Full focus on enlargement and reform – the European Union is well on course for further change. To achieve this, an EU integration landscape based on democracy and the rule of law must finally be defined and actively promoted. The foundations for this have long been in place with the EU, the Council of Europe and the enlargement process. They now have to be cleverly interlocked.

At the beginning of this month, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also placed an enhanced focus on Europe in her foreign policy with the European Conference at the Federal Foreign Office. In her speech, she rightly emphasized the goals of democracy, peace and human rights in connection with EU enlargement. Regarding a simultaneously necessary EU reform, however, she unfortunately did not address clearly either the strengthening of the European Parliament or the importance of public discourse through the European election campaign. 

The EU Commission’s progress reports on the accession negotiations with the candidate countries from November 8th also proved that there is still a lot to be done on the side of the candidate countries as well as the side of the EU in order to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria and for the EU to be capable of enlargement. For the coming months, we as the EM Germany have made it our task to constantly remind of this and to call for the use of a treaty-changing convention to reform the EU. 

Yours,

Dr. Linn Selle

President of EM Germany

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#EBDGrafik of the month

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EM Germany News

Statement by the EM Germany President on the Commission’s EU Enlargement Report |  A historic day – this is how EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the day on which the EU Enlargement Report was presented. EM Germany President Dr. Linn Selle welcomed the imminent start of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. However, the accession processes with all countries in the Western Balkans also have to be continued swiftly. At the same time, Dr. Selle urged that the people from the candidate countries must be shown realistic accession prospects through close involvement in the reform process. The EU enlargement process is important for the stability and future of the entire continent. | More (in German)

President Dr. Linn Selle and Secretary General Bernd Hüttemann on European association law | What connects and unites us? The EM Germany President spoke about and discussed the European Commission’s proposal of the directive on European Associations as a panelist at Pulse of Europe’s EuroPolis conference. The introduction of a directive on European Associations will ensure a systematic strengthening of engagement policy and social forces in Europe. At the Calling Europe e.V. webinar – another event dedicated to this topic – Secretary General Bernd Hüttemann emphasized that the EU Commission’s new proposal could enable the EU-wide engagement of non-profit associations. You can watch the recorded webinar here. | More

EM Germany President and EM Germany Secretary General visit the Conference on Europe of the Federal Foreign Office | „Our future is Europe – we have no other“, this quote from former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher refers to the momentum of the currently pressing European policy question: To what extent can the accession prospects be implemented considering geopolitical challenges and what can a strong Europe of the future look like? EM Germany President Dr. Linn Selle, EM Germany Secretary General Bernd Hüttemann, several EM Germany Board members and representatives of European sister movements took part in the conference at the invitation of the Federal Foreign Office. In a statement before the conference, Dr. Linn Selle already emphasized the need for a clear commitment to EU enlargement as well as institutional reforms and intermediate steps in the enlargement process, such as an observer status for the candidate countries in the European Parliament . In its jointly adopted EM Germany policy, the EM Germany network calls for the courage for necessary institutional reforms and a sustainable strengthening of the European Parliament. | More (in German)

European responses to geopolitical challenges – EBD De-Briefing European Council | The European Council was characterized by geopolitical tensions and the EU’s ongoing efforts to find a common response to them. Discussions focused on the Russia´s war on Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East as well as economic and climate policy issues. As usual, Sibylle Katharina Sorg, Head of the European Department at the German Federal Foreign Office, and Dr. Kirsten Scholl, Head of the European Department at the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, were informing in the De-Briefing. Patrick Lobis, Acting Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Germany, and EM Germany President Dr. Linn Selle gave opening remarks at the meeting. | More (in German)

Multilateral Dialogue on European Communication – Joining forces on the road to the 2024 European elections | The Multilateral Dialogue on European Communication (MDE) took place at the General Secretariat of the EM Germany in the run-up to the 2024 European elections. Representatives of the European Commission in Germany, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Germany, the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Conference of European Ministers and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) met on site and digitally. The jointly coordinated communication for the upcoming European elections is intended to connect, network and bring the European idea into the reality of people’s lives in order to motivate them to vote in the European elections in June 2024. | More (in German)

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Upcoming Events

29.11.2023 | EBD De-Briefing EPSCO with Mark Kamperhoff, Head of the EU department at the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and Florian Schierle, European commissioner at the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs

05.12.2023 | EBD Briefing Liechtenstein’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe with H.E. Domenik Wanger, Permanent representative of Liechtenstein at the Council of Europe, and H.E. Heike Thiele, Permanent representative of the Federal Republic of Germany at the Council of Europe. EM Germany president Dr. Linn Selle and Manica Hauptman, Head of the political team at the representation of the European Parliament in Germany, will give a first commentary. To register for the EBD Briefing click here.

11.12.2023 | EBD De-Briefing ECOFIN and Euro group with Dr. Judith Hermes, Head of European politics at the Federal Ministry of Finance

More information

Our Presidency Calendar on the Spanish EU Council Presidency contains all dates of the semester.

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