Ventotene launches a new call to build the United States of Europe
ACTION COMMITTEE PRESS RELEASE
7 September 2026, Brussels
Ventotene is once again at the heart of the debate on Europe’s future. On the Italian island that is a symbol of European federalism, the declaration “It is time to build the United States of Europe” was adopted and signed on 30 August 2026, promoted by the Third Jean Monnet Action Committee for the United States of Europe.
The document draws directly on the legacy of Altiero Spinelli and Jean Monnet and calls on the European Union to take a decisive political and institutional step forward, strengthening shared sovereignty, moving beyond unanimity in strategic areas and developing more effective common foreign, security and defence policies.
Among the signatories is Josep Borrell, former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The initiative has also gathered the support of prominent European political and intellectual figures, including Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Italy; Guy Verhofstadt, former Prime Minister of Belgium and President of the European Movement International; Daniel Cohn-Bendit, former Member of the European Parliament and a longstanding voice of European federalism; former Presidents Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia and Rosen Plevneliev of Bulgaria; former European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit; and philosopher Slavoj Žižek.
A particularly significant contribution comes from Members of the European Parliament involved in supporting the federalist initiative. They include Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, Andrea Wechsler, Anna Strolenberg, Benedetta Scuderi, Brando Benifei, Petras Auštrevičius, Sandro Gozi and Daniel Freund, alongside Thijs Reuten, a member of the Spinelli Group who has been actively involved in the relaunch of the Action Committee for the United States of Europe.
Among the signatories Carmine Caputo, Mayor of Ventotene, once again underlining the island’s historic and symbolic role in the process of European integration.
The appeal is based on a clear conviction: faced with today’s geopolitical, economic, technological and security challenges, Europe can no longer simply react to crises. It must develop the political capacity to decide and act together.
From Ventotene, an ambitious vision is therefore being renewed: to transform the current Union into a genuine federal political union, capable of acting autonomously and authoritatively on the international stage.
To foster all these ends the Action Committee will gather in Rome on 19-20 March 2027, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Rome Treaties, and invite all pro-European civil organisations to join the European People's Congress and citizens’ demonstration that it co-organises.