News of Europe

The first step towards EU institutional reform. On Wednesday, lawmakers of the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee widely approved the draft report on the amendment of the treaty proposed by Spinelli Group members Guy Verhofstadt, Sven Simon, Gabriele Bischoff, Daniel Freund, and Helmut Scholz. With 19 votes for, six against, and one abstention, this vote marks the first step for the call of a Convention to draft new EU treaties. The next one will be at the end of November when the text will be presented to the European Parliament's plenary.
Read our latest news release on the AFCO vote.

Polish democratic coalition leader and potential prime minister Donald Tusk visited Brussels last week to convince the European Commission to unfreeze the country's recovery money. The €35.4 million dedicated to Poland under the pandemic recovery funds was set aside over a legal conflict related to the rule of law between Brussels and Warsaw.

Over to Slovakia, where Robert Fico was (re)appointed prime minister. This formality arrived just in time for eurosceptic Fico to participate in last Thursday’s European Council dedicated to the Israel-Hamas war. Roberta Metsola calls for treaty change. The president of the European Parliament called out for rapid accession talks with Ukraine. She added that the EU must reform before welcoming new members, as "we cannot look at growing with tens of millions of new EU citizens without realizing that there is a lot of frustration with a lot of our processes."

News from UEF sections

Groupe Europe

Last week, UEF's section Groupe Europe organised a debate on EU Conditionality. Jean Charles Leygues, former director of Regional policy at the European Commission answered the questions from the audience. You can hear the recording here (in French).

Movimento Federalista Europeo

Last weekend, the Movimento Federalista Europeo hosted its Congress.
Luisa Trumellini, Vice-President of the UEF, was re-conducted as Secretary-General of the Italian section. Stefano Castagnoli remains President of the MFE. Domènec Ruie Devesa, President of the UEF, attended the event. On this occasion, the UEF organised an academic debate on Treaty reform.

Europa Union Deutschland

The Europa Union Deutschland had its 66th Congress on 14 and 15 October. Rainer Wieland, Vice-President of the European Parliament, was re-elected as President of the German section. Gabriele Bischoff MEP, rapporteur of the draft report on the amendment of the treaties, was also re-elected as Vice-President of EUD and also Christian Moss, as Secretary General of EUD. 
The delegates discussed the preparation of the 2024 European elections campaign. The Congress called on German political parties to adopt ambitious pro-EU positions and fight the enemies of liberal democracy. More information on the EUD website (in German).

Greece and Switzerland

Last but not least, the UEF congratulates our sections in Greece and Switzerland for their efforts during the recent local and national elections. Activists from both sections encouraged political debates around Federalist ideas and put European issues on the agenda. 
Both contributions are valuable experiences for our organisation in preparation for the 2024 European election campaign.