II UEF European Congress

The documents of this Congress are archived in the Historical Archives of the European Union and are digitised. The folder includes preliminary documents, speeches, reports, newspaper articles.

The entire folder can be viewed here: LINK

The second ordinary General Assembly of the U.E.F. took place at the Palazzo Venezia in Rome between 7 and 11 November 1948.

Judging by the number of participants, the warmth of the debates, and the importance and diversity of the resolutions adopted, it can be said that the scope of this international conference was considerable.

The echoes and comments given by the European press were too numerous to be usefully listed. Suffice it to say that they were particularly abundant, as was natural, in the Italian press and that, on the whole, they expressed a clearly favourable opinion of the aims reaffirmed and the results already achieved.
Significantly, for the first time most of the newspapers referred to the ‘European Union of Federalists’ without any further mention or explanatory periphrasis. Is this not proof that they now recognise us in the same way as the major international institutions in Geneva and Lake Success, and an unmistakable sign of increased prestige?

The press, even the non-denominational press, found striking confirmation of this in the statements made to the congress delegates by the head of the Catholic Church during the audience he granted them on 1 November. As Italia Socialista observed in its issue of 18 November, these statements are bound to stimulate the zeal of the ever-growing number of Christian democrats in our ranks to take the ‘prompt action’ called for by the Pope.

The text of the resolutions adopted, together with the main reports, speeches and messages, will be published in a printed brochure at a later date. For the moment, it will suffice to note that these resolutions have not only reaffirmed our own tendencies, but have led to a strengthening of our positions by preserving, at all levels, the rectitude of our line, without neglecting any means of increasing, in the immediate future, the effectiveness of our action.
The need to reconcile doctrinal purity and political expediency gave rise to particularly lively exchanges of views which, better than any dull unanimity would have done, attested to the vitality of our movement and guaranteed the solidity of the agreements reached.

I would like to thank our Italian friends one last time for their efforts in organising the technical and material aspects of the Congress. In addition to their financial contribution, they gave of themselves in the fullest sense of the word. The delegates duly appreciated the material facilities of all kinds that had been provided for them by the diligence and ingenuity of the organising committee. For accommodation, meals and transport, everything had been planned down to the last detail. For a few days, the Palazzo di Venezia in the heart of the Eternal City looked like a small international city with all the essential services (public transport, travel service, exchange office, etc.), without losing any of its secular majesty. Everyone was struck by the magnificence of the setting and its symbolic value. Was it not highly significant that these international meetings should be taking place - one hundred years after the Risorgimento, thirty years to the day after the end of the First World War and four years after the Second - in a building on which, between the two wars, the eyes of the world had already been fixed, albeit for very different reasons? The Forum and the Capitoline Hill in the immediate vicinity, the dome of St Peter's on the other side of the Tiber: we were immersed in history both near and far. As the centre of a ruined Empire and a still-living Church, was the Urbs not predestined to become one of the finest crucibles of the future Federation? The delegates were no less touched by the way in which they were welcomed at the Campidoglio by the Municipality of Rome and at the Quirinal by the President of the Italian Republic in person. For his part, the French ambassador was keen to do them the honours of the Palazzo Farnese. Finally, all of them, whatever their denomination, will remember the moving audience that His Holiness Pius XII granted them at his pontifical residence in Castel Gandolfo on the day of November.

The attendance was remarkable. Of the five hundred and sixty-six announced, more than five hundred from twelve countries were actually present, not counting numerous observers and journalists, many of whom were admitted at the last minute.

The coincidence of the elections for the Council of the Republic in France led to some defections among the French delegation, which nevertheless stood out for its size and quality. The absence of M . Léon Blum, who was detained in Paris to testify before the Court of Justice. In the absence of Mr . Yvon Delbos, who was also unable to attend, two serving ministers, M . Mitterand and Devinât, were there to represent the French Government. The Italian delegation was naturally the largest, and included eminent figures from the world of politics, senators, deputies and former ministers. The President of the Republic, Luigi Einaudi, attended our first plenary session, which he opened with an eloquent message. He was joined at the opening session by the President of the Council, Mr De Gasperi, and several members of his government, including the Vice-President of the Council and leader of the Italian Socialist Workers' Party, Mr Saragat. Finally, Count Sforza, Minister for Foreign Affairs, brought the voice of the Italian Government to the Congress during the plenary session on Wednesday afternoon. The plenary sessions were chaired successively by MM. André Voisin (France), Ignazio Sïlone (Italy), Henry Hopkinson (Great Britain), Ota Adler (Great Britain), Pierre Chaillet (France). The Steering Committee comprised M. Adler, Bollis, Deichmann, Genet, Hamesse, Hytte and Nord. Among the most important changes made to the agenda were the addition of two Commissions: one on Youth Movements and the other on Propaganda, both of which did useful work. It should also be noted that the discussion, in plenary session, of the Resolution on general policy and on the project for regrouping European forces took place at the express request of the Congress, as early as g November (instead of io November as planned). On io November, in the afternoon, the Congress proceeded to the elections of the new Central Committee, the composition of which can be found on pages 15 and 16 of this bulletin.

On the evening of Thursday 11 November, a public meeting was held at the Eliseo cinema, chaired by Mr. Hopkinson. The speakers were M . Léon Jouhaux (General Secretary of ‘Force Ouvrière’,French trade unions), the Chairman of our Executive Board, Henri Brugmans, and the Italian deputy Benvenuti, from the Christian Democratic Party. To conclude, another public demonstration was held with great success in Turin, at the Cargnano Palace. Speeches were given by M. Bovetti, Henri Brugmans, Le Bourre (of the ‘Forces Ouvrières Syndicalistes Européennes’), Professor Monti and Altiero Spinelli of the ‘Movimento Federalista Europeo’.