Thanks to the initiative of Giulia Rossolillo, Vice-President of the Union of European Federalists, the Fondazione Mario e Valeria Albertini, in cooperation with the Department of Law of the University of Pavia, Collegio Ghislieri, and the Centre for Studies on the European Union (CSUE), organized a cycle of three public debates entitled “European Union: Autonomous Actor or Vassal?”.
The events, hosted in the Aula Goldoniana of Collegio Ghislieri, aimed to address a crucial question: can the European Union act as a truly autonomous global actor, or does it remain structurally dependent on external powers?
As outlined in the official programme , the cycle covered three key dimensions of European sovereignty: artificial intelligence, monetary policy, and fiscal integration.
First Debate: The Ethical Dimension of Artificial Intelligence
The first meeting, held on 31 March at Collegio Ghislieri, featured Giuliano Noci (Politecnico di Milano) and addressed “The True Ethical Dimension of Artificial Intelligence.” The debate, moderated by Giulia Rossolillo, opened a broader reflection on the systemic impact of artificial intelligence on contemporary society.
Rather than presenting AI as a purely technological development, the discussion framed it as a transformation affecting economic, social, and geopolitical dynamics:
“Artificial intelligence is not just an innovation—it is reshaping the entire framework in which value is created.”
A central theme was the evolution of knowledge in the digital era. As highlighted during the debate, the traditional model based on scarcity has been replaced by one based on abundance:
“Knowledge today is abundant, accessible and distributed — but this alone is no longer sufficient to create value.”
This shift marks a transition from knowledge to action. In this context, artificial intelligence emerges not as a replacement for human intelligence, but as a tool that can enhance it:
“AI does not substitute human decision-making — it ‘augments’ it.”
Concrete examples were discussed, particularly in fields such as healthcare, where AI can support diagnosis and improve efficiency. However, speakers stressed that the final responsibility must remain human:
“Artificial intelligence can support decisions, but the final word must always belong to professionals.”
The debate also addressed the growing importance of digital literacy and education. Universities, it was argued, must play a key role in preparing individuals not only to use technologies, but to understand and critically assess them:
“We must train students capable of understanding and managing algorithms, not just using them.”
At the same time, concerns were raised about Europe’s position in the global technological race. While the European Union has been at the forefront of regulatory efforts, this approach may come with trade-offs:
“Europe risks focusing too much on regulation and not enough on innovation and investment.”
This challenge is compounded by fragmentation at both political and strategic levels:
“Without a shared vision and coordinated investment, Europe risks falling behind global competitors.”
Ultimately, the debate highlighted that technological sovereignty is a key component of Europe’s broader autonomy. Ensuring that artificial intelligence remains aligned with democratic values and human oversight is not only an ethical imperative, but also a strategic necessity for the future of the Union.
Second Debate: European Monetary Sovereignty and the Digital Euro
The second meeting, held on 20 April, featured Guido Ascari (University of Pavia) and Nicola Branzoli (Banca d’Italia), focusing on “European Monetary Sovereignty and the Digital Euro.”
The discussion framed the digital euro as a strategic tool for strengthening European autonomy in payments and finance.
“The digital euro will complement cash, not replace it — ensuring accessibility and trust for all citizens.”
Speakers stressed its potential to enhance resilience and independence:
“Europe cannot depend indefinitely on non-European infrastructures for such a strategic sector as payments.”
The project was also presented as a guarantee of privacy and inclusion:
“Privacy protection is a fundamental pillar of the digital euro, built through a ‘privacy by design’ approach.”
In addition, new functionalities were highlighted, including offline payments:
“It will be possible to pay even without an internet connection — a crucial feature in emergency situations.”
Third Debate: European Debt and the Future of the Union
The final meeting, scheduled for 28 April, will feature Massimo Bordignon (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) and will address “European Debt and the Future of the Union.”
The discussion is expected to tackle one of the most politically sensitive issues for European integration:
“Common debt is not only an economic instrument — it is a step toward political union.”
Conclusion
Across all three debates, a clear message emerged: European autonomy requires deeper integration and stronger coordination.
“The question is no longer whether Europe should act together, but whether it can afford not to.”
The cycle highlighted how technological, monetary, and fiscal sovereignty are interconnected dimensions of a broader political challenge.
Ultimately, the initiative reaffirmed a core federalist insight:
“Without unity, Europe risks remaining a global vassal rather than becoming a true autonomous actor.”
Analysis, Contributions, Social Media and Debates
Here below the collections of publications and interventions made by actors of our federalist movement around the Hungarian elections.
