XX UEF European Congress

The Resolutions Committee received ten proposals. Two were merged, five were submitted to Congress and adopted, and four were referred to the Bureau for further consideration. [1][2]

Striving for a Federal European Constitution

The clean final English text is headed Striving for a Federal European Constitution!; the minutes and preparatory versions also use Continuing the Fight for a Federal European Constitution. The resolution welcomed the Convention draft's advances: a single constitutional text, abolition of the pillar structure, legal force for the Charter of Fundamental Rights, stronger parliamentary powers, parliamentary election of the Commission President, a European Foreign Minister, a one-million-citizen initiative and structured cooperation in defence. [4]

Congress nevertheless criticised the absence of a genuine European government, weak economic governance and the continued requirement of unanimity in foreign policy, defence, own resources and constitutional revision. It called for adoption before the European elections, immediate ratification, a new Convention by 2008 and majority voting for future amendments. If some states were unwilling or unable to ratify, the others should proceed without allowing a national veto.

Ten amendments were voted on separately. The resolution as a whole was adopted by all delegates except for a few abstentions.

Declaration regarding the European elections

The declaration called on European political parties to identify their candidate for Commission President before the elections and asked parliamentary candidates to commit themselves to ratification of the Constitution and a new Convention by 2008. It was adopted with no votes against and a few abstentions. [5]

Europe and international terrorism

Following the Istanbul and Madrid attacks, the resolution considered intergovernmental cooperation among national police forces inadequate. Only a democratic European government accountable to Parliament could guarantee security as an indivisible public good and promote peace, development and democratisation in the Mediterranean and Middle East. The text was adopted with one vote against and several abstentions. [6]

UEF membership of the World Federalist Movement

Congress confirmed UEF's application to become a WFM Member Organisation. It provided for a collective membership fee, co-financing of joint activities, support for Federalist Debate and cooperation on regional integration, democratic UN reform and a peaceful world order. The resolution was adopted with one vote against and approximately twenty abstentions; the WFM Council accepted the application in October 2004. [2][3]

Cooperation with global civil society

This motion, produced by merging two proposals, called for stronger relations with peace, human-rights, environmental and global-justice movements. It referred to the campaign for the International Criminal Court, the Social Forums and the Europe Rejects War initiative. Europe was presented as the first arena in which the democratic constitutionalisation of international relations could begin. Nicola Vallinoto explained its importance; it was adopted by an overwhelming majority. [1][2]

Friday, 19 March

Saturday, 20 March

Sunday, 21 March

Leinen's written report, UEF Activity 2001-2004: A European Constitution - Without National Veto!, is organised around ten themes. [1]

The euro. The introduction of euro notes and coins in twelve states was a historic milestone. Leinen proposed single representation of the euro in international financial institutions and a Commission Vice-President - a 'Mr or Mrs Euro' - responsible for representing the currency internally and externally.

The Convention and the Constitution. The Convention had demonstrated the superiority of a transparent, parliamentary method. UEF had influenced the process through intergroups in Parliament and the Convention and through the Federal Voice network. The failure of the Intergovernmental Conference, by contrast, confirmed the predominance of national interests.

The Iraq War. The war had divided the UN, NATO and the EU and exposed the gap between several pro-intervention governments and a largely anti-war European public. The crisis had nevertheless encouraged common defence initiatives, including European planning and operations in the Balkans and Congo.

European Security Strategy. The Solana document suggested a European approach based on prevention, diplomacy, multilateralism, international law and a stronger UN. The ultimate objective should be unified EU representation in the Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions.

Cancún and world trade. The failed trade conference revealed the worsening North-South conflict. Agricultural policy had to be reformed, export subsidies ended and social and environmental standards incorporated into world trade rules.

Enlargement. The Union of twenty-five would bring together approximately 450 million people and increase Europe's global weight. Questions nevertheless remained about absorption capacity, the Union's borders and Turkey's candidacy.

Financing the EU. New responsibilities could not be financed with fewer resources. Leinen advocated replacing the logic of national contributions with genuine own resources and opening a debate on a European tax.

