The Union of European Federalists (UEF) welcomes the joint declaration between France and Germany on Sunday 22 January and emphasises the commitment of the two countries to reform the European institutions, including the possibility of Treaty revision, in order to strengthen the European Union as a geopolitical actor and prepare it for future enlargements.

In the short term, France and Germany, in order to break the impasses that have been experienced, agree to extend the areas in which qualified majority voting takes place in the Council, for example in certain areas of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and taxation. Moreover, in order to strengthen public participation and support for the European democratic model, they are in favour of the renewal of European electoral law, including the creation of a single European-wide constituency with transnational lists, as well as the development of new ways of involving citizens in European policy discussions, building on the experience of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE).

“The European federalists greet this declaration with satisfaction”, states Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF and MEP of Renew Europe. “The shift to majority voting in the Council, particularly on those matters mentioned in the declaration, the new electoral law with the transnational lists, together with the declaration in favour of opening up the revision of the Treaties, these are all steps in the direction that we federalists advocate, and which also correspond to the demands contained in the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe.”

“We now call on the other member states, and notably Sweden, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, to prepare the necessary steps to bring the request of the European Parliament and the CoFoE citizens to the European Council to convene a Convention for the reform of the Treaties,” concludes Sando Gozi. 

The Conference on the Future of Europe has clearly shown that European citizens want a stronger, more efficient and democratic Union. Only through treaty change will the European Union be able to answer their legitimate aspiration. Today's French-German declaration is another step towards the European citizens' will for a federal Europe, sovereign and democratic.

Citizens representatives asked the Council to take their recommendations seriously and ensure a proper follow-up, including through treaty change.

On 2 December, half a year after the conclusion of the work of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), the European Parliament in Brussels hosted the first follow-up event on this unprecedented democratic exercise.

The Union of the European Federalists takes stock of the open letter that the citizen representatives of the Conference sent to the European Commission and the Council and join in their concern.

In the document, the signatories express share a common worry with the UEF. They regret the “firm silence of the Council,” and its “unwillingness to listen to the citizens’ voice, and to pursue the change the EU needs.” The citizens hope for treaty change: they see it as a “necessity” if it is “the only way for implementing a proposal.”

Federalists, and with them all the supporters of the CoFoE, understand the necessity for Europe to adopt, without reserve, the recommendations put forward by the citizens that took part in the Conference–including the ones that require treaty reform. 

Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF said: "we want a powerful and democratic Europe, through the strengthening of European parties and the Parliament. It is not enough that the member states decide by majority. The European Parliament must be able to supervise the work of the Council, have the right of legislative initiative and have more legitimacy thanks to transnational political movements and the introduction of transnational lists. These reforms should have started yesterday.”

The UEF will continue to support the claim of European citizens for a thorough implementation of the recommendations of the conclusion of the CoFoE and advocate for treaty reform, the only viable path towards a federal, sovereign and democratic Europe.

Here below the video of the intervention of our President, Sandro Gozi

With this nomination, members of the Executive Board of the parliamentary intergroup signal a closer collaboration with the UEF.

The Spinelli Group, an intergroup of the European Parliament gathering Members of the European Parliament of all the major European political families, appointed Sandro Gozi as its new President.

This nomination is a clear sign that the Board of the Spinelli Group is seeking greater collaboration with the Union of European Federalists (UEF), of which Sandro Gozi is President. Both structures will need to collaborate tightly to promote their call for a Convention that would draft new European Treaties.

The revision of the European Treaty has been a long-standing demand of the UEF. In June this year, the European Parliament voted on a resolution to call for the establishment of a Convention to draft new treaties, at the initiative of the Spinelli Group.

As Sandro Gozi takes over the rotating presidency of the Spinelli Group from Daniel Freund MEP, the UEF stands beside his leadership and ensures him the support of all federalists. The UEF warmly thanks Daniel Freund for his chairmanship. 

Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF and the Spinelli Group said: "Our priorities are simple: to push for treaty revision, to raise awareness on the need for treaty revision, to support the new electoral law, and to guarantee that the European institutions ensure a proper followup of the Conference on the Future of Europe.”

The UEF welcomes this year’s historic SOTEU address and congratulates the Commission President for her courageous call for a Convention

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) welcomes the willingness of the European Commission’s President, Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, to open a Convention for the revision of the European treaties, on the occasion of this year’s State of the European Union speech.

