Future of Europe debates: Parliament hosts Heads of State or Government

Author (Corporate)
Series Title
Series Details June / October 2018
Publication Date October 2018
Content Type

Summary:

Against the background of the many challenges which the European Union has faced throughout the years, the European Parliament launched and hosted a series of high-profile debates on the Future of Europe, intended to run for the whole of 2018. Together with the heads of State of Government of the countries holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the leaders of EU Member States were able to set out publicly their vision for Europe's future in a dialogue with the only directly elected European institution, during its plenary sittings.

This Briefing provided an overview of where the Future of Europe debate stood in a number of key policy areas, such as economic and monetary union (EMU), the EU's social dimension, migration policy, security and defence, and broader institutional issues.

Further information:

Up to October 2018, at the invitation of its President, Antonio Tajani, the European Parliament had hosted the leaders of ten Member States in the context of these 'Future of Europe' debates, welcoming the Prime Ministers of:

+ Ireland (Taoiseach), Leo Varadkar, 17 January 2018
+ Croatia, Andrej Plenković, 6 February 2018
+ Portugal, António Costa, 14 March 2018
+ Belgium, Charles Michel, 3 May 2018
+ Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, 30 May 2018
+ The Netherlands, Mark Rutte, 13 June 2018
+ Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, 4 July 2018
+ Greece, Alexis Tsipras, 11 September 2018
+ Estonia, Jüri Ratas 3 October 2018
+ Germany, Angela Merkel, November I session 2018
+ Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, November II session 2018
+ Spain, Pedro Sánchez, December 2018

+ President of France, Emmanuel Macron 17 April 2018
+ President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, October II session 2018

This process was all the more important at a time when the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the next seven years was being discussed: the choices surrounding the MFF and the direction in which the EU decided to develop were intrinsically linked.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2018/623538/EPRS_BRI(2018)623538_EN.pdf
Related Links
EP: EPRS: Briefing, October 2018: Future of Europe debates II: Parliament hosts Heads of State or Government http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2018/628288/EPRS_BRI(2018)628288_EN.pdf

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