The goal is to put “politically difficult discussions on the table to be able to unlock files that have been locked so far,” said Cuerpo, who has long campaigned to make EU bodies better at delivering concrete policy decisions. “Building those bridges can then be a good first step towards an overall solution.”
The club will also help the six countries coordinate ahead of G7 meetings with Canada, Japan, and the U.S. on strategic issues, such as securing access to critical rare materials, following China’s threat to restrict exports.
The E6 club has only convened twice and is already aiming to present EU leaders with specific proposals at the next European Council summit in March.
Critics, such as Ireland and Portugal, fear the six-country club could trigger a two-speed Europe, in which the biggest nations will sideline smaller countries that disagree with E6’s agenda — especially when it comes to creating a watchdog to supervise the bloc’s biggest financiers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested that EU countries should break off into smaller groups and pursue financial integration through “enhanced cooperation,” if the so-called Savings and Investments Union doesn’t progress by June.
To focus minds, von der Leyen will produce a roadmap that the E6 hopes to contribute toward, complete with a list of reforms and deadlines for leaders to discuss. The Commission’s first significant policy will be a “28th regime,” an EU-wide legal framework due March 18 that’ll offer companies certain uniform rules to operate easily across the bloc.