SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
SPECIAL SESSION
14:45 | Council Room Municipality of Ventotene | Spinelli Group Meeting and Signature of the Action Committee for the United States of Europe partnership
14:45 Institutional greetings
- Giuseppe Pepe (Vice-Mayor of Ventotene)
14:55 Opening speech
- Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists, ex-officio Member of the Spinelli Group
15:15 – 16:15 Interventions
- Thijs Reuten, MEP (S&D), Member of the Spinelli Group
- Christelle Savall, President of the Young European Federalists
- Luisa Trumellini, Secretary General of Movimento Federalista Europeo
- Philippe Laurette, President of Association Jean Monnet
- Giulia Rossolillo, Vice-President of the Union of European Federalists
16:15 Signing ceremony of the political declaration and the partnership agreement for the Action Committee
Interventions:
- Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists
- Philippe Laurette, President of the Association Jean Monnet
- Christelle Savall, President of the Young European Federalists
16:30 Final remarks
- Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists
DOCUMENTS
17.00 | Sala Polifunzionale | Joint inauguration of the 43rd Ventotene Italian Seminar and 40th International Seminar
Opening of the 40th Italian Ventotene Seminar
Institutional greetings (ITA):
- Giuseppe Pepe, Vice-Mayor of Ventotene
- Vittoria Ciaramella, Prefect of Latina
- Francesco Rocca, President of the Lazio Region
- Gerardo Stefanelli, President of the Province of Latina
- Gabriele Panizzi, Vice-President of the Altiero Spinelli Institute
Opening of the 40th International Ventotene Seminar joint session with the Italian Seminar
Institutional greetings – Opening (ENG) with
- Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission EU
- Guy Verhofstadt, EMI President, ex-officio Member of the Spinelli Group
- Domenec Ruiz Devesa, UEF President
- Nikolaos Farantouris, MEP The Left, Member of the Spinelli Group
- Thijs Reuten, MEP S&D Member of the Spinelli Group
- Philippe Laurette, President Association Jean Monnet,
- Klaus Welle, former Secretary-General of the European Parliament, Chair Martens Centre’s Academic Council
Chairman
- Stefano Castagnoli, President Altiero Spinelli Institute and MFE President
Awarding of the ‘Antonio Saggio’ Prize
Commemoration of Eugenio Colorni - Cancellation and postcard Poste Italiane s.p.a
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
9.30 – 13.00: History and role of federalism and of the European Federalists (SPECIAL SESSION with House Jean Monnet)
- Domenec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists, former MEP (2019-2024)
- Luisa Trumellini, National Secretary of the Movimento Federalista Europeo
- Martì Grau Segu, House Jean Monnet
17.00 – 20.00 | Reconciling the need for federal deepening and political enlargement
- Christelle Savall, President of the Young European Federalists (JEF), Executive Bureau Member of the UEF
- Luca Lionello, Chair of the PC1 of the UEF Federal Committee - On Federalist Strategy for a Federal Reform of the EU
SPECIAL SESSION
21:15 | Council Room, Municipality of Ventotene | Action Committee for the United States of Europe Meeting
21:15 Institutional greetings
- Giuseppe Pepe (Vice-Mayor of Ventotene)
21:30 Opening speech
- Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists
21:50 - 22:30 Interventions
- Taillie Lieven, Vice-President of the Jean Monnet Association (online)
- Christelle Savall, President of the Young European Federalists
- Martí Grau Segú, Head of Service and Curator of the Jean Monnet House at the European Parliament
- Luisa Trumellini, Secretary General of Movimento Federalista Europeo
- Virgilio Dastoli, President of the European Movement Italy
- Giulia Rossolillo, Vice-President of the Union of European Federalists
- Klaus Welle. former Secretary-General of the European Parliament, Chair Martens Centre’s Academic Council
22:30 Final remarks
- Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists
Moderation:
