Jessy Bailly, « What comes next? Institutional differentiated appropriation of the Conference on the future of Europe’s recommendations », Journal of European Integration, avril 2026, pp.1-28 (https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2026.2654038)

Abstract:

What comes next? The Conference on the Future of Europe (COFOE) has been regarded by certain Members of the European Parliament and Commission officials as the most significant exercise in ‘European democracy.’ But what comes next? Scholarship has largely focused on inter-institutional tensions, particularly the conflict between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament (EP) over the Conference’s constituent implications, specifically the end of unanimity or the EP’s right of legislative initiative. Building on research on mini-public outcomes, this article examines through interviews and documentary analysis how different institutions – the Commission, the EP, and the Committee of the Regions – have assessed the recommendations. Analytically, the study demonstrates that the institutions prioritised different sets of recommendations, resulting in differentiated forms of institutional appropriation and cherry-picking of the Conference’s outputs. This provides renewed insight into how citizen deliberation can serve as a medium through which pre-existing political conflicts are reproduced.Institutional differentiated appropriation of the Conference on the future of Europe’s recommendations.

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