In a historic speech, the President of the European Commission expressed her support for the revision of the European treaties, following the 9 June resolution of the European Parliament. Ursula von der Leyen follows the steps of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in calling for the redrafting of institutional rules of the European Union.

Although President von der Leyen rightly suggested enshrining generational solidarity in the founding texts of the Union, the European federalists would like to recall their proposals for a stronger and democratic Europe:

The recognition of the European Parliament's direct right of initiative on legislative matters, and the recognition of the Parliament's full co-legislative rights on the EU budget,

The reinforcement of the competencies and powers of the Union in areas such as health, energy and climate change, defense, and social and economic policies,

Shifting from the unanimity rule to qualified majority voting in all European policies, by extending the ordinary legislative procedure.

Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF said: "It was about time! Ursula von der Leyen proposed a Convention to reform the European Union as we federalists have demanded since 2019 and as proposed by the citizens in the Conference on the Future of Europe. Let's build a democratic and sovereign European power!”

The UEF stands with Mrs. von der Leyen when she calls for all Europeans to remain united in the face of hardship. Europe’s resolve will be put to the test in the weeks and months ahead, and the solidarity we show to each other must equal the one we must show to our friends in Ukraine.

The Union of European Federalists welcomes the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU candidate list and advocates for the deepening of our institutions

As European leaders met in Brussels on 23 and 24 July in Brussels to discuss the war in Ukraine, the Membership applications of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, and the follow-up of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), the Union of European Federalists (UEF) calls on the head of states and of governments for immediate action to empower Europe.

The UEF welcomes the candidacy of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. The decision of European leaders to grant candidate status to these two Eastern-European countries is a historic decision that will shape the destiny of our European community.

Nevertheless, the federalists consider that enlargement should go hand in hand with deeper integration. It is now urgent to reform the functioning rules of the European Union. We ask that the recent decision from the European Parliament to open the revision of the treaties is followed by a similar decision from the European Council.

The revision of the treaty will allow for important reforms in our Union. In particular, the UEF advocates for:

• Budgetary powers to the European Union and the recognition of the Parliament's "full co-legislative rights on the EU budget";
• A shift from the unanimity rule to qualified majority voting in areas such as sanctions, “passerelle” clauses, and emergencies;
• A reinforcement of the powers of the Union, especially in health, defense, and social and economic policies.

Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF said: “On the 9th of May, the three institutions undertook a solemn engagement to translate the proposals made in the context of the Conference into concrete actions. While it is true that much can be done within the framework of the existing Treaties, a deeper reform of the EU is needed. The recent crisis highlight the need to create new competencies in the areas of health, energy, and foreign policy to avoid repeating our past mistakes. The European Parliament lived up to this promise by triggering the treaty revision procedure. Now, the Council needs to show the same degree of ambition as soon as possible, without taboos nor totem!”

Two weeks ago, a vote of the European Parliament endorsed the results of the CoFoE and called on the Council to initiate the process of revising the EU Treaties.

We take not of today’s position of the European leaders and hope that the results of the CoFoE will be discussed soon. The deepening of our institutions cannot wait. It is the only way for Europe to answer the present energetic, economic, social, and geopolitical crisis.

The European federalists will continue to advocate in favor of the recommendations of the CoFoE and for the convening of a Convention on the Reform of the Treaties, at both national and European levels.

The European Parliament confirms the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and calls for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties

The European Parliament confirms the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and calls for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties

In the light of the current crises, the European Union has shown not to be a fully democratic and sovereign power. It is one of the main conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), which ended on 9 May 2022. On that day, which celebrated the Schuman Declaration of 1950, European citizens, through the CoFoE conclusions, called on European representatives and political leaders to reform the European Union to make it fit for the challenges of the modern world.

The European federalists are convinced that the starting point of this process is the launch of a Convention that defines the new rules of the European project by revising the Treaties.

Yesterday's vote of the European Parliament endorses the results of the CoFoE and calls on the European Council to initiate the process of revising the EU Treaties, under Article 48 of the Treaty on the European Union, by convening a Convention. The resolution was adopted at the Strasbourg plenary with 355 votes in favor, 154 against, and 48 abstentions.