- Stefano Castagnoli, President of the Institute of Federalist Studies Altiero Spinelli
***Signing ceremony will take place on Sunday afternoon 1 September 2024 in the frame of the Spinelli Group Meeting
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
9.30-13.00: European sovereignty in the proposals of the European Parliament to amend the Treaties
- Giulia Rossolillo, Vice-President of the Union of European Federalists, Professor of European Union Law
- Sophie Heine (remote), Author and consultant, research associate at the Egmont Institute - Royal Institute of International Relations, UEF France Scientific Committee
17.00 – 20.00: The digital transformation. Challenges and opportunities
- Brando Benifei (remote), MEP S&D, Member of the Spinelli Group
- Benedetta Veneruso, JEF Estonia President
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
9.30 – 13:00 | Building an EU Defense for Fostering Positive Peace
- Vincenzo Camporini, Former Chief of the Defence General Staff and consultant of Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Kati Systä, JEF Executive Board Member
17.00 – 20.00 | The ecological transformation. Challenges and opportunities
- Chloè Fabre, Chair of the PC4 of the UEF Federal Committee - On the European Green Deal, Energy union, digital transition, and related economic policies President of UEF France
- Hanna Lein-Mathisen, JEF Executive Board Member
21.45, Sala Polifunzionale | Projection of the documentary film "La voce di Ventotene" (2023, ‘65 minutes, Italian audio, English subtitles) with introduction from the director Stefano Di Polito
Over 800 anti-fascist prisoners were transferred to the tiny island of Ventotene starting in July 1939, including Sandro Pertini (later President of the Italian Republic), Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi.
Despite the harsh restrictions, they managed to organize a clandestine library and write the important Ventotene Manifesto, which would lay the foundations for the European Union.
After 80 years, the documentary retraces this story through the voices of the islanders.
INFO AND TRAILER: stefanodipolito.it/la-voce-di-ventotene
INTRODUCTIONS
- Stefano Di Polito, Director
- Alessio Castagna, Director of Photography
- Stefano Castagnoli, President of the Altiero Spinelli Institute
- Daphne Gogue, Executive Board Member of UEF
- Mayor or Deputy Mayor, Muncipality of Ventotene
MODERATOR
- Martina Ciai, Writer
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
9.30 – 13:00 | How can EU win the challenge of competitiveness
- Fabio Masini, Economist, lecturer in the History of Economic Thought and Jean Monnet Chair on European Economic Governance at Roma Tre University
- Giorgia Sorrentino, Secretary General of JEF Italy
17.00 – 20.00 | Federalism to govern globalization: international justice, common institutions and cooperation (Special Session with WFM-IGP)
- Daphne Gogou, Executive Bureau Member of the UEF
- James A. Williams, Director Asian Youth Centre, president South Asian Federalists
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
9.30 -13:00 | Conclusions of the International Seminar - Our commitments as federalists: Innovation and tradition
Panel discussion on political communication and campaigns
- Davide Negri, UEF Secreatariat Political Communication and Campaign Strategist
- Flavia Sandu, UEF Secretariat Policy Officer
The Ventotene Seminar on the press
The European Letter is back and it is dedicated to the post European Elections.
The election of Ursula Von Der Leyen as President of the Commission with the vote of the pro-European forces sends an important signal of stability, also reinforced by the downsizing of the Rassemblement national in France after the legislative elections. In her keynote speech, she also announced the next Commission's commitment to treaty reform. The window of opportunity to reform the Union thus remains open, however complex. In the meantime, history continues to knock on Europe's doors to finally come of age and assume its responsibilities.
