The Conference on the Future of Europe: Process and prospects

• Autores: Federico Fabbrini
• Localización: European Law Journal, ISSN-e 1468-0386, Vol. 26, Nº. 5-6, 2020, págs. 401-414
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The article examines the Conference on the Future of Europe, discussing the process set in motion by the Joint Declaration adopted by the EU institutions in March 2021, and reflecting on its prospects. Drawing from precedents such as the Conference of Messina and the Convention on the Future of Europe, the article shows that the Conference on the Future of Europe is an out-of-the-box initiative originally combining bottom-up participatory features and top-down elite decision-making mechanisms. Nevertheless, the Joint Declaration launching the Conference leaves its constitutional mission unsettled, and its institutional organisation uncertain. As such, the article suggests that the prospects for the Conference will depend on political leadership and legal inventiveness, and discusses what may be the options ahead