APPEAL TO THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES “OUR FEDERAL EUROPE, SOVEREIGN AND DEMOCRATIC”

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The Federal Committee of the Union of European Federalists gathered on December 19, 2020

In the present difficult transition for our community, again so heavily under threat from the new surge of the pandemic, all of us – as politicians committed at local, regional and national level, as citizens engaged in various capacities in society, as academics, as young people, as representatives of the world of labour and business – are convinced that only united as Europeans we can turn this crisis into a new opportunity.

Europe is not only our economic framework. Europe is our common home that brings to life the values in which we believe: democracy, human rights, rule of law, freedom, social justice, tolerance, inclusion and solidarity. We want it to become increasingly cohesive and strong, like a true community of destiny: a power of peace, a model for defeating authoritarian and illiberal drifts, together with all the fanaticism and fundamentalism that feeds terrorism; a laboratory to unite peoples by widening the orbit of democracy and political participation, an example of brotherhood beyond national borders, of a new concept of community and political identity.

For these reasons, in the name of our common European civil and political values, so seriously challenged in an international system full of tensions, in which multilateralism and cooperative governance of global interdependence are called into question, we strongly advocate a sovereign, democratic, supportive Europe – a federal Europe – capable of exercising an effective leading role in the international system.

In this respect, we consider the Conference on the future of Europe to be a unique opportunity to discuss also with citizens how Europe can:

  • guarantee in the international framework the pursuit of its values and objectives, and its citizens’ security;
  • accelerate the development of an autonomous European defence
  • define a truly European migration policy;
  • make Europe a model of sustainable development and of successful ecological and digital transition;
  • make the Recovery Plan permanent;
  • complete the Economic and Monetary Union
  • strengthen the Single Market, including fairer internal competition and harmonising certain taxes;
  • promote inclusion, non-discrimination, gender equality, effective social justice and solidarity;
  • implement a successful mechanism for the protection of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in all EU member States;
  • define the foundations of a genuine European democracy, both from an institutional point of view and from the point of view of the creation of a common public space, promoting transnational European movements and parties, a joint pan-european electoral constituency with transnational lists, formalising the Spitzenkandidaten system and considering the creation of cross-border constituencies.

We are also persuaded that in the framework of the Conference, in order to respond to citizens’ questions, concrete proposals for a new Treaty must emerge, even if some countries and some political forces might l in fact remain opposed. In our opinion these reforms must be focused on:

  • the creation of a true fiscal capacity of the European Union;
  • the definition of the new competences to be attributed to the European Union, in particular at macroeconomic level and in foreign and security policy;
  • the reform of the decision-making process in the new areas of competence, i.e. through an extension of the ordinary legislative procedure;
  • the concrete indication of the measures to safeguard the democratic principles underpinning the European Union with regard to possible illiberal drifts in the Member States.

We therefore turn to you, Members of the European Parliament, convinced that the European Parliament has the democratic legitimacy and institutional vocation to promote this agenda within the Conference, to fuel a truly democratic debate addressing the constitutional nature of the changes EU needs and to raise the question of majority ratification of the EU Treaties.

We declare ourselves ready to support your efforts in this regard and to work to create a broad front of forces aware of the importance and urgency of achieving a federal Europe.

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