This vote is a step forward for a more federal, sovereign and democratic Europe, and an important victory for the European federalists. The resolution calls for a reform of Europe’s institutional architecture, an issue that has been the main focus of federalist activity during the CoFoE, through the mobilisation of citizens on the multilingual platform futureu.europa.eu, and the work of its members in the CoFoE Plenary and the Democracy working group.

The resolution includes some of the most important demands for the reform of the European Union, as formulated in the CoFoE conclusions and supported by the European federalists.
In particular:

• on the EU's budgetary power, the text calls for the recognition of the Parliament's "full co-legislative rights on the EU budget" as well as the recognition of the European Parliament's direct right of initiative on legislative matters, which is the right of every national parliament;
• on voting procedures within the Council, the resolution calls for improving Europe’s capacity to act, thanks to a shift from the unanimity rule to qualified majority voting in areas such as sanctions, “passerelle” clauses, and emergencies;
• on the EU's competencies in the areas of health and cross-border health threats, the completion of the energy union - based on efficiency and renewables in line with international agreements on climate change -, in defense, and social and economic policies, the resolution asks for a reinforcement of the powers of the Union.

Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF said: "The conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and the demands of European citizens are clear: Europe will either be democratic and powerful or it will not be. Today, citizens expect a good outcome from the Parliament: we wanted this open debate with them, and now we have to respect our commitments and reform the treaties.
The world has changed, war has returned to our continent and has shown our weaknesses even more. We live in an age of empires where we have to decide whether to exist or disappear: unanimity is the guarantee of our disappearance.”

The European Council will discuss the conclusions of the CoFoE on the agenda for its next meeting on the 23 and 24 June. The European federalists will continue to advocate in favor of the recommendations of the CoFoE and for the convening of a Convention on the Reform of the Treaties, at both national and European levels.

Download here the PDF version

Download here the Resolution adopted​​​​​​​

On 9 May 2022, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) unveiled a mural on the Future of Europe by urban artist Antonyo Marest in the heart of the Esplanade campus of the University of Strasbourg. The artwork was painted in the framework of UEF’s project “MAKE EUROPE BLOOM: the Time is Now!”. The creation of the mural was part of the Strasbourg Summit programme, which brought together all the actors of European civil society from 5 to 8 May, as well as of the Lieu d’Europe project of the City of Strasbourg.

The inauguration was attended by local representatives, among which: Ms Carole Zielinski, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg in charge of Local Democracy, Citizens' Initiatives and Participation, Mr Nicolas Matt, Vice-president of the European Collectivity of Alsace, Mr Michel Deneken, President of the University of Strasbourg, Mr Mathieu Schneider, Vice-President of the University of Strasbourg. Local sections of the UEF and citizens took part in the event.

MAKE EUROPE BLOOM: The Time Is Now! is a project organised by the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and funded by the European Parliament. This project aims at raising awareness on the importance of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and its results presented on 9 May 2022.

Officially launched on Europe Day 2021, MAKE EUROPE BLOOM: The Time Is Now! carries out activities in different European cities. The first mural in Valencia, Spain, completed in July 2021, marked the start of this project, expected to last until June 2022. After Strasbourg, the next mural will be delivered at the end of May in Tartu, Estonia.

In addition, building on President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen’s 2020 State of the Union speech, this project also contributes to setting up the New European Bauhaus, a cultural and green architectural project, by mirroring citizens’ feelings on Europe through art. In order to meet this innovative approach, the UEF is counting on renowned urban artists to help us make Europe bloom with their art.

The creative process drew from the will of citizens. Before the production, UEF and the city of Strasbourg distributed an online survey among citizens, NGOs, and various local organisations. Antonyo Marest and his team created the mural from its results, which was then carried out.

The mural in Strasbourg consists of two side-by-side frescoes that interact with each other. Its creation on Strasbourg’s university campus makes it an excellent channel for communication and reflection for students and citizens.

On the left mural, the slogan 'Make Europe Bloom' can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner, the name of the project. Its font and colour scheme recalls the colours of the European flag, translating a symbol into a call to action.

On the right fresco, symbolism takes precedence over words, where two stars, one emerging and one being born, are incorporated into the scene to become part of the larger symbol that represents freedom, unity, and strength of free countries, alongside the flag of the European Union.

