The European Parliament is launching the process of amending the EU Treaties

On Thursday, Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Council to approve the start of the process of revising the EU Treaties.

In the light of recent and ongoing crises, MEPs have exercised their right under the EU Treaties to call for the amendment of the Union’s fundamental texts in the following directions:

– Reform the voting procedures in the Council to strengthen the EU’s capacity to act, including the transition from unanimity to qualified majority voting, in areas such as sanctions, the so-called “bridge” clause, and emergencies.

– Adaptation of EU powers, in particular in the areas of health and related cross-border threats, to the integration of energy efficiency and RES in line with international agreements on climate change, defense, and social and economic policies .

Ensure the full implementation of the European pillar of social rights and integrate social progress, in conjunction with a protocol on social progress, into the Treaties.

Supporting the resilience of the EU economy, with particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises and competitiveness controls, and promoting investment focused on a fair, ecological and digital transition.

– Give Parliament the right to initiate, amend or repeal legislation and to have full powers as co-legislator for the EU budget.

– Strengthen the process for the protection of EU founding values ​​and clarify the identification and consequences of breaches (Article 7 TEU and Charter of Fundamental Rights).

The resolution was adopted by 355 votes to 154, with 48 abstentions, following a plenary debate earlier in the day.

Next steps

It is up to the Heads of State and Government of the 27 Member States in the European Council to decide, by a simple majority, to convene an Assembly. Many MEPs have called for this to be done as soon as possible, ie at the meeting on 23-24 June, to ensure that citizens’ expectations are met and that the results of the Conference on the Future of Europe are properly used. The Convention will include Members of the European Parliament, Commissioners, Members of the Member States and EU leaders.

The Commission is expected to announce how it intends to act on the Conference proposals in mid-June. Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs will continue to work on the changes that Parliament will seek to bring to the Treaties, pending the commencement of the work of the Convention.

Relevant information

At the closing ceremony held in Strasbourg on 9 May, EP President Roberta Metsola, French President Emmanuel Macron on behalf of the Council Presidency and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the final concurrence from the Conference their report. These include 49 proposals and more than 300 meters for their implementation in 9 thematic units, based on 178 recommendations from European citizens’ groups, ideas from national groups and events, proposals from the European Youth Event, and 43,734 contributions on 16,274 ideas recorded on the multilingual digital platform.