Activities of Sandro GOZI related to 2023/2114(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement
Amendments (27)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
– Having regard to its resolution of xx yy 2023 on proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties,
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
– Having regard to the report on the final outcome of the Conference on the Future of Europe,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure whereby each applicant is assessed on their own merit in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, in particular those of ensuring full respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law; whereas positive outcomes should be sought as quickly as possible, while avoiding fast-tracking or counterproductive fixed deadlines;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the parallel processes of widenenlarging and deepening the Union must go hand in hand;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas under the current institutional framework, the EU already faces considerable challenges in delivering effective crisis management and strategic decision- making; whereas it is clear that the EU institutions and decision-making mechanisms were not designed for a Union that could be composed of up to 37 Member States; whereas before the next enlargement takes place, significant pre- enlargement reforms are needed to guarantee that the EU is able to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration; whereas this implies significant changes in the EU’s institutional framework, including to decision-making procedures, and the possible introduction of differentiated integration solutions; whereas in order to achieve this, the EU should take full advantage of the flexibility afforded by the Treaty of Lisbon and consider the possibility of treaty change, including via adaptations introduced by the accession tre’s current institutional framework, and in particular its decision-making procedures, especially in the Council, is barely adequate for a Union of 27 Staties;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. Whereas the Conference on the Future of Europe called on the EU to agree on a strong vision and a common strategy to consolidate the unity and decision taking capacity of the EU in view of future enlargement; whereas the Conference also recommended that the EU‘s decision-making processes should be reviewed before allowing the accession of new Member States; whereas the final report advances as well specific proposals aiming at strengthening European democracy, and at improving the EU’s decision-making process in order to ensure the EU’s capability to act; whereas many of these proposals are only possible to implement if there are changes to the Treaties;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
H b. Whereas before the next enlargement takes place, significant reforms of its governance are needed to guarantee that the EU is able to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration; whereas this implies significant changes in the EU’s institutional framework, including to decision-making procedures, and the possible introduction of differentiated integration solutions; whereas in order to achieve this, the EU should carry out an ambitious revision of the Treaties, while taking full advantage of the flexibilities afforded by the Treaty of Lisbon in the short-term; Whereas the reform of the EU’s governance through Treaty change should be adopted and enter into legal force well in time for the EU’s prospective enlargement, i.e. before 2030;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the Union’s credibility and ability to act in a timely and effective manner depends on efficient decision- making, and even more so in an enlarged EU of 30 or more Member States; whereas efficient decision-making leading to timely and coordinated internal and external action is vital for safeguarding the EU’s interests and its global geopolitical leadership; whereas a deep reform of the EU’s governance structures, with simplified decision-making procedures, must be discussed and adopted in parallel with the ongoing accession negotiations is a necessary precondition for the proper and efficient functioning of an enlarged European Union; whereas amending the Treaties is necessary, not as an end in itself, but in the interest of the sustainability and resilience of the European project in the years to come;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas the decision-making in the Union must also be reformed to maintain and strengthen the EU’s democratic legitimacy, among others through an institutional set-up that more accurately reflects a bicameral system;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
I b. Whereas Parliament has activated the Treaty revision procedure and has submitted proposals for the amendment of the Treaties to the Council in accordance with Article 48(2) TEU;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas enlargement is also a major challenge for EU’s financial sustainability, in particular regarding cohesion and agriculture policies; whereas the current and the next multiannual financial frameworks should be strengthened considerably and their governance overhauled to enable EU enlargement,; whereas this financial groundwork must be in place before enlargement takes place; whereas the projected budgetary impact of the prospective enlargement should be countered through increased EU budgetary autonomy, including by the phasing out of national contributions and the creation of new own resources;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that enlargement is of the utmost strategic importance for the EU, and all the more so in the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; stresses that an enhanced enlargement policy has become one of the strongest geopolitical tools at the EU’s disposal; points out that enlargement is a strategic investment in peace, security and prosperity, as well as a driver for democracy and European values on the continent;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure and that each applicant must be assessed on their own merit in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and in ensuring full respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law; stresses that while positive outcomes should be sought as quickly as possible, there should be no fast-track or fixed deadlines for membership; underscores that there can be no short-cuts on fundamental values; points out that alignment with the common foreign and security policy is also a way of showing full adherence to the EU’s fundamental principles and an important indicator for sustainable future membership;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that there is a need for stronger parliamentary oversight of the EU’s enlargement policy; insists on strengthening the role of Parliament throughout the entire accession process, including allowing it to scrutinise fully the progress made by the candidate countries across policy fields; underlines thatCommits to undertake regular dialogue and cooperation between the European Parliament andwith the national parliaments of candidate countries should be encouraged;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses the importance of bolstering the democratic legitimacy of EU policies by reinforcing the European Parliament’s decision-making and scrutiny rights; reiterates, therefore, its calls to grant the European Parliament a general and direct right of legislative initiative;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that the challenge of a bigger Union requires an enhanced enlargement policy putting in place a clear incremental pathway towards EU membership, including gradual integration into common policies and to the Single