Brussels, 15/07/2025  

 The Union of European Federalists (UEF) warmly welcomes the final agreement reached on 17 June 2025 between the European Parliament and the Council on the revised rules for the statute and funding of European political parties and foundations. This text will be voted tomorrow 16 July in the AFCO Committee.  

This long-awaited reform represents an important step forward for strengthening European democracy. By improving transparency, simplifying funding procedures, and clarifying the legal framework for cross-border activities, the new regulation finally enables European political parties and foundations to operate more effectively across the Union. The harmonisation of the co-financing rate at 95% and the formal recognition of joint political activities offer greater financial stability and legal certainty to actors striving to give voice to citizens across borders. The mandatory implementation of internal gender equality measures, decision-making parity, and anti-harassment policies updates how European parties are governed. 

A vital but incomplete step 

While these measures will enhance the capacity of political actors to “contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of citizens of the Union” as enshrined in the Treaties, they fall short of completing the political architecture necessary for a functioning European democracy. 

“European political parties will not have a role in national referenda on European issues, for example. It is disappointing that the Council solely focused on putting in place safeguards to limit the activities and governance of political parties and foundations.” Said Gabriele Bischoff, S&D shadow rapporteur and newly appointed Chair of the Spinelli Group. 

As UEF has consistently advocated, a genuine European political space cannot emerge without the establishment of a Europe-wide constituency with transnational lists for the European Parliament elections. This remains a core and long-standing demand of the UEF, as reiterated in our Resolution on Transnational Lists adopted in Rome in November 2023. 

The introduction of transnational lists—headed by Spitzenkandidaten nominated by European political parties—would significantly strengthen the democratic legitimacy of EU institutions, deepen citizens’ engagement with European politics, and link the outcome of European elections more directly to the leadership of the European Commission. 

Next steps towards a political space for the Union 

The UEF therefore calls on the European institutions to build on the progress made with the reform of Regulation 1141/2014 by taking the following steps (Resolution On the new European Electoral Law - Towards a union-wide constituency to strengthen the European public sphere): 

• Adopt a European Electoral Law under Article 223 TFEU establishing a pan-European constituency for future European Parliament elections; 
• Ensure that a significant proportion of MEPs are elected via transnational lists, with clear criteria for geographical and gender balance; 
• Reform the Spitzenkandidaten process, ensuring that the President of the European Commission is elected by a majority in the European Parliament; 
• Amend the legal framework to allow citizens to directly found and register European political parties, empowering a new generation of pro-European civic activism. 

Some of these proposals are already reflected in the position of the European Parliament, as outlined in the Report on the 2024 European Elections, for which UEF President Domènec Ruiz Devesa served as co-rapporteur during his 2019–2024 mandate as an MEP, alongside MEP Sven Simon. 

Only through such reforms can we move from a Union of governments to a Union of citizens—where politics is truly European in scope, ambition, and substance. 

"The next elections to the European Parliament must aim to assess the past five years of activity of the EU institutions, in a true exercise of democracy and European politics" said Ruiz Devesa. "We cannot allow them to become just a collection of 27 parallel national elections driven by domestic agendas. Instead, we must Europeanise the debate and stimulate voter participation by putting European issues at the centre of the media and political discourse." 

As Europe faces external threats and internal challenges, now is the time to be bold.  

The UEF calls on the European Parliament and the Council to act with courage and vision to complete the democratic construction of our Union.

PRESS CONTACT

Mathilde Baudouin
Secretary General of the Union of European Federalists
secretariat@federalists.eu

The Vice-President of Europa Union Deutschland (UEF Germany), Gabriele Bischoff, will take over the rotating Presidency of the parliamentry intergroup.

Brussels, June 25, 2025 

The Vice-President of Europa Union Deutschland (UEF Germany), Gabriele Bischoff, MEP S&D, will take over the rotating Presidency of the parliamentary intergroup. He was appointed today by the Spinelli Group Board meeting in Brussels. 

As Gabriele Bischoff inherited the rotating presidency of the Spinelli Group from Lukas Mandl, MEP EPP, the UEF stands beside her leadership and ensures her the support of all federalists. 

