XXI UEF European Congress

Friday, 30 June 2006

Time	Business
17:00	Official opening by Mercedes Bresso; greetings from Philipp Agathonos, Jan Seifert, Pat Cox and William Pace (announced, subject to confirmation).
17:30–19:30	Election of the Congress Presidium; political report by President Mercedes Bresso; organisational report by Secretary-General Friedhelm Frischenschlager; general debate and vote on both reports.

Saturday, 1 July 2006

Time	Business
09:00–12:30	Commission 1 — The European constitutional process? Chair Guido Montani; rapporteur Florian Rodeit; announced contributions from Andrew Duff, Johannes Voggenhuber, Bruno Boissière, Asa Gunven and Paolo Vacca.
09:00–12:30	Commission 2 — What industrial and energy policy for Europe? Chair Ortrun Gauper; rapporteur Domenico Moro.
09:00–12:30	Commission 3 — Europe as a force for peace. Chair Christian Glöckner; rapporteur Marc-Oliver Pahl; contributions from Philipp Agathonos and Sergio Pistone.
09:00–12:30	Commission 4 — Financing the European project. Chair Alfonso Iozzo; rapporteur Jan Seifert; announced contributions from Harald Stieber and Alain Lamassoure.
14:00	Deadline for candidates for President, directly elected Federal Committee members and Arbitration Board.
14:30–16:00	Commission reports and debate.
17:00–19:00	Debate on motions.
19:00	Deadline for amendments; voting begins.
19:30–20:15	National delegations meet to appoint their share of Federal Committee members.

Sunday, 2 July 2006

Time	Business
09:00	Vote on motions.
10:30–10:45	Address by the newly elected President and close of Congress.
11:00–12:30	New Federal Committee: Bureau nominations; Treasurer Gerda de Munck’s report on the 2004–2005 and 2006 budgets; debate and votes; election of the Bureau, including the Treasurer.
13:00	Meeting of the new Bureau.

Here the translation in italian of the political resolutions and motions (L’Unità Europea, giugno–luglio 2006, n. 388–389 — pp. 1–14)

1. Motion on the European constitutional process and federalist strategy

Relaunch the Constitutional Treaty; involve the European Parliament in amendments; convene a new Convention; hold a Europe-wide consultative referendum in 2009 and apply a double majority of citizens and states; campaign with civil society and JEF; hold another Citizens’ Convention in Berlin in 2007. Adopted by 130 votes to 24, with five abstentions.

2. Motion on EU industrial and energy policy

Research, education and training, completion of the single market and rejection of economic patriotism; a single energy policy through a European Energy Agency, investment in grids and renewables, continental cooperation and own resources/Union Bonds. The narrative says unanimous, while the printed motion says “large majority”; this source discrepancy is retained.

3. Motion on the European Union as a force for peace

A credible EU global role consistent with international law and the UN Charter; a single EU seat on the Security Council; European External Action Service and Foreign Minister; civilian, police and federal defence capabilities; European Parliament oversight and cooperation with NGOs. Adopted unanimously.

4. Motion on the European Union and the Iranian nuclear programme

Opposition to both proliferation and exclusively military or sanctions-based responses; a Conference for Security and Cooperation in the Middle East, a regional nuclear-weapon-free zone, full implementation of the NPT, stronger UN powers and an EU able to act without national vetoes. Adopted by a large majority.

5. Motion on financing the European project

A democratic and transparent budget; replacement of national contributions and rebates; European fiscal competence and a direct own resource; spending shifted towards R&D, infrastructure, higher education and renewables; Union Bonds backed by the EU budget. Full text: 118 in favour, 22 against, 11 abstentions.

6. Recommendation on internal organisation

A Secretariat paper adopted unanimously as a recommendation for further Bureau consideration; the contemporary account did not classify it as a political motion.

President: Mercedes Bresso.

Vice-Presidents: Philipp Agathonos, Sergio Pistone, Heinz Schaumann.

Treasurer: Anders Ekberg.

Bureau members: Alfonso Iozzo, Richard Laming, Michel Morin, Florian Rodeit and Paolo Vacca; the JEF President served ex officio.

Arbitration Board: Rudi Hermann, Asa Gunven, Franz-Josef Klein, Alojz Peterle, Ernest Wistrich and Willibald Pahr.

Auditors: Inge Dohrmann-Nowak and Marc Bellens.

Federal Committee: names verifiable in the consulted record

The Committee had a mixed composition: half directly elected by Congress and half appointed by constituent organisations. The contemporary report announces the Europe-wide result but publishes names only for the Italian contingent, without consistently separating direct election from national appointment. No official minutes containing the complete Europe-wide roll were located online. The list below therefore reproduces only what can be verified, rather than supplying conjectural names. [2][6]

Italian full members: Paolo Acunzo; Giorgio Anselmi; Giordana Bruno; Giancarlo Calzolari; Elio Cannillo; Roberto Castaldi; Ugo Ferruta; Alfonso Iozzo; Lucio Levi; Paolo Lorenzetti; Massimo Malcovati; Lorenzo Marini; Guido Montani; Domenico Moro; Roberto Palea; Sergio Pistone; Giuseppe Portaluppi; Alfonso Sabatino; Franco Spoltore; Luisa Trumellini; Paolo Vacca; Lino Venturelli; Lamberto Zanetti.

Italian substitutes: Aldo Bianchin; Alberto Frascà; Sante Granelli; Luigi Giussani; Salvatore Palermo; Ugo Pistone; Marco Valletta.

JEF-designated full members: Francesco Ferrero; Michela Izzo; Elena Montani.

The Europe Group elected, among others, Vittorio Cidone.

