Description

Ahead of the 2019 institutional reconfiguration of the EU is a fitting moment to take stock of the European integration process and decide which priorities should define the strategic agenda of the next generation of incumbents.

While acknowledging that the entire EU collective is concerned – member states and institutions alike – this report is addressed to the one actor that has a more direct role in fleshing out the policy agenda for Europe: the European Commission.

This report assesses how the ‘last chance Commission’ of President Juncker has fared; whether it has followed the ten guidelines it set out at the beginning of its mandate; how far it was blown off course by critical events; and whether we might see the return of a ‘political’ Commission in the second half of this year.

Against the backdrop of global trends and deepening divisions between member states and within the European Parliament, the contributors to this report distil key policy priorities in areas that will determine the future European Union, from the single market and the rule of law to migration, external security and climate change.

Thanks to its wide research coverage of EU policy and strong in-house expertise, CEPS is uniquely placed to comment on these issues and recommend action.