The Spinelli Group and the UEF warmly thank Lukas Mandl for his chairmanship. 
“It has been an honor to serve as Chair of the Spinelli Group for the past nine months. Many Europeans, are concerned regarding the future of this European Union and of the European continent. What they demand is a reform of the European Union. So how would a reform of the European Union work? It works through an EU treaty. Since the Treaty of Lisbon there was no treaty reform at all, but this is how an EU reform works, via treaty changes, via a treaty reform.” Lukas Mandl.

The revision of the European Treaty has been a long-standing demand of the UEF. Gabriele Bischoff stressed the importance of making the Treaty reforms and aswers to the questions of social justice and the reduction of inequality the focus of her work together with the Spinelli Group. 

Gabriele Bischoff said: "Thank you very much for your trust. It is a great honour for me to be the new chair of the Spinelli Group. As the first woman to hold this office, but certainly not the last, I am particularly looking forward to this task.

The Spinelli Group is committed, in the spirit of the Ventotene Manifesto, to deeper European integration and the further development of the EU and its treaties. 

The Ventotene Manifesto, written in 1941, emphasised even then that a united Europe can only be strong if it can provide answers to questions of social justice and the reduction of inequality.

In this sense: ‘The road ahead is neither easy nor safe. But it must be taken, and it will be taken!"

RELATED LINKS

See the Board Members of the Spinelli Group LINK HERE

In view of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 75th anniversary of the 9th May Declaration, the reconstituted Monnet Action Committee for the United States of Europe calls for launching a Second Schuman Plan, thus paving the way for a Common Defence and Security, and a European Federation, as envisaged already in 1941 by the Ventotene Manifesto.

This Declaration by the Action Committee for the United States of Europe has been supported by personnalities from politics, culture, think tanks and civil society organisations. Before its publication here, it has been published as an Opinion Article in the following newspapers and think-thank:

• Libération
• Quotidiano Nazionale
• Euractiv Europe
• Euractiv Spain
• Euractiv Italy
• La Testata
• Emerging Europe 

Brussels, 9th May 2025

The German poet Friedrich Hölderlin wrote: “Wherein lies the danger, grows also the saving power”. And indeed, a new European citizen´s spirit is emerging across the Continent. We witnessed it on the 15th of March 2025, from Rome to Tbilisi, in Budapest, Bucharest, Belgrade, and in many other cities across Europe, and also today in Brussels and other European capitals. Support for European integration is high according to the latest Eurobarometer. It is a popular sentiment to defend peace, democracy and multilateralism, against imperialism, authoritarianism, and trade wars, and in support of the Ukrainian resistance and the European ideal. Citizens understand that today the EU, like at the time of Brexit, is under threat from Putin and Trump, and its European minions. The European people is expressing a strong attachment to the European project and our common culture, but it is also calling for concrete actions to ensuring our own security and defence, our competitiveness, our social model, and stronger political unity and capacity to act.

The EU institutions, and particularly its national governments, must provide an answer which is commensurate to the great geopolitical challenges we are facing, and the demands of the citizens. In fact, 75 years ago, the Schuman Declaration already stated that “world peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it”. This sentence strongly resonates in our time. The document also proposed an “action [to] be taken immediately on one limited but decisive point: (...) that Franco-German production of coal and steel as a whole be placed under a common High Authority, within the framework of an organization open to the participation of the other countries of Europe”.

We believe that the setting up of a European Common Defence is today the clear and decisive point to be tackled in the European construction. This step is now a necessity, in view of Trump´s transatlantic security disengagement. On the 12th of March 2025, the European Parliament called the European Council to activate the different provisions of article 42 of the Lisbon Treaty to the said effect.

Such an important decision will pave the way for the creation of an autonomous European Defence and Security System (EDSS), endowed with its own chain of command and in charge of territorial defence, acting as the European pillar of NATO or otherwise in compatibility with it. Such an EDSS will not be dependent on the will and whims of the current US President, and it will operationalize the mutual assistance clause foreseen in article 42.7 of the Treaty.

We also need a larger EU budget financed with Eurobonds and new own resources collected by the Union, to provide for our common defence and security needs and other European public goods, including the fight against climate change, among other critical challenges. A renewed European financial framework should include the creation of investment instruments allowing EU citizens to directly channel their savings for these purposes.