The European social model. The Lisbon open-coordination process was no longer sufficient. Research, employment and social policy increasingly needed to become Community policies; a European Research Area was essential to close the gap with the United States and Japan.

Development of UEF. Leinen welcomed generational renewal, the assumption of responsibility by former JEF activists, the growth of sections in Central and Eastern Europe and the rapprochement between UEF and WFM.

Conclusion. Adoption of the Constitution would be only one stage. The next priorities were a new Convention, abolition of national vetoes, transformation of the Commission into a genuine European government, extension of the Parliament-Council bicameral system and transfer of foreign and security policy to the Community method.

The archival file does not include the complete 2001-2004 activity brochure distributed to delegates. The minutes confirm, however, that Boissière described an increase in the Secretariat's activities and responsibilities achieved with essentially unchanged staffing and financial resources. [1]

The account in L'Unità Europea identifies the principal fields of work:

1. public demonstrations and the mobilisation culminating around 9 May 2003;
2. joint UEF-JEF action during the European Convention;
3. pressure on the European Parliament for rapid approval of the Constitution;
4. revival of European seminars;
5. an electronic newsletter and new communication tools;
6. production of constitutional-campaign materials;
7. UEF expansion in Central and Eastern Europe and the re-establishment of groups in Western Europe.

Electoral procedure

The new Article 18 provided for half the Federal Committee to be directly elected by Congress and half to be designated by the constituent organisations. Each organisation normally designated two members; an additional member was available for every further thousand paid-up members, while organisations with fewer than one hundred paid subscriptions designated one member. Alternates could attend meetings without voting rights unless authorised to vote on behalf of an absent full member. [1]

President, Bureau and Treasurer

The leadership resulting from Congress and the first meeting of the Federal Committee comprised:

• President: Jo Leinen.
• Vice-Presidents: Philipp Agathonos, Alojz Peterle and Sergio Pistone.
• Treasurer: Gerda de Munck-Gootjes.
• Bureau members: Maja Augustyn, Fernand Herman, Alfonso Iozzo, Richard Laming, Thomas Mann, Marc-Oliver Pahl and Paolo Vacca.
• Ex officio member: Jon Worth, President of JEF-Europe.

Arbitration Board

The Congress minutes record seven candidates for seven seats and approval with only one abstention. The Italian report, however, prints only five names: Claudio Dalelio, Rodolfo Gargano, Lothar Jaschke, Giovanni Rastrelli and U. Richter. The two missing members cannot be identified from the digitised sources. The earlier five-name list must therefore be regarded as incomplete, not as evidence that the Board had only five members. [1][2]

[1] Union of European Federalists, XXth European Congress of the UEF, Genova, 19-21 March 2004, UEF-0785 file, Historical Archives of the European Union. Main sections: programme, pp. 4-9; minutes, pp. 10-15; Jo Leinen's report, pp. 55-60; statutory amendments, pp. 113-115; Federal Committee forms, pp. 138-140; final texts, pp. 227-237.

[2] L'Unità Europea, no. 361, March 2004, pp. 7-14, special issue containing the Congress report, elected bodies and motions. Online text

[3] Union of European Federalists, UEF News 2004, report dated 23 March 2004 and later update on admission to WFM. Online text

[4] UEF, Continuing the Fight for a Federal European Constitution, official text of the general political resolution. Online text

[5] UEF, Declaration regarding the Elections to the European Parliament. Online text

[6] UEF, Resolution on Europe and International Terrorism. Online text

[7] Guido Montani, The Federalist Strategy and the Campaign for the European Constitution, The Federalist, 2004. Online text

[8] Paolo Vacca, For an Alternative Strategy: A Federal Core in a Europe of Concentric Circles, The Federalist, 2004. Online text

[9] Sergio Pistone, The Aims of European Foreign Policy and the Features of Europe's Defence System, The Federalist, 2004. Online text

[10] Historical Archives of the European Union, Spinelli fonds, SP-8 file covering, among other meetings, the 20th Congress in Genoa. Online text