Dear colleagues,
In June 2019, the European Council defined the Strategic Agenda for 2019-2024. We set four priorities for the Union: protecting citizens and freedoms; developing a strong and vibrant economic base; building a climate-neutral, green, fair and social Europe; and promoting European interests and values on the global stage. We have come a long way since then.
We were the first continent to define our goal of climate neutrality by 2050, and many have followed us since. We are thus paving the way for the greening of our economies. The EU rose to the challenge of Covid, protecting its citizens and making innovative vaccines available to the rest of the world. We adopted an ambitious recovery plan that has boosted confidence and consolidated our economies by making them more resilient, while speeding up our green and digital transitions. In Porto in 2021, we reaffirmed our ambitions for a social Europe. Lastly, in the light of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine we have demonstrated our unity and unfailing determination. In Versailles in March 2022, we defined the pillars of our European sovereignty.
Each new crisis has led us to forge our unity and build, brick by brick, a European Union that is more in control of its own destiny. Our voice is increasingly heard on the international stage.
Public support for the European Union is high, along with its power of attraction. Many countries want to join the EU. Our European values are a beacon for all who cherish justice and freedom.
However, the challenges facing the European Union, both economic and geopolitical, are considerable. As our world evolves, it is becoming more unstable and complex. It obliges us to enhance our strategic ambition.
What kind of geopolitical and economic power do we want to become in the long-term, with potentially more than thirty Member States? To defend our democracies and our values, to ensure lasting peace and prosperity for the benefit of our citizens, the European Union must be equipped with general political directions and priorities.
It is up to us to define them in four major areas: consolidating our economic and social base (the green and digital transitions, competitiveness, innovation, health); tackling the energy challenge; strengthening our security and defence capabilities; and deepening our engagement with the rest of the world. We must also strengthen our overall approach on migration. These are just some of the themes we will develop. And the European elections will be an opportunity for Europe’s citizens to play their full part in these crucial debates for our common future.
I believe we should approach our objectives and priorities with two major issues in mind.
Our Union is founded on fundamental values. But these values are under attack, often in innovative ways. In a world undergoing profound technological change, where artificial intelligence will play a major role with consequences that we cannot fully fathom, we must ensure that we remain capable of protecting and promoting these values, both inside and outside our Union.
The new geopolitical context has put enlargement back at the centre of our debates. We need to consider the enlargement process and our absorption capacity. At our meeting in June 2022, we reaffirmed the need to take account of the EU’s capacity to absorb new members, as set out in Copenhagen in 1993, when deciding on each future enlargement. This requires us to reflect on the implications of enlargement for the EU’s various policies and their financing, as well as on our decision-making methods.
In terms of method, it is essential that we define our strategic orientations for the Union in a collective and inclusive manner. I propose that we have an information point at the next European Council, which will enable me to draw up our work plan. We will have the opportunity to broaden our discussions in Granada during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, with the goal of finalising our work during the Belgian Presidency. We will take advantage of the various European Councils to go into different topics in greater depth.
Preparing our new strategic agenda will require a great deal of effort, both at our level and at the level of our teams. It will be done in close cooperation with the EU institutions, taking into account the work carried out to date.
I look forward to working with all of you on this ambitious agenda.