We must remind Member States that a true European defence and security framework cannot be reduced to the different national rearmament proposals currently on the table, which could also result in waste and inefficiencies if not properly coordinated at the EU level. Moreover, security is multidimensional and should include tackling hybrid threats, cybersecurity, espionage and sabotage, etc. Finally, there will not be a proper European Defence and Security Union without the required political, strategic, and operational dimensions (planning, command-and-control, etc.)

At the same time, the proposed step can generate strong political spill-over effects in European integration, including the opening of the process to reform the Treaties in accordance with the Parliament´s proposal of November 2023. We must emphasize that any viable EDSS also requires overcoming as soon as possible the national vetoes and the intergovernmental approach, thereby ensuring the proper parliamentary and democratic control of the said security architecture. This is why we suggest the adoption of a “Union Act” comprising the parallel activation of articles 42.2 (on common defence) and 48 (on constitutional reform) of the Lisbon Treaty as a common package.

Therefore, we propose to all supportive Member States, the European Parliament, and the European Commission, call on the European Council to adopt the proposed “Union Act”. The said governments shall make it clear that they will proceed to activate the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), foreseen in article 46 TEU, for the establishment of the autonomous EDSS if there is no quick unanimous agreement among the Twenty-Seven Member States. This institutional PESCO shall remain open to all Member States willing to join.

At the most dangerous geopolitical moment in Europe since 1945 we must not fall below the ambition mustered on the 9th of May 1950. The EU must live up to Europe.

Download the Declaration here: DECLARATION PDF.

You can find the list of signatories to this link: SIGNATORIES.

You can support the Declaration to this link: SUPPORT.

Brussels, 11 April 2024 

The 146-page “Responsibility for Germany” Coalition Agreement (in brief Agreement) was presented on 9 April 2025 by the representatives of the Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU), Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern (CSU) and Sozial Demokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) after close to a month of negotiations. The compromise package is intended to form the basis for cooperation between the three parties, which would build the German Federal Government for the next four years.  As the most populous Member State and the one with the highest GDP among the 27, Germany should embrace its specific position within the EU in a manner that serves the entire Union.  

The fifth of six chapters focuses on “Europe” that starts with these words “The EU is a guarantor of freedom, peace, security and prosperity. These values are under intense pressure from historical changes. The times demand courage, determination and European responses. Our country can only have a positive future with a strong and democratic EU. We will exploit every possibility to strengthen the EU's capacity for action and strategic sovereignty.” 

According the three coalition parties, German interests are very much intertwined with European interests. “Germany is poised to take on more responsibility in and for Europe, as declared by the future government. This is a positive development and long overdue.” declared Christian Moos, the Secretary General of Europa Union Deutschland (EUD). 

The European Federalists welcomes this document because it shares a common vision of strengthening Europe's defence capabilities, as issued by the recent Memorandum on a European Defence Union (in brief Memorandum) published by the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, that was sent to the main European policymakers at 5^th March 2025¹ in view of the upcoming meeting of the European Council on 6th March, the Plenary of the European Parliament of 10th March, and the publication of the White Paper on Defence on 19th March, 2025.  

Many elements of the Coalition Agreement are in convergence with the Memorandum showing that the German coalition’s political stances are in line with the aspiration of the European Federalists. Here below the main points of convergences: 

1. Advancing a European Defence Union 
Both documents promote the strategic autonomy of the European Union and support closer cooperation with NATO while building a robust European defence pillar.   

The agreement acknowledges NATO’s continued role as the cornerstone of collective defence for many EU members (“For many Member States, NATO remains the guarantor of collective security.”) but advocates for the creation of the European Pillar of the NATO. 

2. Standardisation, interoperability and joint defence industrial cooperation 
Both plans stress the importance of harmonising weapons systems and operational standards to improve battlefield effectiveness and reduce inefficiencies. There is strong agreement on the need to overcome industrial fragmentation in Europe and to encourage joint investment, R&D, and procurement of European-made defence technologies. 

The Coalition Agreement and the Memorandum support expanding the EU's operational capabilities, encouraging: 

1. A stronger European defence industry cooperation, 

2. The development of key technologies  

3. Joint defence projects among Member States  

4. A unified European defence market with coordinated export rules 

Both documents highlight the strategic importance of space, cybersecurity, AI, and advanced technologies in Europe's future defence architecture. 

2. Strategic use of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)  
PESCO is presented as a key tool in both documents for enabling a core group of member states to deepen integration in security and defence.  In the Agreement is written that PESCO projects have to strengthen “European strategic sovereignty". 

