Politico: EC President Ursula von der Leyen prepares EU reforms for second term

The EU is gearing up for what officials and diplomats say will be a painful and lengthy reckoning with its current rules, but which most agree will be unavoidable if the Union wants to remain operational — with 30 or more members.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told MEPs she is now preparing a blueprint on EU reform — another way of saying she is effectively setting out her program for her next mandate, Politico reports.

Germany, France and Portugal have been spearheading proposals to reform the EU and make it more nimble, in an effort to keep it governable with 30 or more members, after Ukraine, Moldova and Balkan countries join.

 “This House has already put forward bold ideas for a reform of our treaties,” von der Leyen told the European Parliament. “Next month, the Commission will set out our ideas in a communication to the European Parliament and the Council, ahead of the leaders’ discussion organized by the Belgian [Council] presidency,” von der Leyen said.

EU countries in favour of reform have been waiting for proposals from Brussels to kickstart more serious discussions on the matter in the Council.

According to diplomats and officials, this will likely include a roadmap that would link each reform step to an enlargement step. The idea is that the EU should have completed reforms by the time Ukraine and the Balkans join.

Politically, welding enlargement and reform together would also ensure countries that are in favour of enlargement but sceptical about reform, such as the Nordics and Baltics, would have an incentive to back EU reform.

Officials in Paris and Berlin said the plan would also need to touch on the question of how to finance Union programs (and repay EU debt) in the future, considering Ukraine is much poorer even than the EU’s poorest members, with an estimated GDP per capita of €4,100. The next Commission president, one official said, “will have to develop the EU’s own resources.”