STATEMENT | The Ventotene Manifesto: A Blueprint for a United Europe

In 19 March 2025, there has been a polemic in Italy and in Europe about the Ventotene Manifesto after the comments made by the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Italian Parliament. Meloni attempted to characterize the Manifesto as a radical and partisan paper, offering a vision of Europe she claims not to share: LINK HERE TO MELONI'S INTERVENTION (english subtitles).

It is true that the text was written by progressive-leaning anti-fascists prisoners in 1941 and therefore it must be understood in a concrete historical period. However, it is universally recognized that the historical contribution of the Manifesto is not due to some of its most ideological elements in the left-right perspective but to the vision that it offered of a postwar “free and united Europe” under a federal framework. Since then the Manifesto has become a reference for pro-Europeans. One of the most emblematic buildings of the European Parliament is named after one of its main authors, Altiero Spinelli, who later on was elected MEP and promoted the first Treaty on the European Union. 

We invite you to read here the full text of the Manifesto: READ HERE (available in English, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Greek).

In view of the historical importance of the Manifesto for all Europeans, the Ventotene Island itself received the European Heritage Label awarded by the European Commission in May 2022: SEE HERE.

Furthermore, the European Parliament declared Ventotene the moral capital of Europe in its resolution (2021/2008(INI)) of 6 April 2022: READ HERE.

We believe that the Manifesto of Ventotene is not just a historical artifact but a program of action that has yet to be realized in full, as highlighted by the Spinelli Group of the European Parliament in its follow-up and updated proposal of 2022 (READ HERE) . At least the document was mentioned by the European Parliament as a significant second having regard in the Resolution of 22 November 2023 on proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties (READ HERE).

In this challenging geopolitical climate in Europe, the continued federalization of Europe is more necessary than ever, particularly with the establishment of a Common Defence and the abolition of vetocracy.

Statement by Domenec Ruiz Devesa, UEF President and Former MEP