This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
European Commission White Papers are documents containing proposals for European Union (EU) action in a specific area. In some cases, they follow on from a Green Paper published to launch a consultation process at EU level.
The purpose of a White Paper is to launch a debate with the public, stakeholders, the European Parliament and the Council in order to arrive at a political consensus. The Commission’s 1985 White Paper on the completion of the internal market is an example of a blueprint that was adopted by the Council and resulted in the adoption of wide-ranging legislation in this field.
Recent Commission White Papers include: