The Union of European Federalists (UEF) and the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) welcome the resolution adopted yesterday by the European Parliament stating its position regarding the Conference on the Future of Europe. Both UEF and JEF have long advocated for the renewal of our European Union and put forward detailed proposals for the setup of the Conference. The Conference is a golden opportunity for European citizens to walk the path towards an “ever closer union”.

“We are pleased to see the European Parliament take the lead in setting the agenda for the Conference on the Future of Europe, finally opening the door for long-needed Treaty changes with yesterday 's vote. Europe cannot win back the trust of its citizens with another so-called "listening exercise". Instead we need to be courageous and give citizens a real say over the future of the European project. Only a Conference on the Future of Europe that puts all options of deep policy and institutional change on the table can now deliver on citizens' expectations. If Commission President von der Leyen and the European Council are genuine about bringing Europe closer to the people, we invite the Commission and the Council to support the proposals and the level of ambition indicated by the European Parliament", says Sandro Gozi, President of the Union of European Federalists (UEF).

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) and the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) welcome the resolution adopted yesterday by the European Parliament stating its position regarding the Conference on the Future of Europe. Both UEF and JEF have long advocated for the renewal of our European Union and put forward detailed proposals for the setup of the Conference. The Conference is a golden opportunity for European citizens to walk the path towards an “ever closer union”, as stated in the Treaties. The Conference should not shy away from proposing to expand the Union’s powers and resources and renew its institution to make Europe really sovereign, including through an overhaul of the current Treaties.

The Conference on the Future of Europe must send a clear message to the Union's citizens that their voices will be heard. For this reasons, the European federalists call on the European Commission and the Council, to engage fully and genuinely with this exercise in participatory democracy. The Conference on the Future of Europe shall not be a new dialogue exercise as seen in the past, but a democratic and participative process where citizens have a real say on the Future of the Union. Therefore, in line with the proposal of the Parliament, UEF and JEF welcome an inclusive model that allows citizens to discuss the most pressing policies and institutional reforms, both necessary to rebuild trust in the European project. UEF and JEF are however concerned that there is no credible feedback loop between the decisions ultimately taken by political representatives and the proposals put forward by the citizen agora.

“We couldn’t agree more with the European Parliament: the increase in voter turnout at the 2019 European elections showed that citizens engage with Europe when they are offered the opportunity. For too long we, European citizens, have been sidelined or only cosmetically “consulted” in discussions over the future of European integration. Those times are over. Citizens and civil society are determined to continue pushing for change. The EU’s 60-years-long record of ensuring peace on the continent is at risk if it keeps muddling through the current intergovernmental status quo. The Conference on the Future of Europe is the opportunity to address the concerns of citizens about the future of European democracy and to provide the EU with the tools - institutional and financial - to deliver on its promise”, concludes Leonie Martin, President of JEF Europe.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a pan-European, non-governmental political organisation dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. For more than 70 years UEF has been a leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. With 25 national sections and over 400 local groups across Europe, UEF promotes a federal Europe among citizens and political representatives at all levels of government.

PRESS CONTACT
Valentina Presa
valentina.presa@federalists.eu
+32.2.5083030

The Young European Federalists (JEF) Europe is a non-partisan youth NGO active with 13.000 members active in more than 35 countries. The organisation strives towards a federal Europe based on the principles of democracy and subsidiarity as well as respect for human rights. JEF promotes true European Citizenship, and works towards more active participation of young people in democratic life.

PRESS CONTACT:
Leonie Martin
leonie.martin@jef.eu
+32.2.5120053

12 European civil society and other organisations unveil today their set of recommendations for a successful Conference on the Future of Europe. The recommendations emerged as outcome of a series of brainstorming sessions between European civil society organisations and other entities held in autumn 2019.

The proposal for a “European Conference on the Future of Europe” initially put forward by President Emmanuel Macron and then taken up by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, represents a great opportunity to reshape the future of the European Union.

The CSOs’ common key recommendations for the Conference on the Future of Europe are:

1. An open mandate for the Conference, aimed at developing policy and institutional proposals, as well as proposals for treaty change or a new treaty framework, if considered necessary.
2. A wide-ranging approach, looking at the scope of competences of the Union, the financing of Union policies and proposals for the democratic and efficient governance of those policies.
3. A democratic process with wide participation and deep deliberation with individual citizens and civil society organisations from across the Union, as well as accession candidate and eastern neighborhood countries.
4. A multi-step approach allowing individual citizens and civil society organisations to give input at different levels of expertise using digital tools and deliberative polling and engagement with institutional decision-makers.
5. A clear upfront commitment by the institutions of the Union, as well as National Governments to deliver legislative proposals on all policy recommendations and initiate Treaty changes on all proposals adopted by the Conference.

The full common recommendations can be found here. The common recommendations are supported by the following organisations:

European Students' Forum (AEGEE), European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), Assembly of European Regions (AER), Civil Society Europe (CSE), Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE - Church organisation under Art. 17 TFEU"), European Citizen Action Service (ECAS), European Youth Forum, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, Foundation EURACTIV, garagErasmus Foundation, Young European Federalists (JEF) and the Union of European Federalists (UEF).

Related files

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SET UP OF THE CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE
OF EUROPE BY 12 EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a pan-European, non-governmental political organisation dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. For more than 70 years UEF has been a leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. With 25 national sections and over 400 local groups across Europe, UEF promotes a federal Europe among citizens and political representatives at all levels of government.

PRESS CONTACT
Valentina Presa
valentina.presa@federalists.eu
+32.2.5083030

The European Federalists recommend the European Commission and the European Council to follow the position of the EP and agree a concept, mandate, structure, as well as timing of the Conference as soon as possible in order to enable preparations to start early in the new year.

The Union of European Federalists welcomes the approval of the opinion by the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on the Conference on the Future of Europe laying the ground for an ambitious position and a leading role of the European Parliament in the Conference.

The Conference, initially proposed by the French President Macron and then taken up by new European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her political guidelines for the European Commission 2019-2024. It is expected to be endorsed in the European Council's conclusions at the end of this week and to start working early next year.

The European Federalists welcome AFCO’s support of an open and democratic vision for the Conference on the Future of Europe. This conference will have to consult and engage citizens and institutional representatives at all levels. It should be an exercise of real democratic participation, not just a series of dialogues with citizens with no results - as too many times in the past. The Conference must clearly aim at recommending policy and institutional reforms to make the European Union stronger, more democratic, more efficient, more transparent, and with a greater capacity to act in Europe, as well as in the global scene.

The AFCO opinion includes many proposals from the Federalists, including that the Conference should have an open mandate,  that it should be ready to discuss all questions of policies and institutions and that it should be open to consider changes to European treaties, as it will be certainly necessary to meet its goals.  Citizens’ participation in the Conference should be ensured through a combination of consultations and direct participation.

Sandro GOZI, President of the Union of European Federalists, commented: “We have a unique opportunity to engage citizens across Europe in a first-time exercise of transnational democracy leading to concrete results on European policies and institutions. Ten years after the Lisbon Treaty, in a completely changed Europe and global order, it is high time to address the questions of Europe’s competencies, resources and institutions with no taboos, including no fear to break unanimity if not all Member States will agree on an ambitious reform roadmap".

The European Federalists look forward to seeing AFCO proposal becoming the official position of the Parliament with a resolution in plenary in January, including also further proposals on the Conference's composition and method of working in preparation by a Working Group set up by the President of the European Parliament. 

The European Federalists recommend the European Commission and the European Council to follow the position of the EP and agree on a concept, mandate, structure, as well as timing of the Conference as soon as possible in order to enable preparations to start early in the new year. 

END

PRESS CONTACT:
Valentina Presa
valentina.presa@federalists.eu
+32.2.5083030

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) has announced that it has established two new national sections in Greece and North Macedonia, extending the reach of the organisation in the South-East of Europe.

The new organisation in Greece, named Hellenic Union for the Federation of Europe, had its constituent meeting on 8 November 2019 in the Office of the European Parliament in Athens. Over a hundred people from the political, business and academic community were present at the event, that was attended also by Marietta Giannakou (member of the Greek Parliament), Manolis Kefalogiannis (member of the European Parliament), Miltos Kyrkos (former member of the European Parliament) and Dimitrios Tsiodras (Director of the Press Department of the Prime Minister) alongside academics, business executives and students. The Board of the new organisation includes Prof. Ioannis Papageorgiou of the University of Tessaloniki (Chair), Daphne Gogou, European Commission official (Vice Chair), Euclides Sakellarios (Secretary General), Dr Venetia Koussia, Director General of The Council on Competitiveness for Greece (Treasurer), Stathis-Raphael Pasgianos and Stefanos Panakoulias (Board members).

The new organisation in North Macedonia was established on 24 April 2019 and had already a series of events to support the accession process of Republic of North Macedonia into the European Union and promote further European integration. Petar Bogojeski has been elected President and Sasho Lazarovski has been elected Secretary General. The new organisation is organizing a large public event with national political personalities on 14-15 December in Skopje.

