Fidesz Went All in for the Conference on the Future of Europe, but the Excitement Changed to Anger

The Hungarian government is disappointed with the outcome of the conference on the future of Europe, even though the organisations in its orbit took an active part in it. In spite of this, the attempt to channel the views of EU citizens may not have too many practical results, as the member states’ governments exsanguinate the proposals through the EU’s decision-making system.

On 9 May this year, the plenary session of the conference compiled the final results into 49 points — and within them included a few hundred proposals for action.

Other than small changes, radical changes were put forward, such as allowing MEPs to propose legislation and making almost nothing subject to a unanimous decision of the Member States, which would mean that no country could veto foreign policy decisions, for example. EU referendums could be called, and common supranational lists could also be voted on in European Parliament elections, some of which would thus select new MEPs. The document would also open the debate on a common EU constitution.

There Was Constant Debate at the Conference, Which Freaked Out Half of the EU

It was precisely these suggestions for deep transformation which brought about the biggest debates. According to one study, more than a tenth of the ideas would transform the EU to such an extent that the Union’s two basic treaties would also need to be modified. The governments of almost half of the member states objected to this on the final day of the conference. The letter states that the conference never intended to tinker with the treaties in the first place, and while they are not ruling out any possibilities for the time being, they ‘do not support any impulsive and early attempts’ for the rewriting of the Basic Treaties.