ORIGINAL IN ITALIAN HERE

EURACTIV Italy interviewed Lukas Mandl, MEP of the European People's Party, president of the Austrian section of the European Union of Federalists, recently appointed president of the Spinelli Group, which brings together federalist MEPs.

What are the main objectives of the Spinelli Group in this legislature?

I can only speak for the beginning of the legislature, since, as you know, we have a rotation system for the chairmanship of the federalist parliamentary group called the Spinelli Group. It is an honour, but first and foremost it is a mission to chair this Group. The objective can only be the reform of the European Union. Thinking big is what we ask of the members of the Spinelli Group. And what we recommend to our colleagues in the European Parliament, as well as to all other EU institutions, including the Member States. To think big, to have more leadership, a more visionary approach to achieving EU reform.

I would like to draw attention to the fact that we have now passed the longest period in the history of the European Union without a new treaty. The Lisbon Treaty was the last one in 2008. We had no reform while the world was changing so much. We also have the longest period in EU history without a new accession. The last one was more than 10 years ago, that of Croatia in 2013. But one country, the United Kingdom, has left the EU. There are at least two facts, two figures - no treaty reform and no membership for the longest period - that must encourage us to visionary leadership to work on EU reform.

Leadership means serving. Leadership also comes with responsibility. The term ‘responsibility’ includes the word ‘respond’. To be able to respond to people's concerns. Because people's concerns are present in every single member state. Maybe in different ways, but in every member state there are concerns about the EU. In the capitals of the member states, in the governments of the member states, there is a risk assessment that leads to fears about treaty reform. Because there is fear that the situation will get worse. But fear is never a good attitude to deal with any kind of activity. We have to overcome this fear. We must take into account the risk assessment and work so that the situation does not get worse, but better.

Last but not least, President Emmanuel Macron is completely right when he says that the EU can also die. Memento Mori (remember you must die) is an absolute pillar of European intellectual history. And of course it also applies to the EU itself. Stating this does not mean wanting it, but on the contrary it means demanding a serious approach, as I have just tried to emphasise. What I really appreciate about the Spinelli group is that we draw attention to these main tasks and work together in a multi-party and transnational way. This will also be central to the success of the Spinelli Group.

After two and a half years of war in Europe, the EU is still far from a European defence. We still pay twice as much for energy as the US and China. According to the Letta and Draghi reports we are 800 billion investment short (20% must be public) needed to implement green and digital transitions and ensure a European defence. How can the EU overcome this?

The Letta and Draghi reports provide us with an excellent outline of the challenges and possible tools to solve the problems. Both reports can also be part of the Spinelli Group's policies for this term. Secondly, we must not stop halfway. I have a lot of confidence and that is why I voted for Ursula von der Leyen again for a second term. I know and take the concerns of the people very seriously, because I have to represent the citizens. I voted for her again to ensure stability and because I believe she will not stop halfway when it comes to defence. As you have just pointed out, we must continue to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities - which, as you know, we started with the war of aggression against Russia. We must continue to do so. For the first time we will have a defence commissioner. At the very first meeting of the Spinelli Council, several members of various groups expressed the wish to invite the new Defence Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, to one of the first meetings of the Spinelli Group at the beginning of the mandate. And in all the other areas you have just mentioned, leadership and responsibility, also understood as responsiveness, will be important. This is what the Spinelli Group will recommend and also politically demand from the EU institutions.

Yesterday the patriots had the upper hand, voting amendments to the budget resolution with the EPP and then voting against the whole resolution with the S&D and the Greens. Since the Spinelli Group includes MEPs from all pro-European parties, can it play a role in helping Ursula's pro-European majority to remain united and keep the nationalist groups at bay?

Yesterday's less than pro-European behaviour was not the vote on transparency and accountability of humanitarian aid and funding in the Palestinian territories. Because that was the issue. It is a clear pro-European approach to transparency and careful handling of taxpayers' money. The problem with not being very pro-European was to vote against the report in its entirety. This should not have happened. But I respect this democratic result and emphasise it. There is no doubt that the European People's Party is pro-European - but I don't really like the expression because there is no possibility of being anti-European; that would be schizophrenic. But so are the other groups represented in the Spinelli group, precisely because of their pro-European approach. Of course, the Spinelli group is part of the glue that unites the pro-European groups. It does not matter that the vote in the European Parliament can never be predicted in its entirety. Voting dynamics are part of parliamentarianism and those who respect democracy also respect these voting dynamics.