France
Read here three articles written by Charles Nonne, spokesperson of the French section of the UEF, political analyst and former press correspondent for Le Courrier des Balkans, and published in French newspapers La Croix, La Tribune and Le Taurillon.
La Croix, entitled "Hongrie : "La défaite d'Orban serait un moment aussi historique de la rupture du rideau de fer"" : LINK HERE
La Tribune, entitled "OPINION. « Législatives en Hongrie : l’heure de vérité pour la démocratie européenne »" : LINK HERE
Le Taurillon, entitled "Les élections hongroises de 2026 sont l'heure de vérité pour la démocratie en Europe" : LINK HERE
Italy
Watch here the intervention of UEF EB Member and MFE Secretary-General Roberto Castaldi in the Italian Program Omnibus/La7 (12 April 2026).
Have participated the Vice-Secretary of State of Hungary, Marton Ugrosdy, Fabrizio Agnocchetti, Expert on Hungary, Il Domani journalist, Francesca De Benedetti. Watch HERE
Read here the Newsletter of the Movimento Europeo Italia dedicated to the elections in Hungary:
Here are some of the best Reels posted by UEF Hungary, including those created in collaboration with other national and local branches, other organisations (Pulse of Europe) and Jef Europe.
In the fourth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European Federalists took to the streets in 17 cities across Europe to send one clear message: Ukraine is not alone.
From Berlin to Vienna, from Brussels to Rome — and in Bremen, Paris, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Munich, Lyon, Bucharest, Budapest, Florence, Genoa, Verona, Vicenza and Pavia — our movement showed up, united and determined.
One shared commitment: Ukraine’s future belongs in the heart of Europe.
For freedom. For peace. For a stronger, more united Europe.
European voices call on the EU to act with autonomy amid transatlantic rupture
The Union of European Federalists (UEF) welcomes the publication of its Appeal for Real Strategic Sovereignty, relaunched by the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, on the opinion pages of two major European newspapers: La Repubblica in Italy and El País in Spain.
This landmark appeal, initially addressed to the EU Council and President António Costa, has been signed by prominent European figures — including Josep Borrell, Robert Menasse and Guy Verhofstadt — alongside over forty leading voices from European public life. It calls for a decisive shift in the European Union’s strategic orientation in response to the deepening rupture of the traditional transatlantic relationship under the current U.S. administration.
From trade friction to structural rupture
The appeal highlights a dramatic change in transatlantic relations: what were once isolated disputes have now evolved into systematic policies that challenge Europe’s autonomy. It refers to unilateral U.S. measures — from arbitrary tariffs to diplomatic coercion — and to strategic shifts that signal a departure from mutual alignment and sustained partnership.
In this context, the appeal argues that EU strategic dependence on external actors is no longer sustainable. Europe must assert its sovereignty, not as a retreat from cooperation, but as a necessary foundation for a stable and balanced international order where the Union can defend its interests independently.
Key demands of the appeal
Among the central points of the appeal: • The European Union must adopt real strategic sovereignty, strengthening its capacity to act autonomously in foreign policy, security and defence. • The appeal calls on EU institutions to activate robust countermeasures against discriminatory external coercion, including the full implementation of anti-coercion instruments and economic safeguards. • It urges a profound re-thinking of the security model, moving away from external dependency and towards shared European strategic capabilities.
This public appeal is being disseminated at a time when even EU officials acknowledge the structural shift in Europe’s geopolitical centre of gravity away from Washington, underscoring the urgency of greater European self-reliance.
A milestone for federalist advocacy
The publication of the appeal in La Repubblica and El País marks a significant milestone for the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, amplifying the call for a more strategic, sovereign and democratic Europe in two leading national forums of public debate. It reflects growing concern across European societies about the future of the transatlantic bond and the imperative for the EU to build its own political and defence capacities.
On 11 November, the Movimento Federalista Europeo (MFE - UEF Italy) awarded President Mario Draghi an honorary membership card at a conference in memory of Prof. Raimondo Cagiano de Azevedo, entitled 'Federalism for peace, democracy and equality', held in Rome at the Primoli Foundation. The conference, organised by the Primoli Foundation together with the European Federalist Movement, was also an opportunity for President Draghi to remember a friend from their days together at the Massimiliano Massimo Institute and to receive from the MFE - of which Prof. Raimondo Cagiano had been an active member and influential leader since the 1960s - in recognition of his decisive contribution at particularly significant moments in national and European political life.
