Speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is sensitive, the people familiar with Draghi’s work said the report could be ready as soon as von der Leyen wants it. The question is when that will be.
“Most likely [the release] will take place in September,” one of Draghi’s aides told POLITICO, stressing that decisions on the timing are up to the European Commission. “Mr Draghi stands ready to comply with any request coming from the president’s office,” the person said.
A second person aware of the work on the report confirmed that it is more likely to be presented after the summer.
Von der Leyen, who commissioned Draghi to carry out the work, has been nominated for a second term running the EU’s executive arm by the bloc’s national leaders. But she faces a knife-edge European Parliament vote to confirm her appointment on July 18, just before most of Europe’s political elite break for summer vacation.
The report will feed into a wider debate on what the EU needs to do for its next legislative term and it is expected to make a splash.
Draghi’s research was supposed to be presented at the end of June, just after the European election and just before EU leaders met to decide who should take top jobs for the next mandate. The publication date was then pushed into mid-July.
