Making the institutions work better and more effectively together: Priorities for the New Commission

The priorities of the European Union in the field of institutions are circumscribed by the premise that any new treaty negotiation would, at present, be a fruitless exercise, probably dangerous and condemned to failure. In the present state of public opinion, nobody believes that a substantial European treaty could be unanimously ratified, irrespective of its merits. Preoccupations lie elsewhere, in growth and unemployment, and a treaty negotiation on institutions would seem provocative to many. Doubts about the future participation of the United Kingdom in the European enterprise merely increase the risks of any treaty negotiation.
 

We have to accept that, as of now, institutional treaty change cannot be a priority. This does not exclude that treaty change may become possible and desirable at a later time, in a period of economic growth and greater self-confidence in public opinion. In a best-case

hypothesis, such a window of opportunity might open towards the end of the present legislature. Meanwhile, attention must concentrate on adapting institutions to make them work better and work more effectively together. Therein lie the priorities.