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

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia are at their highest in years, with a Russian troop build-up near the two nations' borders spurring fears that Moscow could launch an invasion. The current crisis has been provoked by an ongoing Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine, as well as the destabilising use of hybrid attacks, including disinformation and cyber-attacks, on Ukrainian government institutions.

This week, EU Member States have given their political agreement for a new package of sanctions against Russia, after Putin’s decision to recognise the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and sending troops to these areas. This decision violates the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Russia is not respecting its international obligations, and it is violating core principles of international law.

UEF welcomes the EU’s package of sanctions. We stand with Ukraine and its citizens and reaffirm unequivocal support to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Ukraine is a free and sovereign country and the EU must continue to stand by its side.

We must act on a double track: the first one, the one related to the urgency, to respond with sanctions to Putin and pursue the diplomatic option. If the EU pursues and increases the sanctions, a compensation mechanism must be created in favour of the affected EU firms.

At the same time, in parallel, we must take steps forward on the military and energy autonomy of Europe. A federal EU whose foreign policy was not subject to individual veto threats would be more effective. This new crisis is an opportunity for the EU to become more mature, sovereign and an independent global actor, who act rapidly and robustly whenever a crisis erupts, with partners if possible and alone when necessary. We are eagerly awaiting the EU’s new Strategic Compass document – now needed more urgently than ever - and a follow up on the Conference on the Future of Europe conclusions that might lead to a more democratic, sovereign and stronger EU in the world.

Sandro GOZI

UEF President

UEF President Sandro GOZI: “We must get inspired and revive the spirit of the Ventotene Manifesto to push for a new European democratic transformation.”

In 1941, while imprisoned on Ventotene island just off the coast of Italy, the intellectuals Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi and Eugenio Colorni penned ‘For a Free and United Europe’, a founding text urging for the creation of a united Europe built on federalist principles. This document, also known as the Ventotene Manifesto, was distributed among the European resistance thanks to Ursula Hirschmann, a German anti-fascist activist who managed to smuggle it from the island. In January 1944, a mimeographed clandestine edition of the Manifesto appeared in Rome.

All they had the courage, the imagination, and the irreverent genius to look up beyond the horizon of the present moment. They had the courage to imagine Europe and a future world in which civil rights and fraternity among all people would be at the center of social life and politics.

Back then, the authors of the Ventotene Manifesto called for “new people” to realise a free and united Europe, but, after 81 years, it is still an ongoing process to build a European identity united in shared values and solidarity through the founding of a political union of the 27 member states. Elements of this are visible, as in the unity that has been demonstrated during the COVID crisis.

We must now take advantage of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which was launched on 9 May 2021 in Strasbourg with civil society and citizens, in order to move forward a more sovereign, democratic and stronger EU. We expect, and as UEF are committed to, in particular, the start of a further deepening of the European Union and its transformation into a true European federation.

On the 81 Anniversary of the Ventotene Manifesto, we, the federalists, want to revive the Ventotene legacy and its spirit building a united Europe of freedom, equality and human rights in which each and every one of us can say "I belong”." As stated in the last line of the Ventotene Manifesto, the road won’t be easy, but UEF will keep striving to develop Spinelli’s ideas.

European Parliament (EP) President David SASSOLI has passed away at age 65.

Born in Florence on 30 May 1956, SASSOLI studied political science before starting work as a newspaper and news agency journalist.

The father of two began working for national broadcaster RAI in 1992, rising through the ranks to become a familiar face for millions of Italians, presenting the evening news on the main channel, of which he also became deputy-director.

Mr. SASSOLI, a member of Italy’s center-left Democratic Party, has been a member of the EP since 2009. He was elected vice president five years later and has led the body since 2019.

As Parliament President, SASSOLI was a largely conciliatory voice, working to help advance the agenda of von der Leyen, the Commission’s first woman President, including the European Green Deal, the ambitious package of measures to combat climate change.

During his mandate SASSOLI called for a new “political pact” with other institutions to give shape and content to the request of a new Europe, improving the Spitzenkandidat process, enhancing the Parliament’s voice and powers and enacting reforms and treaty revision to strengthen European democracy.

“We want the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) to open up a new phase, a phase of participation, but also of change. To change the rules, because we have seen in this year and a half that there cannot be taboos. European democracy must be more efficient and effective. The European Parliament is very ambitious on this.”, said the EP President SASSOLI at the European Youth Event in the framework of the CoFoE.

