The members of the Reflection Group, set up by the European Council in December 2007, has at last named its membership. It now has until June 2010 to report. It is to be hoped that the reflection process will be transparent and participatory.

Chair:

Felipe González Márquez, Former Spanish Prime Minister

Vice-Chairs:

Vaira ViIe-Freiberga, Former Latvian President

Jorma Ollila, Chair, Nokia

Members:

Lykke Friis, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Copenhagen

Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect

Richard Lambert, Director-General, Confederation of British Industry

Mario Monti, Former EU Commissioner, now President of Bocconi University, first chair, Bruegel think tank Bruegel

Rainer Münz, Head of Research, Erste Bank, Venna and Senior Fellow, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (Austrian)

Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Professor of International relations, Oxford University (Greek)

Nicole Notat, French trade unionist, founder of Vigeo

Wolfgang Schuster, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart

Lech Walesa, Former Polish President

Comments on composition:

6 biggest, 5 smaller and 1 new Member State

Diverse – strong academic, political, trade union, business, architect…

Mandate

Group established to help Union anticipate and meet challenges more effectively in the longer term (2020 – 2030). Starting-with challenges set out in Berlin Declaration of 25 March 2007, Group to identify the key issues and developments which Union is likely to face and to analyse how these might be addressed.

This includes strengthening and modernising European model of economic success and social responsibility, enhancing EU competitiveness of rule of law, sustainable development as fundamental EU objective, global stability, migration, energy and climate protection, and fight against global insecurity, international crime and terrorism. Particular attention should be given to ways of better reaching out to citizens and addressing their expectations and needs.

Institutional matters not to be discussed, nor, in view of its long-term nature, should its analysis constitute review of current policies or address next financial framework.

Group will need to take into account likely developments within and outside Europe and examine in particular how stability and prosperity of both Union and of wider region might best be served in longer term.

Author : Stanley Crossick
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