The Spinelli Group played an important role in the drafting of the proposal for treaty reform approved by the European Parliament in November 2023. Are you going to relaunch this initiative to put pressure on the European Council to convene a Convention? What can we learn from the fact that the European Council did not even put Parliament's Treaty reform proposal on the agenda? Is Parliament's power of initiative to amend the Treaties jeopardised or at risk by the European Council's ignoring Article 48 TEU?

I think we have to do both at the same time. On the one hand, we have to think big and demand leadership and a visionary approach. On the other hand, we have to deal with the existing structures, which do not grant the European Parliament the power that would be appropriate for a directly elected Parliament. Of course we must ask the governments of the member states to convene a Convention. But we must also ask them what they are waiting for. That is, what else needs to happen to start the EU reform process, which will take many years anyway. On the other hand, we have to take seriously the risk assessment of member state governments and address their concerns to try to persuade them. And never stop talking - that is the speciality of parliamentarians. This is what we should also do vis-à-vis Member State governments to overcome their fear. Fear is never a good counsellor. Overcoming fear and having a visionary approach to the Convention will be our recommendation.

How can we overcome the fear of the risk of failure, considering the outcome of 2005 on the Constitutional Treaty (when referendums in France and the Netherlands voted against ratification and caused the Constitutional Treaty to fail, even though other referendums were in favour and the majority of European citizens who voted in a referendum were in favour of ratification)? How can we possibly avoid a similar fate for the next treaty reform?

I believe that it cannot be 100% avoided. But the example of 2005 and the subsequent Lisbon Treaty shows that the EU is capable of standing up if it is forced to do so. The Lisbon Treaty would not have been successful without the problem of creating a European Constitution. We keep running. The positive, constructive, visionary and unifying approach has always won in the end. This does not mean that Macron is wrong. He is right: the EU can also fail. But as long as we keep running, we will not let it fail. The example of 2005 is negative. But it is also positive because it shows that there is always meaning and significance in continuing to run, to try and to get back up after falling.

A United States of Europe? Here's What Could Happen Next! Could the EU become a true federation, like the USA, with shared powers and a common army? We break down the options the EU faces and what it means for Europe's future.

Video produced by the EU Made Simple, the YouTube Channel with more 134.000 followers until today. Exists also other channels in national language:

• EU Leicht Germacht
• L'UE Simplifiée
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The video is avaiable in English (subtitled), German, Greece, Italian, Romanian, Polish and French. Soon the video it will be avaiable also in Portuguese.

Sunday 20 October, 9.00-12.30 | “Sa Manifattura” Viale Regina Margherita n. 33

ore 9.00-11.30

The EU and the challenge of becoming a federal union

Chaired, introduced and concluded by Valentina Usai (MFE Cagliari)

• The European Union and the challenge of having a Constitution, Giulia Rossolillo, Vice President UEF, MFE Pavia
• The distribution of competences in the Federal Union, Paolo Ponzano, European Movement Italy
• Federalist action and civil society involvement: a territorial approach for the realisation of the European Federation, Gabriele Casano, GFE Torino

Ore 11.40

• Kantian Federalism: A Union of Different Peoples, Commemoration of Immanuel Kant on the 300th anniversary of his birth. Report by Angela Taraborrelli (University of Cagliari and European Consortium for Political Research - Kantian Standing Group)

Ore 12.00

• Conclusions by Raimondo Cagiano, National Coordinator of the Debate Office of MFE

October 18, 2024

The meeting of the European Council on 17 October in Brussels focused mostly on the dramatic international situation including the conflict in Ukraine - highlighted by the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - and the escalating conflict in the Middle East, in particular the dangerous situation in Lebanon and its potential consequences.

An important point of this EUCO was to initiate the debate on the topic of strengthening European competitiveness, a discussion based on the reports by Enrico Letta “Much more than a market” and Mario Draghi “The future of European competitiveness”. The European leaders called on the member states and institutions “to take work forward to meet the challenges identified in the reports” and they will continue the debate at the informal EUCO taking place in November. 

However, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) regrets to note that no mention of Treaty Reforms was included in the European Council’s Conclusions. Despite institutional reforms being necessary to address the root causes of the EU's economic challenges, as highlighted in the reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, they were absent from the final Conclusions.

