European Commission

Articles

Conference on the Future of Europe: a real chance for reform, or just a guide for policy-making?

Published: 5 May 2021

The EU is undeniably crying out for fundamental reforms. The Conference on the Future of Europe, launching on 9 May 2021, is meant to create the first-ever genuine public space between European citizens of all Member States and enable encounters beyond national frameworks. Unlikely to deliver major reform plans, though, this platform still has the potential to provide important impulses to crucial issues for Europe’s future.

Andreas Bühler

Publications

New EU Own Resources to Strengthen Europe’s Long-Term Budget

Published: 20 November 2025

Policy Paper

The European Commission’s new MFF proposal introduces five new own resources to fund Next Generation EU debt and modernise EU revenues. This paper assesses the package and argues for a balanced basket of genuine new resources to support EU goals.

Dr. Margit Schratzenstaller

Budgeting for Security?

Published: 28 May 2025

Discussion Paper

As Europe rethinks its security strategy in light of global shifts, a new initiative aims to ramp up defense efforts. This paper warns the plan lacks real coordination incentives and calls for deeper reforms that tie funding to shared priorities like democratic resilience and climate security.

Georg McCutcheon, Anton Möller