Both organisations have been formally accepted as candidate sections by the Federal Committee of the UEF meeting in Rome on 23-24 November.

The Union of European Federalists is a pan-european, non-governmental, non partisan political organisation, dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. Founded in 1946, for more than 70 years UEF has been the leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for all key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. Today UEF is engaged in promoting a united, strong, democratic and federal Union. UEF has more than 30,000 members in 25 national branches and 400 local groups, coordinated by the European secretariat based in Brussels.

It also has a youth organisation with 13,000 members (Young European Federalists).

This morning Federalists gathered in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg to call on the new MEPS to make the Parliament a driving force for a federal Europe.

On 2 July 2019, on the occasion of the first plenary session of the European Parliament, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and the Young European Federalists (JEF) gathered in front of the European Parliament to welcome the newly elected MEPs and ask their commitment for EU reforms towards a democratic, sovereign and federal Europe.

Sandro GOZI, President of the Union of European Federalists (UEF), declared that “today, simply celebrating the EU and its achievements is not enough. Europe needs change, and the newly elected European Parliament must be the leading force of such change. A reform of the EU treaties towards a stronger, more democratic, more social, more effective, sovereign, federal Europe is needed to bring European solutions to common European challenges such as climate change or migrations and make Europe count in a world more and more dominated by clashes among continental powers”

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a pan-European, non-governmental political organisation dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. For more than 70 years UEF has been a leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. With 25 national sections and over 400 local groups across Europe, UEF promotes a federal Europe among citizens and political representatives at all levels of government.

The Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe) is a non-partisan youth NGO with 13.000 members active in more than 30 countries. The organisation strives towards a federal Europe based on the principles of democracy and subsidiarity as well as respect for human rights. JEF promotes true European Citizenship, and works towards more active participation of young people in democratic life.

The Spinelli Group is an initiative launched in September 2010, led by Guy Verhofstadt, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Sylvie Goulard and Isabelle Durant, followed by Andrew Duff and Jo Leinen as co-chairmen of the MEP-Spinelli Group. The aim of the Spinelli Group is to become a network of citizens, politicians, academics and writers who are convinced it is time for Europe to move forward.

PRESS CONTACT:
Valentina Presa
+32 (0) 2 508 3030
news@federalists.eu

On the eve of the opening session of the newly elected European Parliament, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and the Young European Federalists (JEF), in cooperation with the City of Strasbourg, involved over 200 civil society activists and EU-committed citizens from all around Europe to express their expectations to the new members of the European Parliament.

The event “A new Parliament for new Europe” took place at Villa Schutzenberger in Strasbourg, at the headquarters of the European Parliamentary Association (APE) with the participation of over 20 federalist-minded MEPs, who committed to support federalist demands in the new European Parliament and engage to make the leading force in calling for EU’s renewals towards a democratic, sovereign and federal Europe.

Our debate included the participation of the following MEPs: Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS(Lithuania), Brando BENIFEI (Italy), Katalin CSEH (Hungary), Jonás FERNÁNDEZ ÁLVAREZ (Spain), Damian FREIHERR VON BOESELAGER (Germany), Daniel FREUND (Germany), Alexandra GEESE (Germany), Sven GIEGOLD (Germany), Sandro GOZI (France), Cristophe GRUDLER (France), Fabienne KELLER (France), Katrin LANGENSIEPE (Germany), Nathalie LOISEAU (France), Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (Spain), Alessandra MORETTI (Italy), Hannah NEUMANN (Germany), Niklas Hendrik NIENAß (Germany), Jutta PAULUS (Germany), Terry REINTKE (Germany), Domènec RUIZ DEVESA (Spain), Ignacio SÁNCHEZ-AMOR (Spain), Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE (France), Viola VON CRAMON (Germany).

The debates were organised in citizens labs around some of the five key policy areas for the future of the European Union: economic and social affairs, common asylum and migration policies, foreign affairs and defence, the future of the institutions and democracy within the EU and the fight against climate change.

The debate was followed by a reception hosted by the City of Strasbourg.

EDITOR'S NOTE

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a pan-European, non-governmental political organisation dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. For more than 70 years UEF has been a leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. With 25 national sections and over 400 local groups across Europe, UEF promotes a federal Europe among citizens and political representatives at all levels of government.

The Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe) is a non-partisan youth NGO with 13.000 members active in more than 30 countries. The organisation strives towards a federal Europe based on the principles of democracy and subsidiarity as well as respect for human rights. JEF promotes true European Citizenship, and works towards more active participation of young people in democratic life.

