What's up in Brussels? The Council says "yes" to Ukraine & "whatever" to the CoFoE
This week in Brussels, feedback on the European Council of 23 and 24 July, the Schuman Show, and Brussels' main job boards.
Welcome to the fourth issue of this weekly newsletter by Alexandre Météreau! In this newsletter, you’ll learn about this week’s Council decision to favor enlargement over the deepening of the European Union.
What’s up in Brussels? is your weekly digest in EU politics, tips to land and keep your dream job in Brussels, and bits of advice to survive in surreal Brussels.
But first… Spread the good word and send this newsletter to a friend. 🙏
Enlargement…
This week's main event was the European Council on Thursday and Friday. On this occasion, European heads of state and governments decided on several points, the most important being the granting of the EU candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova.
Since the war started in February, Ukraine kept on knocking at the Union's door, arguing that the conflict started after the country made it clear that its future lay rather with the West than as a satellite of Russia. After the Maidan revolution in 2014 and the cold conflict that raged in easter-Ukraine and Crimea, Russia's February invasion cemented the European ambition of Ukraine for good, culminating in Thursday's decision.
But nothing is done yet for Ukraine and Moldova. The two countries will have to adopt serious reforms and show a strong willingness to adopt Western standards, especially in Rule of Law, anti-corruption, and economic policies. This endeavor might take years, likely more than a decade.
…over deepening
European leaders also discussed the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), a year-long innovative democratic exercise that gathered 800 citizens to discuss what they hoped for the Union.
The Conference concluded on 9 May in Strasbourg, France, with citizens hanging out their 170 final recommendations to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Roberta Mensola, President of the European Parliament, and Emmanuel Macron, on behalf of the European Council. Some ambitious ideas, experts argue, could lead to the revisions of the European treaties, and the European Parliament already called for a Convention to draft the next founding treaties of the EU.
This week's Council position remained laconic, as the institution "takes note" of the citizens' recommendations, and that "an effective follow-up to this report is to be ensured by the institutions". In other words, the Council suggests that it has more important topics to deal with.
The Schuman Show is the ultimate entertainment for eurocrats like me: making fun of European politics and the bubble's endless surrealism.
Next week, on Thursday 30, the Schumann Show will have its last representation of the season before the summer holidays. I booked my seat, and I hope I'll meet you there.
The Schuman Show, every last Thursday of the month, next show at the Espace Lumen in Flagey, Thursday 30 June, 20:30. Tickets, 20€
Looking for a job in the EU bubble? You will want to have a look at these job boards:
EuroBrussels is for jobs in Public Affairs,
BrusselsJobs in for any kind of expat jobs in Brussels,
Euractiv Jobs is another interesting platform.