The current set ambiguous goals of the Conference on the Future of Europe create some space to firm up these objectives. It is doubtful that the European Council will have the courage to venture into that direction. Therefore, it is up to the Citizens’ Assemblies to press from the very start to transform COFE into the EU’s Constitutional Assembly. This could happen half way in the autumn 2021 by making a declaration that the Conference changes its structure (perhaps a higher proportion of the citizens’ on the Conference panel and the MPs from the EU states and fewer from the EU Parliament).
Moreover, such a Constitutional Assembly, once the Constitution has been created, would not require the referenda to be ratified but instead voted by the National Assemblies. Only those countries that would want to join would become the members of the European Federation.
Since the EU has to federate fast, it is possible that not all current members will be ready or would want to join. Therefore, the Constitutional Assembly should assume from the beginning that the future federation may have Zones, enabling the laggard members and potential new members to join at their own pace. Hoping that all members join simultaneously will be an endless waiting. Read more about it here .