The agreement strongly emphasizes solidarity with Ukraine and strengthening European defence to protect freedom and peace: this implies a political commitment to collective security. 

3. European financing instruments for defence 
Both documents advocate for the use of EU-level funding and new financial tools to support defence spending, including exempting such investments from deficit rules under the Stability and Growth Pact.   

But Germany reaffirms its commitment to fiscal prudence, opposing the permanent mutualization of debt within the EU. While supporting existing recovery instruments such as NextGenerationEU, the coalition emphasizes that extraordinary financial tools must remain temporary and exceptional. 

However, Merz has requested that the German constitutional brake on debt be removed in order to launch a major investment plan for defence and infrastructure (potentially more than one trillion euros) that will allow Germany to grow economically to the benefit of other EU countries and increase its defence capacity.  

4. Support for Ukraine as a shared security frontier 
Each text recognises Ukraine’s defence as central to European security and the international rules-based order. 

5. Deepening European Institutions: Openness to Treaty reform (Article 48 TEU) 
While the Memorandum urgently calls for reforming the EU treaties to remove veto powers and increase integration, the coalition agreement states: 
“Where necessary, we are open to treaty changes under Article 48 TEU.” 
— signalling a cautious yet notable openness to legal and institutional reforms. 

The coalition supports the use of “passerelle clauses” which would allow moving beyond unanimity voting in decision-making to the qualified majority in certain political areas and encourages closer cooperation among willing member states.  

The followings points of the Memorandum are absent in the Coalition Agreement: 

1. No reference to a permanent 28th European Army in the German coalition agreement 
   The Memorandum calls for the establishment of a new European Army as part of a European Defence System (EDS). This idea is absent from the coalition text. 

2. Lack of nuclear deterrence integration 
   While the Memorandum advocates Europeanising France’s nuclear capabilities with shared funding, this is not addressed by the German Coalition. 

The Union of European Federalists welcomes also two points that are in line with our political request to the EU Member States Governments.  

1. Clear Support for EU Enlargement but with Institutional Deepening in parallel 
The coalition expresses strong political backing for the accession of Ukraine, Moldova, and countries of the Western Balkans. Germany proposes a step-by-step integration process for candidate countries, including partial participation in EU programs.  

Institutional reforms are seen as a necessary parallel step to ensure the EU’s capacity to absorb new member states. The UEF calls on governments, national politics, and European institutions to tackle the EU capacity to enlarge with its last statement “Is the European Union at risk of losing the enlargement battle as well?” approved in Budapest, 16 November 2024.  

2. Reforming the European Parliament’s Electoral Law 

The Koalitionsvertrag 2025 explicitly endorses the introduction of transnational electoral lists as part of a broader effort to strengthen democratic legitimacy and political discourse at the European level. The new coalition government commits to supporting a uniform European electoral law that includes transnational lists, with the aim of fostering a truly pan-European democratic space. 

This position aligns with UEF's advocacy during the last European elections and with the Resolution of December 12, 2023, on the European Elections 2024, for which UEF President Domenec Ruiz Devesa served as Rapporteur during his term as an MEP from 2019 to 2024. 

"The Union of European Federalists very much welcomes the clear commitment of the coalition partners for a stronger and more integrated European Union. On a European Defence Union, we noticed in many points similarities with our recent Memorandum on European Defence Union by the Action Committee for the United States of Europe." says Domenec Ruiz Devesa, President of the UEF and former MEP. 

“The position of the coalition agreement on the necessary institutional reforms also follows the positions that the UEF and its national sections have been calling for some time: there cannot be enlargement without deepening. To go faster in these very versatile and unstable times of emergency and to create trust among member states, it is necessary to use all the possibilities relying in the Treaties, but sooner or later it will be necessary to open up the reform of the Treaties according to art. 48 as requested by the European Parliament in November 2023”. 
  
The coalition treaty between the CDU, CSU, and SPD includes calls and commitments for a more autonomous and capable European Union, emphasizing 'strategic sovereignty' for Europe, particularly in response to current geopolitical challenges. These positions align closely with those of the UEF. 

The goals are ambitious and promising. Germany has the potential to bring new momentum and drive the necessary deepening of the European Union. The coalition treaty has raised hopes and expectations. The challenge now is to translate these words into action. 

