The second report of the New Pact for Europe project identifies two interlinked strategic challenges faced by the EU: those posed by economic, social and political divisions within and between countries, leading to increased fragmentation; and the growing perception in many EU countries that European integration is no longer a ‘win-win’ for everyone. Proposing a New Pact between Member States and between the EU and its citizens, the report suggests a Pact should be based on three main pillars – an Enabling Union, a Supportive Union and a Participatory Union – and a new grand project as part of a package deal balancing the interests of different Member States and different groups within them. The report is based on the input provided through 50 debates which took place in 17 EU Member States targeting different groups. It aspires to contribute to the debate on how to introduce ambitious but workable and realistic reforms to make the EU more effective in responding to the challenges Europeans are facing.
The New Pact for Europe project was launched by the King Baudouin Foundation and the Bertelsmann Stiftung and is supported by a large transnational consortium including the BMW Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, European Cultural Foundation, European Network of Foundations, European Policy Centre, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, La Caixa Foundation, Stiftung Mercator, Open Estonia Foundation, Open Society Initiative for Europe, and the Swedish Cultural Foundation.
More information about our initiative can be found at: www.newpactforeurope.eu
Read the full paper here