The Spinelli Group is an initiative launched in September 2010, led by Guy Verhofstadt, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Sylvie Goulard and Isabelle Durant, followed by Andrew Duff and Jo Leinen as co-chairmen of the MEP-Spinelli Group. The aim of the Spinelli Group is to become a network of citizens, politicians, academics and writers who are convinced it is time for Europe to move forward.

PRESS CONTACT:
Valentina Presa
+32 (0) 2 508 3030
news@federalists.eu

Studies have shown that asking people specifically if they plan to vote and if they already know when and where they are planning to go to vote increases turnout.

So we are going out the last weekend before the elections. We are going to use our pledge for citizens to launch debate with passer-by or we are going to create posters with outrageous quotes by MEPs and use them to confront people in the streets as proposed by JEF.

You will find a series of “outrageous” quotes from local Eurosceptic MEPs and we will see if they meet your consensus or not.

The Union of European Federalists launches today the last stage of their campaign for the 2019 European elections by releasing a Manifesto for the European elections (For a Federal Europe : Sovereign, Democratic, Social), a pledge for candidates to the European Parliament, and a pledge for citizens to express their support to federalist proposals.

"We invite candidates to the European Parliament and citizens across Europe to express their support to a Federal Europe, a sovereign, democratic and social Europe. We want citizens to say strongly «I choose Europe» and go and vote at the European elections next 23-26 May, against the project of nationalists and populists to dismantle our Europe, but also against a European status quo that is not sustainable any longer. We call citizens to vote for candidates who clearly express their support for a bold European relaunch and reforms towards a federal Europe" says Sandro Gozi, President of the Union of European Federalists.

UEF sections all over Europe are organising street actions, debates, stands to mobilize citizens to go and vote for a Federal Europe. 

All documents are available on the UEF website, where visibility will be given to candidates to the European Parliament who sign the federalist pledge, and where citizens have the possibility to sign directly online to support the campaign/to express their support to federalist proposals.

Here the campaign page with the Manifesto and here with the Pledge.

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The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a pan-European, non-governmental political organisation dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. For more than 70 years UEF has been a leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. With 25 national sections and over 400 local groups across Europe, UEF promotes a federal Europe among citizens and political representatives at all levels of government. More on: www.federalists.eu

Sandro GOZI is the President of Union of European Federalists, he was the Secretary of State for European Affairs in the Renzi and Gentiloni Governments (2014-2018) and Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies (2006-2018). Prior to that, he was a diplomat and then spent more than a decade in the European institutions notably as a European Commission official (1996-2000) and then as member of the Cabinet of European Commission President Romano Prodi (2000-2004) and advisor to European Commission President Jose Barroso.

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Sandro GOZI, President of the Union of European Federalists, welcomes President Macron’s new initiative for a European renaissance, a direct letter to the citizens of  Europe, published today on a number of European newspapers and invites European citizens to mobilise and support it.

“European Renaissance! With great courage and vision, today French President Emmanuel Macron is relaunching the Europe we want and for which we are fighting: a sovereign Europe, a Europe of citizens, of democracy and popular participation, which multiplies protection, security and freedom for Europeans. 

Guaranteed minimum salary, new industrial policy, common defence, bank for climate, European right of asylum and common control of Europe external border: these are very concrete proposals, we have been proposing them for a long time and they respond to the new needs of European citizens.   

The progressive platform proposed by President Macron can and must be the basis to build a new political majority in the European Parliament after the European elections, as we European Federalists propose in our Manifesto for the European elections.

A European Renaissance without taboos, and therefore including also a revision of the Treaties, with a new and strong popular participation from the beginning. A Conference for Europe, with representatives of the European institutions and the Member States, should be gathered before year-end, to prepare a roadmap for this political project. This is the only way for a real re-foundation of Europe.

We must now mobilise citizens across the continent to make these proposals a reality as soon as possible. We European Federalists are ready and will play our part in all the Member States of the Union”.

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The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a pan-European, non-governmental political organisation dedicated to the promotion of European political unity. For more than 70 years UEF has been a leading voice in the promotion of European unity and an early campaigner for key milestones in the development of the European Communities and then the European Union. With 25 national sections and over 400 local groups across Europe, UEF promotes a federal Europe among citizens and political representatives at all levels of government. More on: www.federalists.eu

Sandro GOZI is the President of Union of European Federalists, he was the Secretary of State for European Affairs in the Renzi and Gentiloni Governments (2014-2018) and Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies (2006-2018). Prior to that, he was a diplomat and then spent more than a decade in the European institutions notably as a European Commission official (1996-2000) and then as member of the Cabinet of European Commission President Romano Prodi (2000-2004) and advisor to European Commission President Jose Barroso.

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