You can read here the German version. 

570+ Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society
European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative. European CSOs are crucial to ensure the voices of citizens from different parts of Europe are heard in the EU institutions. Attacks against civil society are unfortunately not new and are exacerbated by this harmful idea. Furthermore, for-profit corporate lobbying is through the roof when compared to non-profit advocacy.  In 2024, the 50 corporations with the largest lobbying budgets collectively spent nearly €200 million on lobbying the EU alone (66% more than in 2015). Comparing this to the funding environmental NGOs receive under the LIFE programme - €15.6 million annually of a €700 million yearly budget - truly shows the weakness of this ‘scandal’. 

This is why over 570 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including all EU Member States, have joined forces to call on those in power to act now and ensure that civil society is adequately funded and enabled to share our crucial perspectives. In this statement, we address:

1. The source of this false narrative;
2. Inaccurate claims made about how CSOs obtain and use funding; 
3. Why it’s paramount that CSOs receive sufficient funding;
4. The need for civil dialogue to enable CSOs participation.

Democracy is about the right of citizens to be collectively heard for building an inclusive society and a shared European future; properly funded independent CSOs are a crucial tool for that. We call on decision-makers to ensure civil society organisations can thrive and play their role in interacting with policy-makers in order to have a more fully informed decision-making process.

Read the full statement with the list of all supporters here below, and our previous statement on this matter here. 

Civil Society Europe (CSE) is the coordination of civil society organisations at EU level. Through its membership, CSE unites EU-level membership-based organisations that reach out to millions of people active in or supported by not-for-profits and civil society organisations across the EU. CSE was created by several civil society organisations as a follow-up to the European Year of Citizens and was established as an international not-for-profit under Belgian law in 2016. Since then, it has become the point of reference for EU institutions on transversal issues concerning civil dialogue and civic space.

For further information on this topic, please contact matteo.vespa@civilsocietyeurope.eu

25 April 2025

An Update on NGO Funding Attacks & How You Can Still Support

Dear signatories, 

We at Civil Society Europe warmly thank you for your participation in our statement against NGO funding attacks that was launched on April 7th. By engaging with us and spreading our message, you directly contributed to raising awareness across Europe on this issue and are helping us turn the tide in favour of civil society. Since the statement’s release, we saw a report on the transparency of EU funding to NGOs by the European Court of Auditors be published, which confirmed that there is no evidence of irregularities or misuse in how NGOs are selected or how EU grants are used. 

Furthermore, EU budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin, in response to a parliamentary question, reiterated the importance of independent civil society and spoke against the false narrative that NGOs engaged in ‘undue lobbying activities’ on the Commission's behalf.However, our work is far from over. The report on the discharge to be voted on May 7th, although improved, still contains problematic language. 

Furthermore, in an attempt to prolong this attack on civil society, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament is pushing for the establishment of an inquiry committee on NGO funding. The purpose of an inquiry committee is to investigate genuine breaches of EU law and is not intended to be used to further push anti-NGO rhetoric. It’s due to these developments that we’ve decided to keep our statement open for further signatures until April 30th. 

We ask you to please support us by spreading the form for signatures within your networks. We’ll then repost the statement before the relevant vote on May 7th to reiterate our stance against these attacks. 

We thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Civil Society Europe

On the 12^th of March 2025 the European Parliament, echoing the “Memorandum on a European Defence Union”[1] issued by the reconstituted Monnet Action Committee for the United States of Europe, called the European Council to activate the different provisions of article 42 of the Lisbon Treaty to setting up a European Common Defence.

This will pave the way for the creation of an autonomous European Defence System (EDS), endowed with its chain of command and in charge of territorial defence. Such and EDS will not be dependent on the will of the current US President, and it will operationalize the mutual assistance clause foreseen article 42.7 of the Treaty.

Therefore, we fully support this urgent call for action by the European Parliament in view of the meeting of the European Council of 20th March 2025. We ask President Costa and the High Representative to propose to the Member States the activation of article 42.2 TEU for the establishment of the said Common Defence. If unanimity is not reached, we call for a large group of Member States to establish the proposed EDS on the basis of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), foreseen in article 46 TEU. This institutional PESCO shall remain open to all Member States willing to join.