As a committed European, he always believed that our future lies in a democratic and sovereign Europe, and pushed for a new European democratic transformation.

In 2020, Sandro GOZI, MEP for Renew Europe and President of the Union of European Federalist (UEF), handed over the nearly 1,200 signatures of the '1,000 x Federal Europe' campaign to David SASSOLI. With President SASSOLI, we shared the need and urgency to provide the Union with new genuine own resources for the European revival.

That same year, the UEF sent an open letter to MEPs calling on the EP to propose the required amendment to the Treaties and asking the other EU institutions to commence the related process of treaty revision. The EP President thanked UEF for the commitment to the European project, he stressed on the need to have a successful CoFoE and on the key role that the Parliament, Civil Society and European Youth has on it.

“UEF is deeply saddened by the terrible loss of a great European and an outstanding President of the European Parliament. He has been a member of the Movimento Federalista Europeo in Rome, since Mr. SASSOLI was a convinced federalist, a champion of European democracy, values and integration. We commend his efforts to build a strong house of European democracy, and express our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Riposa in pace.”, said UEF President and MEP Sandro GOZI.

According to the World Health Organisation, two million Europeans may die between November 2021 and March 2022 in the European region. The new Omicron variant and the deterioration of the general health situation in Europe in the autumn of 2021 show that the strategy to fight against the Covid19 must necessarily be European and global.

As long as the majority of the world's population is not vaccinated, all people are at risk and dangerous mutations will continue to appear. In the face of the sixth wave, the right to free movement must also be preserved. Thus, it is essential to take coordinated measures at European level.

Despite lack of hard competences at European level, the EU succeeded in developing a strategy to face the COVID crisis and responded to the main concerns of the European citizens during the pandemic, with the launch of the Health Union advocated by UEF and the common purchase of vaccines.

Furthermore, with more than 725 million EU Digital COVID Certificates issued since July 2021, the EU restored the freedom of movement in the EU, a fundamental right according to the EU Charter for EU citizens and people living in the EU but also for third country nationals travelling to and from EU countries. The EU managed to set an international standard facilitating people mobility as currently 25 third countries from 5 continents are connected to the EU system and 35 applied to be connected.

The UEF welcomes the initiative of the European Commission recommending a third dose of the Covid 19 vaccine made on November 25, 2021 for the entire population and its inclusion in the EU Digital COVID certificate.

However, it is urgent to further strengthen the common European strategy against COVID, since vaccination rates are low in many Member States, and sizeable pockets of population still refuse to be vaccinated.

For this reason, we propose to the European institutions the adoption or promotion of the following measures:

• Preserve the freedom of movement, a fundamental right for EU citizens and the functioning of the Schengen area by revising the rules for reintroduction of internal border controls in order to avoid the systematic and unnecessary re-establishment of unilateral cross-border barriers in Europe and deploy common border approaches with third countries.
• Develop a coherent and prompt common policy reply to address the urgent health crisis by setting a comprehensive set of measures, based on epidemiological evidence, to be implemented at a European level in close cooperation with local authorities.
• Recommend to Member States the vaccination of the age group 5 to 11 years, already authorized by the European Medicines Agency on 25 November 2021
• Strengthen research and innovation policies for developing new vaccines, including the continuous update of the current vaccines to adapt to dangerous mutations, and supporting the industrial expansion of vaccine production capacity to supply the EU and the rest of the world.
• Develop a European Health Semester, including the eventuality of periodical Covid-19 vaccination for all, on a permanent basis.
• Recommend to Member States to require the EU vaccination certificate to access places of work, leisure, educational centers, public transport and travel.
• Requirement of the vaccine certificate for cross-border travel, topped up of negative PCR for travelling through EU external borders.
• Support the WHO initiative for a Global Health Treaty with clear conditions for the prevention of future pandemics, coherent measures for crisis intervention, vaccine production and global distribution.
• Reinforcement of the Covax initiative, through a Global Health Pact, financed with extraordinary issuance of special drawing rights from the IMF and donations from developed countries. To this end, immediate convening of an international donor conference by the EU and the United Nations.
• Further support and develop measures to respond to the threat posed by disinformation, misinformation and foreign influence operations, related to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination procedure.

After successive waves, it is also imperative to strengthen a European strategy in the medium term, in order to achieve when necessary full vaccination of Europeans and on a global scale. We also call on the Conference on the Future of Europe to strengthen the EU's health competencies, through the necessary reform of the Treaties.