The artist is aware of the current situation in Ukraine and of its urgency. Identity symbols characterised by graphic icons such as the scales, laurel, bridges or clasping hands, chosen by the people who took part in the survey, have lost their meaning and have been decontextualised in their figuration. It plants the vibrant return of the notion and essence of Europe.

With these frescoes, artist Antonyo Marest has chosen to synthesise as much as possible the diversity and differences between our countries, as well as those that are found in each of us as complementary members of a complex society. Beyond shapes and colours, this singularity fits perfectly into a social map where no State can exercise a hegemony of criteria of size, strength, or intensity. It is a composition that, as a social map, shows us the maximum exponent of our rights, the greatest of virtues, the capacity for integration and growth.

The establishment of equality between citizens and Member States makes our society more democratic, fairer, more progressive and, above all, it creates a reference for the future to attract new countries to the path towards a better future.

PRESENTATION OF THE MURAL BY THE ARTIST

(ENGLISH, SPANISH, FRENCH)

Press Contact:

anna.echterhoff@federalists.eu

Anna ECHTERHOFF
Secretary General

UEF President Sandro GOZI: A good day for Europe - France remains pro-European! Congratulations, Monsieur le Président!

The whole European Union had its eyes on France these days. It would have been unthinkable if the run-off election in its Member State, one of the six founding members, had not gone in favor of Emmanuel Macron. It would have been a political earthquake not only in France but in the entire EU. In his first term in office, President Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in making France once again an "engine with high horsepower “in view of the European integration. He gave new political impetus to the European project, which had fallen into the status quo as a result of the many crises of the last decade. Needless to remind that it was Macron who first called for the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE); it is also due to him that today we are again talking about a common European defence.

"Many times – too many times – Europe has been at a crossroads. The European Union needs France as a strong Member State, especially because democracies in some; Member States are currently under pressure. Likewise, the disregard for the rule of law in some countries requires united and decisive action at European level. With the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, Europe is facing the question of survival in terms of its values and its political order. The time to complete the European project, which was created precisely to prevent war and despotism in Europe, is now, “states the UEF President. "Right now, the EU is demonstrating unity and determination in the face of this dramatic common threat; but once again its strength is in reaction and has not been in action. EU lacks genuine competences in foreign and security policy, in defence policy, in industrial and energy policy, and in one word it is not politically equipped to act effectively. Even its economic union is incomplete, since we do not have a fiscal union and a federal budget”, Sandro GOZI concludes.

Emmanuel Macron is thus the first President since Jacques Chirac elected in office for a second term. However, the result of the two candidates this time was much closer than in 2017. While the gap between Macron and the right-wing populist candidate in the run-off election in 2017 was more than 30 %, today it is 17 %. „If you take a closer look and include the turnout of 72 %, the election result should be seen as a wake-up call. Especially for us pro-European civil society organisations working to strengthen the democracy and in particular the European democracy, this election result gives a clear mandate and shows the need for even greater engagement at the local level. As Union of European Federalists, we take this mandate and will intensify our efforts in the promotion of European democracy and values. We will also support our UEF-section in France to grow at the local level. However, this is not only a need in France but also in other Member States. If we do not succeed in convincing the citizens of the need of a united Europe, the European project will have no future," says UEF President Sandro GOZI. As a member of the CoFoE, the UEF, which exists for over 75 years, has repeatedly pointed out the special importance of organised civil society in the context of European integration.

In June, Europe will once again look to France for the election of the National Assembly.

Read here German version

Today is a dark day for Europe.

We all condemn in the strongest possible terms the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, a free and sovereign country in the heart of Europe.

This is not only an attack on Ukraine, but also on the security of Europe, the international order, peace and democracy. Therefore, we need:

• Firstly, firmness towards Russia, full economic response must be declared. The new package of sanctions already under discussion should be massive and unprecedented;
• Secondly, solidarity with Ukraine, we must provide political, financial and material support;
• Thirdly, unity in Europe, we must continue to show solidarity. This has been the case since the beginning of the crisis, within and between all European institutions. We must step up our fight against disinformation in all our Member States. And work even harder to build a sovereign and powerful Europe.

Let's deliver together, with one European voice.

Sandro GOZI

UEF President