We must remind Member States that a European defence cannot be reduced to the different rearmament proposals, something that could also result in waste and inefficiencies if not properly coordinated at the EU level. There will not be a proper European Defence Union without the required political, strategic, and operational dimensions.

We also must emphasize that any viable European Defence Union also requires overcoming the national vetoes and the intergovernmental approach, thereby ensuring the proper parliamentary and democratic control of the EDS. Therefore, we remind the European Council of its legal obligation to follow up on Parliament´s proposal to reform the Lisbon Treaty in a federal direction, and call to President Costa to urgently address the matter with the Member States.

The massive citizen´s demonstrations of 15^th March that have taken place in several European cities, from Rome to Tbilisi, confirm that there is a strong popular sentiment in support of freedom, democracy, European integration, and Ukraine´s resistance, and against Putin´s and Trump´s imperialism, and their allies in Europe. We call on the European peoples to sway their national leaders and choose to unite in a federation, and we ask on the European Council to hear these strong voices.

Finally, we commit ourselves to foster the popular mobilization for a more united Europe in the run up to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration.

Related news:

1. White paper on the future of European defence. European Parliament resolution of 12 March 2025 on the white paper on the future of European defence (2025/2565(RSP))

Read here the MEMORANDUM ON A EUROPEAN DEFENCE UNION

UPDATE

The UEF has receved answers from the Chair of Renew Europe Valerie Hayer in data 5 March with the indication of this call of Renew sent to EU Leaders (LINK HERE)

GREEK VERSION |

Brussels, February 18, 2025 

The week of the 10^th of February 2025 will go down in history as one of infamy. The Trump administration started a bilateral dialogue with Putin on Ukraine, setting up a negotiation process that excludes both the attacked country but also Europe; hinted at the end of US security guarantee to the continent; and disparaged European democracy at the Munich Security Conference. In a meeting of selected EU leaders in Paris on 17 February, they struggled to show a united approach to position our Union in view of this new geopolitical situation. They also failed to put forward concrete institutional plans to achieve more political unity and a Defence Union, beyond agreeing on increasing defence expenditures.

The aggression and humiliation that Europeans are suffering at the hands of the Trump Administration leave no room for doubt or speculation. A dual attack is underway: on European security—now seen as nothing more than a burden by Washington, which seeks to abandon Ukraine in the hands of Putin in a logic of “spheres of influence”; and on liberal democracy—also regarded as an obstacle to the project of a new autocratic and populist international order.

In light of the opening of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia for the partition of Ukraine, what alternatives remain? The future of Ukraine is at stake, and with it, the future of Europe itself. If Europeans cannot provide Ukraine with support and certainty, the European Union itself will be overwhelmed. In this emerging world of great autocratic imperial powers, the only way to save democracy and freedom is to counterbalance them with the political weight of a great democratic and federal state, able to secure its own defence, since the US is not anymore a reliable partner, and more likely, and it has become an adversary.

Right now, citizens want a common defense, as confirmed by surveys with overwhelmingly high percentages; and many European states are already directly threatened by Russia. The only current alternative proposed by EU leaders seems to be the individual rearmament of countries, aiming to increase integration and interoperability but only on a voluntary basis. However, the industrial dimension alone will not produce a Defence Union able to guarantee the territorial defence of Europe. Moreover, under these conditions, the rush to rearm will inevitably result in a significant portion of new defense investments being spent on purchasing arms and technology from third countries, primarily the US. That will be folly.

Building an autonomous security and defense requires strong political will for integration, which is essential to address two crucial issues: developing a collective strategy based on a shared analysis of priority threats and interests to be protected; and mobilizing significant financial resources. Whatever model is chosen to build a European armed, it must be acknowledged that, in parallel, the formation of a unified political leadership is necessary—one capable of representing the common interest and making political decisions accordingly.

Therefore the UEF calls for:

• Continued and stronger support to Ukraine, particularly in terms of delivery of weapons and its range of use, filling if needed the potential gap left by the US.
• The rejection of any deal between the US and Russia that is not accepted by Ukraine and that does not provide long-term security for our continent.
• An urgent an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to address concrete steps for the political unification of Europe, in line with the European Parliament´s 2023 constitutional proposal, and the available possibilities for setting-up a European Defence Union, including among others, those offered by the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

We call on the European Parliament to support the said objectives in its plenary meeting of 10th-13th March 2025, and on the most responsible and active Member States to mobilize within the European Council accordingly.

