White Paper on the future of Europe. Reflections and scenarios for the EU27 by 2025

On 1 March 2017 the European Commission presented a White Paper on the Future of Europe, which would form the Commission's contribution to the debate and reflection leading up to the Rome Summit of 25 March 2017 marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome.

The White Paper set out the main challenges and opportunities for Europe in the coming decade. It presented five scenarios for how the Union could evolve by 2025 depending on how it chose to respond.

+ Scenario 1: Carrying On
+ Scenario 2: Nothing but the Single Market
+ Scenario 3: Those Who Want More Do More
+ Scenario 4: Doing Less More Efficiently
+ Scenario 5: Doing Much More Together

The White Paper was part of a process involving all the EU Institutions and wider civil society and stakeholders to decide how the European Union of twenty seven member states should develop.

The European Commission would further contribute to the debate in the months to come with a series of reflection papers on:

+ developing the social dimension of Europe (April 2017)
+ deepening the Economic and Monetary Union, on the basis of the Five Presidents' Report of June 2015 (May 2017)
+ harnessing globalisation (May 2017)
+ the future of Europe's defence (June 2017)
+ the future of EU finances (June 2017)

Like the White Paper, the reflection papers would offer different ideas, proposals, options or scenarios for Europe in 2025 without presenting definitive decisions at this stage.

ESO: Commission presents White Paper on the future of Europe [European Commission: Press Release IP/17/385, 01.03.17] http://www.europeansources.info/record/commission-presents-white-paper-on-the-future-of-europe-avenues-for-unity-for-the-eu-at-27/

---