Towards a New Pact for Europe
The second report of the New Pact for Europe project “Towards a New Pact for Europe” reflects the work and discussions of a Reflection Group, enriched by input from an Advisory Group made up of prominent Europeans from the worlds of politics, business, academia, and civil society, is designed to feed into the on-going discussions about the Union’s future as the new EU leadership team takes charge. It is also based on the input provided through 50 debates which took place in 17 EU Member States targeting different groups: citizens, policy-makers, young Europeans, stakeholders and media representatives. It aspires to contribute to the debate on how to introduce ambitious but workable and realistic reforms to make the EU more effective in responding to the challenges Europeans are facing.
The report identifies two interlinked strategic challenges faced by the EU: those posed by economic, social and political divisions within and between countries, leading to increased fragmentation; and the growing perception in many EU countries that European integration is no longer a ‘win-win’ for everyone. It argues that simply consolidating past achievements will not be enough and that closer cooperation will be indispensable if Europe wants not only to overcome the immediate crisis, but also to create fresh momentum that will allow it to exploit more of its potential and meet citizens’ needs and expectations.
The report proposes a New Pact between Member States and between the EU and its citizens: a Pact based on three main pillars – an Enabling Union, a Supportive Union and a Participatory Union – and a new grand project – an Energy Union- which offers the greatest potential to demonstrate the EU’s added value and deliver genuine benefits for the Member States and their citizens.
The New Pact for Europe project was launched by the King Baudouin Foundation and the Bertelsmann Stiftung and is supported by a large transnational consortium including the BMW Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, European Cultural Foundation, European Network of Foundations, European Policy Centre, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, La Caixa Foundation, Stiftung Mercator, Open Estonia Foundation, Open Society Initiative for Europe, and the Swedish Cultural Foundation. More information about our initiative can be found at: www.newpactforeurope.eu
demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy supports and partners with New Pact for Europe project. Paweł Świeboda, demosEUROPA`s President of the Board is a member of Reflection Group which prepared “Towards a New Pact for Europe” report.