Europe is in its darkest hour since 1945. But now, there are no saviors across the Atlantic, while we face an imminent danger in our Eastern border. Europe can only count on itself and must decide whether to remain passive and allow itself to be dominated by the emerging Trump-Putin Axis, or to react with unity and decisiveness. 

RELATED LINKS

- Resolution | A European foreign and security policy in a Changing World 
- Resolution on Building Consensus for Treaty Change

On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, the Spinelli Group, represented by its President Lukas Mandl (EPP) and board members Gabriele Bischoff (S&D), Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA), Nikolaos Farantouris (Left), and Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe), held a press conference to present their ambitious initiative, Project 27.

This project underscores the Spinelli Group’s commitment, as the European Federalist Movement within the European Parliament, to reshape the European Union through treaty reform across all 27 Member States by 2027. The reform process is rooted in the establishment of a European Convention, as outlined in Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union, aiming to address citizens' demands for a more efficient and responsive Union.

As Lukas Mandl declared: “If we want to respond to the call of the citizens for the reform of the EU, if we want to contribute to a prosper and proper future of the European Union and our very continent, we have to thrive for a treaty reform.”

Gabriele Bischoff warned: "If Europe cannot act fast, bold, and as united as possible, it will face very difficult times." 

Key Objectives of Project 27

As Daniel Freund stressed “We don't want to waste too much time on missed opportunities but say we really need to take the opportunity now.” During the press conference, the board highlighted several ambitious priorities, including:

• Reshaping Decision-Making: Reducing the unanimity principle to allow for faster, stronger, and more consistent decision-making.
• Strengthening Security: Elevating European security capabilities in a manner complementary to NATO.
• Economic Resilience: Enhancing regulation, fostering strategic investments, promoting education, nurturing innovation, and tackling demographic challenges to build a robust workforce.
• Support for Ukraine: Ensuring sustained military and financial support for Ukraine and involving EU actors in reconstruction efforts.
• Democratic Advancement: Developing and reinforcing European democratic structures.
• Readiness for Enlargement: Preparing the European Union for the accession of new Member States.

Moving Forward

This week, on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the Spinelli Group board members convened in Strasbourg to further refine the guidelines of this transformative project and discuss the group's next steps and initiatives.

Sandro Gozi expressed hope: "Representatives from five political groups, who may disagree on many issues, are united in pushing for European Union reform." 

Nikolas Farantouris urged "The Council and the Commission to take steps now and fast towards treaty reform, common policies, and at the end of the day, a common foreign policy.” 

Learn More

Brussels, November 21, 2024

European Parliament's Major Pro-European Political Groups agree to a Legislature Pact

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is pleased that three of the largest political groups of the European Parliament—the European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe (RE)— have agreed on a cooperation platform for the 10th legislative term.

The agreement, signed by Manfred Weber (Chair EPP), Iratxe García Pérez (Chair S&D), and Valérie Hayer (Chair Renew Europe), pledges for a collaborative work to deliver on an ambitious reform agenda aligned with the Political Guidelines outlined by the European Commission President on 18 July 2024.

This alliance directly answers the urgent call made by the UEF following the European Elections. The UEF has strongly advocated for all democratic and pro-European forces to unite in the European Parliament to reinforce European unity in the context of rising Eurosceptic and Europhobic far-right political parties, including by agreeing to a Legislature Pact.

Treaty Reforms as fundamental for a stronger Europe

Furthermore, The UEF takes note that the agreement stresses the importance of reforming the Union by saying that “we commit to advance necessary reforms, including Treaty changes, towards ‘an ever closer union’”.

“This is a truly historic step in the European political system: the first written coalition agreement among political groups at the EU level” said Domènec Ruiz Devesa, former MEP and President of the UEF.

The next step: The European Council

As agreed in the resolution on Building consensus for Treaty change at the recent Federal Committee in Budapest (16 November), the UEF denounces that the Presidency of the European Council has so far ignored the request of the European Parliament to put the convening of a Convention for the reform of the Treaties on the agenda, and calls on the European Parliament, also on the basis of the said Cooperation Platform to continue the battle begun in the previous parliamentary term for the opening of a Convention to reform the Treaties ex art. 48, in particular by adopting a Plenary Resolution recalling the obligations of the European Council on the matter.