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Ambassadors representing the EU's member countries are poised to agree on a common position on the Conference on the Future of Europe, meant to revamp the bloc and bring it closer to its citizens.
However, the text also seeks to temper more ambitious ideas, such as that the conference should lead to changes to the bloc's fundamental treaties. And it leaves one key question wide open: who should be in charge.
The text, discussed by the ambassadors on Monday and obtained by POLITICO, foresees the conference as an "inclusive platform bringing together different voices engaging in a wide reflection and debate on the challenges Europe is facing."
The ambassadors, meeting in the Coreper II committee that forms part of the Council of the EU, are set to officially approve the document this week, officials said. They said only a few countries still had to sign off.
The text says the conference should begin "as soon as the conditions allow in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic" and its conclusions "should be reflected in a report to the European Council in 2022."
But what is meant to happen in between is still the subject of much debate, and will have to be ironed out between member countries, the European Parliament and the European Commission....