Renewing EU Institutions: Timeline – Players – Play

2014 will be an important year of renewal for EU institutions starting with elections to the European Parliament on 22-25 May 2014 and leading to the appointment of new Presidents of the European Parliament, European Commission and European Council by the end of the year.

This paper considers the complexities of these interrelated changes. It maps the certainties, predictions and unknown elements as they currently stand, drawing on legal texts, recent experience of institutional renewal in the EU and the political nous of the author. Throughout, a major question looms – will a political Rubicon be crossed or will the familiar figures and processes reemerge?

About the author: Pat Cox was President of the European Parliament from 2002 to 2004, and an MEP from 1989 to 2004. He recently served as EU special envoy to Ukraine. He is currently the co-chair of the IIEA Banking Union Group.