Market; notes that this pathway should be accompanied by increased technical and conditional financial assistance with a special focus on the implementation and enforcement of laws under negotiating chapters 23, 24, 30 and 31; invites the Commission to present detailed proposals on the incremental accession methodology; underlines that the phasing-in of candidate countries into selected policy areas is by no means an alternative to fully-fledged membership;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that European institutional Underlines that the deepening and enlargement of the Union must go hand financial reforms to promote good governance, functionality and sustainability are needed to ensure the EU’s capacity to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration hand; stresses that the accession of new Member States can only take place if the EU’s institutional setup is first revised and made fit for purpose through Treaty change, with a view to reform the Union to unify the continent;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Stresses that European institutional and financial reforms to promote good governance, functionality and sustainability are needed to ensure the EU’s capacity to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Observes that the adoption of decisions by unanimity under the current Treaties increasingly prevents the EU from being a geopolitical player; Points out that European institutional reforms must include simplified and more efficient decision-making procedursses, moving away fromabolishing unanimity and replacing it with qualified majority voting provisions, and significantly increasing the number of areas where the ordinary legislative procedure applies, namely in areas such as the protection of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, budgetary policy, sanctions and relevant foreign policy decisions;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for the mechanisms to protect the rule of law and the EU’s fundamental principles and values, including the Art. 7 TEU procedure, and the monitoring capacity to ensure compliance, to be strengthened ahead of the next enlargement;
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that differentiated integration is part of the solution for an efficient and deepened enlarged EU; Calls on the EU institutions and on Member States to develop the EU along “concentric circles” of European integration, each entailing a diverse set of rights and duties; Welcomes in this respect the launch of the European Political Community, which constitutes the “external circle” built around the EU; underlines, however, that respect for the Union’s values as set out in Article 2 TEU should not be subject to any derogations or opt- outs; considers also that a broad area of European common ground must always be ensured, covering areas such as the Customs Union, the single market and its four freedoms, the core social acquis, and agricultural, competition and trade policies; notes that beyond this common ground, Member States willing to move European integration forwardand pending the entry into force of amendments to the Treaties, Member States willing to move European integration forward in a wider array of policy areas and to constitute an “inner circle” should be allowed to do so; underlines that under such a system of differentiated integration, while all Member States would take part in decisions about issues in the area of common ground, only Member States willing to participate in areas of deepened integration would take part in the decisions concerned; notes that differentiated integration also implies differentiated financial arrangements;
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for the full use of the flexibility provided for in the Treaty of Lisbon ahead of a more in-depth reform in the context of a possible revision of, pending the entry into force of changes to the tTreaties; recalls that a number of flexibility solutioninstruments, such as passerelle clauses, enhanced cooperation, Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), constructive abstentions and opt- out mechanisms are already possible under the current EU legal framework, as the experience of the Schengen area and the euro area clearly shows; recalls that phasing-in solutions, temporary derogations and transition periods can be negotiated in the context of accession procedures; points out that the use of these flexibility mechanisms should not prevent constructive discussions on treaty revisRegrets however that, in spite of repeated calls, these instruments to streamline the decision-making process, remain unused due to inherent flaws and a lack of political will; underlines that the use of these instruments should not slow down the treaty revision procedure, as triggered by Parliament; recalls that phasing-in solutions, temporary derogation,s as proposed by Parliamentnd transition periods can be negotiated in the context of accession procedures;
Amendment 421 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that institutional pre- enlargement reforms must also address the implications of enlargement on the composition of Parliament; recalls that the European Parliament is already one of the largest parliaments in the world and underlines that in any case it must remain at a workable scale; points out, however, that a reasonable increase in the size of Parliament cannot be ruled out in order to ensure sufficient democratic representativeness; insists on a new system for seat allocation based on a permanent mathematical formula;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Points out that the functioning of the Council should also be reviewed in view of enlargement, in particular the system of rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union; notunderlines that the calculation of qualified majority voting thresholds should also be reconsideredbe redefined as at least 2/3 of the members of the Council representing at least 50% of the population;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that the composition of the Commission must take into account enlargement and recalls in this regard the flexibility provided for in the Treaty of LisbonIs of the view that the proper functioning of an enlarged EU requires as well the institutional restructuring of the European Commission, namely through the overcoming of the principle of one Commissioner per Member State; Calls in this respect for the reduction in the size of the College to 15 Commissioners, with a view to ensure high effectiveness and responsiveness, other than a more efficient distribution of portfolios; Highlights that the future Treaty revision shall ensure a demographically and geographically balanced composition of the College;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Reiterates its call to revise the treaties in order to extend the ordinary legislative procedures to negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework and on the Decision on own resources; is of the view that the acceleration in the phasing out of national contributions to the EU budget through the creation of new own resources might mitigate redistributive shocks caused by the accession of new Members, and make the EU MFF more resilient, flexible and fit for purpose;
Amendment 478 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Points to the pending Article 48(2) procedure and its proposals for the amendment of the Treaties; calls on the European Council and its President to agree to examine these amendments and to convene a convention; stresses that this convention should be held as soon as possible following the start of the new parliamentary mandate and in any case well on time to ensure the amended EU institutional framework can enter into legal force before the EU’s prospective enlargement, i.e. before 2030;