The UEF recalls that citizens provided a clear mandate to the European institutions for urgent EU Treaty reform following the Conference on the Future of Europe, which concluded in 2022. In November 2023, in response to this mandate, the European Parliament initiated the procedure under Article 48(2) of the Treaty on European Union and adopted its proposal to amend the Treaties.

After sending letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and the heads of EU Member States, alongside our sections and partners from the Spinelli Group, European Movement International (EMI), and the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe), the UEF expresses deep concern over the European Council’s lack of action. “The battle with the European Council still remains. We have already sent two letters to Charles Michel (President of the European Council) who replied ‘yes, don't forget, we started the discussion as part of the European Council's strategic agenda’. This is fine, but we have to put it on the agenda for a decision.” said Domenec Ruiz Devesa, former MEP and UEF President, “As UEF we should now look to the new President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, to relaunch this issue in a few months' time.”

This inaction is particularly troubling given the urgent context of upcoming EU enlargement(s), and the importance of the fourth Copenhagen Criterion, which addresses the EU's preparedness for new member states' accession and the potential need for internal reforms: “Enlargement cannot be unconditional. It must go hand in hand with the deepening of political union” concludes Domenec Ruiz Devesa.

The UEF reiterates its call for a real consideration of Treaty Reforms by the European Council and expresses the importance of aligning the Council’s Conclusions with the aspirations of citizens. 

RELATED LINKS

• Letter to Charles Michel, President of the European Council requesting to include in the Agenda of the European Council of 14-15 December 2023 the discussion on the European Parliament position on proposals for the amendment to the Treaties
• Letter to Charles Michel, President of the EU Council from UEF, EMI, The Spinelli Group and JEF with a memorandum on the Treaty revision procedures
• Letters sent by UEF or its National sections or JEF Europe to the members of the European Council in view of the EUCO meeting of 21-22 March 2024

Brussels, October 10, 2024 

The President of UEF Austria, Lukas Mandl, MEP EPP, will take over the rotating Presidency of the parliamentary intergroup. He was appointed yesterday by the Spinelli Group Board meeting in Strasbourg during the work of the first plenary in October.

As Lukas Mandl inherited the rotating presidency of the Spinelli Group from Sandro Gozi, MEP Renew, and former President of the UEF, the UEF stands beside his leadership and ensures him the support of all federalists.

The Spinelli Group and the UEF warmly thank Sandro Gozi for his chairmanship.
“It has been an honour to serve as Chair of the Spinelli Group for the past two years. Through our federalist network, we have undertaken a historic political fight for the reform and democratisation of the European Union, an effort that must persist in this new term. I extend my best wishes to the new Chair, Lukas Mandl, who will undoubtedly advance our mission to reform the Union and unify the continent.

In this European mandate, federalists play a crucial role in ensuring that EU institutions are responsive to the demands from the Conference on the Future of Europe. By driving treaty reform, we aim to create a more sovereign and democratic Europe.” Sandro Gozi.

The revision of the European Treaty has been a long-standing demand of the UEF. Lukas Mandl stressed the importance of making the Treaty reforms the focus of his work together with the Spinelli Group.

Lukas Mandl said: "Since I am heading the European Federalists as a President in Austria in my country, I feel obliged to contribute here. […] It means a lot to me that I can do it but I want to do it jointly with the other board members otherwise it will not work."

At the Spinelli Group Board meeting the participants were Petras Auštrevičius, Brando Benifei, Gabriel Bischoff, Vivien Costanzo, Nikolas Farantouris, Daniel Freund, Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, Sandro Gozi, Benedetta Scuderi, Reinier Van Lanschot, and Ilaria Caria, UEF Secretary General.

Brussels, 7th October 2024

In the face of the tragedy of war, if the European Union wants to bring peace to the Middle East, it is time for it to open a Convention to reform the Treaties in order to have a common foreign and defense policy.

One year has passed since the day Hamas unleashed the most brutal aggression against defenseless Israeli citizens since the Yom Kippur War. On the part of the State of Israel, also on the basis of its legitimate right to self-defense, we are instead witnessing the fall into the demonic trap created by Hamas.

This never-ending tragedy of two peoples in one land is intertwined with the history of the peoples of the region and the processes of world politics, and becomes the subject and active part of a much wider, even global, power conflict. In these days when the whole world is holding its breath for fear of an escalation, with unpredictable outcomes, between Israel and Iran, and while the offensives in Gaza and now also in Lebanon continue, it is difficult to unravel the tangle. 

