for such major changes, and to explore the future of European cooperation in the light of the proposals.