In her opening political report, Bresso reviewed the phase beginning in 1997, when a European Constitution became the UEF’s guiding star. In 2006 that aim remained valid, but it had to meet three additional challenges: economic growth, employment and protection of the European social model; democracy in Europe; and Europe’s transformation into an effective global political actor. All three required a constituent process leading to a European federal state. [2][6]

The European Convention had been a major step, but it had not resolved the decisive problem of unanimity. Separate national ratifications had made Europe’s common fate dependent on domestic circumstances; even the euro remained fragile without democratic European government. Bresso therefore argued for continuing ratification of the existing text, convening a new Convention to make the changes needed—above all to overcome the veto—and submitting the result to a European referendum in 2009 under a double majority of citizens and states.

Popular participation was indispensable: Citizens’ Conventions, interparliamentary forums and a major German event in 2007 should turn “reflection” into participation. In her closing address Bresso reduced the political direction to three tasks: Berlin and a later Paris initiative; a signature campaign for the referendum; and pressure for a vanguard of willing leaders and countries. She also called for renewed unity of purpose inside the movement after a hard but productive Congress. [2][6]

The Secretary-General gave a concise account of UEF activity in 2004–2006 and referred delegates to the distributed written report. Its core was the campaign for the European Constitution: information and mobilisation during ratification, especially in France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg; seminars, publishing and communication; and organisational growth, particularly in eastern European countries where organised federalism had been weak or absent. [2][4]

Frischenschlager treated the “period of reflection” as a change of political terrain. Work with institutions, governments and parties should continue, but greater attention had to be directed to civil society. The Commission’s Plan D—democracy, dialogue and debate—could provide tools for public outreach and improve communication across UEF, its partners and constituent organisations. His more cautious approach to an immediate referendum helps explain part of the dispute in the constitutional Commission. [2][5]

In his end-of-year message, consistent with the Congress report, he identified the constitutional referendum campaign, Plan D and reform of UEF’s internal capacities as the priorities for the following two to three years. UEF needed to go beyond lobbying political elites and mobilise citizens directly against nationalism and xenophobia. [5]

[1] L’Unità Europea, maggio 2006 — programma della Convenzione e del XXI Congresso — pp. 12–13

[2] L’Unità Europea, giugno–luglio 2006, n. 388–389 — pp. 1–14

[3] UEF — The European Constitutional process? — testo inglese ufficiale della risoluzione costituzionale, 2 luglio 2006

[4] UEF Activity Report 2004–2006 — rapporto scritto richiamato dal Segretario generale

[5] UEF Newsletter no. 35, December 2006 — bilancio politico e organizzativo successivo al Congresso

[6] Presse fédéraliste — XXIe Congrès de l’UEF — resoconto francese e sintesi dei discorsi

[7] The Federalist — The Creation of a European Vanguard — contesto dottrinale sul nucleo/avanguardia europea

[8] L’Unità Europea, novembre–dicembre 2006, n. 393–394 — sviluppi della campagna referendaria decisa a Vienna

Congress proceedings

Opening, Friday 30 June

Mercedes Bresso formally opened the Congress in the late afternoon. Greetings from Max Wratschgo (UEF Austria), Henrik Kröner (European Movement International), Jan Seifert (JEF Europe) and the World Federalist Movement stressed the continuity of federalist action, the need to strengthen organised federalism and cooperation between European and world federalists. Former European Parliament President Pat Cox called for a democratic, transparent and citizen-facing debate beyond closed-door governmental bargains. [2][6]

After the statutory opening business, Bresso delivered her political report; Secretary-General Friedhelm Frischenschlager presented the organisational and 2004–2006 activity report; Bruno Boissière reported on the Federalist Intergroup in the European Parliament. The debate immediately exposed differences over the way out of the constitutional impasse. [2][4][6]

Commissions, elections and debate, Saturday 1 July

The first Commission, chaired by Guido Montani, was the most contentious. The majority proposal linked a new Convention, possible amendments to the Constitutional Treaty and a Europe-wide consultative referendum held with the 2009 European elections. It faced both a line primarily favouring continued ratification of the existing text and a proposal to focus on the immediate creation of a federal core. The Resolutions Committee combined the texts into a single resolution, later adopted by a large majority. [2][3][6]

The other Commissions discussed a European industrial and energy policy, including turning Euratom into a European Energy Agency; the EU as a force for peace and the Iranian nuclear crisis; and financing the European project through own resources, a European tax, budget transparency and Union Bonds. Elections and a general debate followed in the afternoon. Mercedes Bresso was re-elected President by a very large majority. [2]

Votes and closing, Sunday 2 July

The plenary adopted five political motions and one recommendation on internal organisation. The constitutional motion received 130 votes in favour, 24 against and five abstentions. The motion on the EU as a force for peace was unanimous, while the Iran motion passed by a large majority. On financing, the Union Bonds paragraph received 100 votes in favour, 48 against and seven abstentions; the full text passed by 118 votes to 22, with 11 abstentions. [2]

In her closing address, Bresso turned the contested debate into a shared programme: dialogue with citizens and local authorities; preparation of a third Citizens’ Convention in Berlin under the 2007 German Presidency; launch of a signature campaign for a European referendum; and pressure on willing leaders to form a group of states capable of restarting the constituent process. The new Federal Committee then met to elect the Bureau. [2][6]

Historical assessment

Vienna did not eliminate the theoretical divide between constitutional gradualism, continued ratification and a federal-core initiative. It did, however, produce an operational synthesis: keep the Constitutional Treaty alive, correct it through a convention method and escape the veto of a single state through a European popular consultation. In substantive policy, the Congress anticipated issues that remained central: common energy security, European borrowing for investment, own resources, a European diplomatic service and unified international representation. [2][3][7][8]