In this context, the United Nations is powerless. We live in a system where it is still the strength of the great powers that makes it possible to arrive at (sometimes having to impose) a diplomatic solution to conflicts, and creates the conditions for stability in the various areas of the world and for strengthening international organizations and cooperation. This system is in crisis and generates the escalation of the struggle for global hegemony and - as a cascade - in the different regions. 

The UEF cannot stress enough how weak the EU's voice is at this juncture, and how cacophonous the reaction of European states has been until now.

As HRVP Josep Borrell said in Ventotene on 1 September 2024, ‘If we are not united, we are irrelevant. In order to be relevant, we have to be united. And on this problem, we are not. Certainly, we have made progress on building a common and foreign policy. Certainly. But in order to do more, we have to be more united, and we have to have different ways of taking decisions. I don't see how Europe can work with unanimity rule'. He continues: ‘I know it's difficult. But the next generation of the Europeans will have to be more integrated, and more integrated means to be ready to accept decisions by qualified majority voting, not by unanimity, and is not a technicality, is at the core of what the European Union is, how it works and what it delivers.'

This is the reason why, if Europe really wants to contribute to the return of the possibility of peace, it must quickly equip itself with the decision-making and political mechanisms that will enable it to move on the international stage quickly and with a comprehensive common policy agenda, being represented by a true European government endowed with authority and autonomy in external action, generating a unique framework of European intervention that can influence global power relations.

The UEF considers the construction of a strong common foreign and security policy, together with a solid pillar of civil protection capacity, crucial for the future of European unity and global stability. That is why we support the launch of a Convention opening the revision of the Treaties to strengthen the EU and its institutions. 

RELATED LINKS

• Read the Speech by the High Representative Josep Borrell at the Seminar on Federalism in Europe and the world LINK HERE
• Resolution passed by the UEF Congress in November 2023 LINK HERE

The European Letter is back and it is dedicated to the Mario Draghi's Report.

Mario Draghi's Report on the Future of European Competitiveness analyses Europe's decline with irrefutable data, and identifies internal fragmentation as the primary reason for the EU's inability to advance the common European interest and to mobilise sufficient resources for innovation and economic development. The solution indicated by Draghi is to equip Europe with the political-institutional instruments to act united as often as necessary, on many interdependent political levels. For this it is indispensable to introduce the necessary institutional changes in the Union by reforming the Treaties.

The European Letter is published in 7 languages - from the edition 77 - under the auspices of the Luciano Bolis European Foundation in cooperation with the Union of European Federalists.

The European Letter is a periodical publication started in 1997 with the aim of stimulating political debate in national parliaments and governments, and in the European Parliament.

The European Letter 82 entitled "Draghi's Plan for Europe: To Be Competitive, the Union Must Be Reformed", is sent to parliamentarians in the following legislative bodies:

• European Parliament
• Bundestag
• Parliament of the French Republic
• Parliament of the Italian Republic
• Cortes generales (Spanish Parliament)
• Nationalrat (Austrian Parliament)
• Belgian Federal Parliament
• Hellenic Parliament
• Parlamentul României

Here the version avaiable:

• ENGLISH
• ITALIAN
• FRENCH
• GERMAN
• GREEK

Link to the Survey 2024 (October-November-December)

The Union of European Federalists counts on you to take part in the 2024 Annual Survey on the perception of the UEF, European federalism and and its’s priorities. This survey has been created in order to evaluate the impact of our work and orientate the future direction of our organisation and actions.

By sharing your insights, you will help us better understand how UEF’s mission, priorities, and initiatives are perceived and appreciated. Indeed, we need it for the continuous development of our strategy and activities, ensuring that we stay aligned with the aspirations of our members and supporters.

The survey, designed by the UEF Secretariat, covers key topics related to European federalism, our current focus areas, and future priorities.

By taking the survey, you already contribute to the development of our movement.

Join us in shaping the future of a resilient, strong, and more united Europe.

Click here to follow the project about this Survey, LINK HERE

We publish here the letter signed by the UEF President former MEP Domenec Ruiz Devesa sent today to the European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and EUCO President Charles Michel in view of the next EUCO meeting of the 17-18 October.

On 24th Ocotber the UEF Secretariat receved an answer from the Head of Cabinet Frederic Bernard.