The role of European federalists and the Spinelli Group | Message from Lukas Mandl
On the occasion of the Union of European Federalists Federal Committee in Budapest on 16 November 2024, Lukas Mandl MEP EPP and new Chair of the Spinelli Group shared a strong video message.
"Dear ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends of federalism,
My name is Lukas Mandl. I'm an Austrian member of the European Parliament. I'm the longest standing Austrian in the European People's Party group in the European Parliament. And I have the honor and the privilege to chair the Spinelli Group in the European Parliament. I will do that for nine months in a rotation procedure. And I'm happy to contribute, by that way, with our inter partisan Spinelli Group to the reform of the European Union. The Spinelli Group, as all of you might know, is the connected inter partisan group in the European Parliament connected to UEF. And I'm also president of the UEF chapter in Austria of the Europäische Föderalistische Bewegung Österreich in my home country, inter partisan, multi partisan.
This is the promising approach to the reform of the European Union because we have to just reflect on the matter of fact that we have now the longest period of time passed without a reform of the European Union in terms of a treaty reform since 2008, there was no treaty reform. The Treaty of Lisbon is still the latest one, and we have the longest period of time passed without EU accession of any country. Croatia was the last country joining the European Union in 2013. Well after 2008, a lot has happened on our planet and also to Europe and also within Europe. And after 2013, nearly the same is true. We live in times of perma-crisis, as one stated it this very week, and we live in times of multiple crises, and we really have a lot of challenges ahead of us, not only to overcome the crisis, but to achieve a higher standard of civilization, to hand over to the next generation, a Europe in a better shape as we, our generation, had the joy to inherit from the generations before us. Europe in a good shape, actually in the best shape of all times. But this Europe has been attacked due to Putin, Russia's war of aggression since 2022 and before that, already through the occupation of Crimea, it has been attacked by terrorism, by anti-Semitism, by disinformation, by means and measures of hybrid warfare and more. And it has also been attacked from the inside by anti-European, populist movements, which only try to divide us.
The attempts to divide us, the attempts to cause division within our societies are increasing, actually, and this is what European federalists should take into account when they decide on their priorities. And this is why in the Spinelli Group and among all colleagues of goodwill within the European Parliament and beyond, in national parliaments, and on each and every political level, also in the executive branch, we should set the priority of going the path, and it will be a long path towards an EU reform, because this is what Europeans of this generation and of generations to come deserve. This is why in the first place, we should talk to member States governments. We should talk to executive branch officials in each and every capital of the member States of the European Union, in order to make them aware of a simple fact. There might be a risk coming along with the idea of negotiating a new EU treaty, but they are definitely come along many risks when not engaging into this procedure of negotiating a new EU treaty. So the sooner we start going that path, the sooner we will be ready and Europe will be ready for the challenges ahead. And also, in order to take the chances, Europe has to use the opportunities the Europeans have as a continent to the inside and also to the outside when it comes to Europe's role in the world on our planet.
I very much regret that I am not able to be physically in Budapest today, and I'm even not able to connect online live the very same time as the panel discussion and other meetings convened in Budapest. But I'm grateful that I am able to address you. And you invited me to address the conference today via this video message. Because it's crucial, because it means a lot to me, especially the connection between the Spinelli Group in the European Parliament and UEF Europe. It means a lot to me because we are only strong together. If we listen to each other coming from different political backgrounds, people of different political affiliations, but committed to the future of Europe, to the unity of Europe and that means now to the reform of Europe, in order also to strengthen Europe on the world stage by enlarging this beautiful European Union we have inherited from generations before us. I look forward to hear, to read about the outcomes of the conference in Budapest. I thank you all for your commitment to the UEF values to a united Europe, and I thank you for your engagement within UEF. And I can only share my appreciation of those colleagues in the European Parliament who are committed in the framework of our Spinelli Group in the very same way. I can invite you already today to a discussion in the European Parliament's premises in Strasbourg on March 31st, 2025. We will convene people of goodwill from inside the Parliament, but also from outside Europeans of goodwill under the umbrella of Spinelli Group, connected with UEF in order to create a clear message and to convey a clear message in favor of EU reform, of treaty reform, of institutional reform, and of making Europe ready for the future and providing for the next generations a very good Europe. So this is the invite and this is my message today from the studios in the European Parliament based in Brussels.
I wish you all the best, a fruitful, substantial and good conference.
Take good care.
Best regards.
Yours,
Lukas Mandl."