The Movimento Federalista Europeo (MFE), in thanking President Draghi for accepting the honorary membership card of the MFE, recalls here the reasons that accompanied the award:
For having determined, with courage and utmost responsibility, the rescue of the euro in the management of the most dramatic crisis of our single currency, preventing its degeneration and thus saving the European Union from the real risk of disintegration;
For accepting the responsibility of taking charge of Italy's fate at a difficult and dramatic moment, succeeding in affirming the centrality of our country's European destiny and placing it with determination at the forefront, in Europe and in relations with the American administration, of the choice of sides at the time of Russia's aggression against Ukraine;
For the inestimable value of the EU Competitiveness Report he edited, which has become the benchmark for reflection on the future of our continent; a report that captures the ills brought to the European Union by its political fragmentation and that concretely calls for the urgent need to overcome the current European structure in order to make Europe capable of facing the challenges of our time, halting the decline to which division condemns it;
For the lucid determination with which he reminds governments that Europe must urgently act as a state and that, to this end, it must 'become a state'; and with which he urges them towards federalism, highlighting the concrete steps they could (and should) take if only they could muster the necessary political will, thus proving themselves equal to the responsibilities that the times demand of them towards their citizens;
For his ability to always place at the centre of his interventions, at a time when the founding values of our civilisation are being challenged and risk being erased, the call for Europeans to equip themselves with the appropriate tools to safeguard the freedom, democratic life and social cohesion of our continent,
the Movimento Federalista Europeo, with gratitude, awards President Mario Draghi honorary membership.
Pavia, 13 November 2025
The opening took place on September 7 with a round table at the Ventotene Town Hall, attended by Mayor Carmine Caputo and representatives of the organizations: Nikos Chircop (JEF Europe), Sara Bertolli (GFE), Melanie Thut (JEF Germany), Antonio Argenziano (UEF), Dora Bender (Challenge), Younes Ahmed (DFH Palestine), and Dvir Aviam Ezra (DFH Israel). The meeting, moderated by Moritz Hergl, was enriched by a video message from Tobias Flessenkemper, Director of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.
In his speech, Caputo reiterated the value of the initiative for the island as a place not only of memory but also of building dialogue and peace. This message was echoed by the other speakers, who stressed the enduring relevance of the Ventotene Manifesto as a beacon of hope born during one of the darkest periods in human history, and now renewed by young people from Europe, Israel, and Palestine.
About thirty activists from Israel, Palestine, and various European countries are taking part in the Forum. Through workshops and shared training sessions, they explore federalism as an innovative framework to overcome divisions, strengthen dialogue, and propose lasting solutions to contemporary conflicts.
The aim is to create stable networks, promote intercultural understanding, and provide useful tools to be applied in their community and professional contexts, with a particular focus on the Middle East, but within a vision of global cooperation.
For a Sovereign and Federal European Res Publica Declaration launched by UEF and CIME in Ventotene signed by Guy Verhofstadt and endorsed by Josep Borrell
The Trump-Putin Alaska Summit, without Europe or Ukraine, exposes a harsh truth: a fragmented Europe is sidelined in a world of empires. From NATO’s defence dependence to trade submission at Turnberry (August 2025), and from Ukraine’s marginalisation to peace deals brokered in the White House, Europe’s impotence is on full display.
The threats are clear: an unreliable, “caesarist” America imposes its will, while Russia and China exploit our divisions, undermining democracy and international law.
Trump’s capitulation to Putin on Ukraine demands a European response. Without our own defence, diplomacy, and intelligence, we risk surrendering our sovereignty. The time has come to replace “vetocracy” with a democratic, federal Europe: one strong enough to stand among the world’s powers.
In this context the Union of European Federalists and Consiglio italiano del Movimento Europeo have launched the Declaration "For a Sovereign and Federal European Res Publica" in Ventotene Island on 30th August. The declaration is signed by Domenec Ruiz Devesa, President of the UEF and Former MEP, Virgilio Dastoli, President of the Consiglio Italiano del Movimento Europe, Guy Verhofstadt, Former Prime Minister of Belgium and Former MEP, Mathilde Baudouin, Secretary General of the UEF.
The Declaration is endorsed by Josep Borrell, Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Antonio Argenziano, Former President of JEF Europe, Luisa Trumellini, President of Movimento Federalista Europeo (MFE), Roberto Castaldi, Secretary General of MFE, Sandro Gozi, Member of European Parliament, Honorary President of the UEF. Witnesses during the signatory of Declaration have been Antonio Santilli, Responsable Culture Sector of Ventotene, Giuseppe Pepe, Vice Mayor of Ventotene e Mario Leone, Direttore Istituto Altiero Spinelli.
The Declaration calls for the revival of the European spirit, the strengthening of the European demos, and the recovery of the vision of a Europe that decides, acts and advances with sovereignty.
To read our strategic proposals and the full Declaration, you can go to this link: LINK HERE.