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 81 entitled "After the election of the EU Parliament, the reform of the EU Treaties enters into the agenda of the new European Commission", 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:
28 August 2024 - Much More than a Market, How to reform the European Union? (Political Debate)
29 August 2024 - Time to Update the Treaties for a Stronger and Larger EU (Political Debate)
29 August - Federalist terrace
30 August - Workshops “Increasing organisational capacity of the Nordic-Baltic federalist family” and “Advocating for federalism in the Nordic-Baltic context”
On 18 July 2024, the YouTube channel EU Made Simple conducted 4 interviews with MEPs - Sandro Gozi, Gabriele Bischoff, Markus Ferber and Daniel Freund - members of the Spinelli Group, as Media Partner of the action that European federalists carried out on 18-19 July in Strasbourg ‘Reform Europe Now’ in view of the inauguration of the new European Parliament.
Find below the 4 interviews
UEF and the Spinelli Group highlight this passage from Ursula von der Leyen's speech and call all pro-European forces in the new majority to action.
"Our Union and our democracy are constant work in progress. And there is more that we can do. We need an ambitious reform agenda to ensure the functioning of a larger Union and to increase democratic legitimacy. While reforms were necessary before, with enlargement they become indispensable. We must use this as a catalyst for change in terms of our capacity to act, our policies and our budget. We will of course focus on what we can already do, of which there is a lot. But we should be more ambitious. I believe we need Treaty change where it can improve our Union. And I want to work on that with this House. And this will be part of a closer partnership between the Commission and the Parliament."
Ursula von der Leyen, Strasbourg, 18 July 2024
On 18 July, Ursula von der Leyen was elected by the European Parliament to the presidency of the European Commission with a large majority, clearly defined by the common positions on support for Ukraine, respect for the rule of law, and strengthening the European Union. The weeks following the European vote at the beginning of June thus served to test the existence of a common will among pro-European political forces to keep a firm grip on an EU that is increasingly called upon to respond to external threats and protect its citizens. Despite the increased presence at the European level of right-wing, anti-European, and anti-system forces, the votes by which Ursula von der Leyen was elected show that in this legislature there are still margins to achieve decisive advances in the unification process, in continuity with the Conference on the Future of Europe (not by chance also referred to in von der Leyen's speech).
For this reason, it is particularly significant that, within the broad political programme presented by the President, there was a clear reference to the need for an 'ambitious reform agenda' with the aim of 'improving our Union', to be drafted together with the European Parliament. Even though this passage has generally been ignored in political and journalistic commentaries, the Spinelli Group and UEF instead emphasise it strongly, both because they supported it in the election campaign and in the past weeks of negotiations with von der Leyen, and because they consider it a crucial point on which the pro-European forces must commit themselves.
"As UEF, we welcome the fact that our indications, made public immediately after the close of voting on 10 June, were followed. We had called the pro-European political forces to create a coalition homogeneous in European and international policy positions, choosing the candidate for the presidency of the Commission on the basis of the Spitzenkandidaten system and stressing, as a necessary condition, the support to the reform of the Treaties, as voted by the outgoing European Parliament," points out Domènec Ruiz Devesa, former S&D MEP and President of UEF. “When von der Leyen's candidacy loomed up, we also wrote to her directly to that effect. Now it is important to take advantage of this openness of the President to work, Commission and Parliament together, to present to the European Council ambitious proposals for Treaty change, starting from the report prepared by the outgoing EP and putting the call for the launch of the Convention at the centre”.
"As President of the Spinelli Group and in my capacity as secretary of the European Democratic Party, I personally insisted bilaterally with Ursula von der Leyen during our conversation on the need for her to mention support for the reform of the Treaties in her keynote speech," explains Sandro Gozi, Renew MEP and President of the Spinelli Group. "After all, she herself made it clear: the EU needs reforms to cope with enlargement, to strengthen its defence capability, to increase its competitiveness. All this is reflected in the policies to be made, and - as a pre-condition - in the decision-making mechanisms and financing of the European budget. This is exactly the work done in AFCO and approved in plenary at the end of the last parliamentary term, which must be taken up and relaunched'.
On the day that Ursula von der Leyen appeared before the European Parliament and was voted in, the Spinelli Group and UEF also organised a series of initiatives, starting with a rally in front of the entrance to the EP before the start of the morning proceedings, along with a series of political meetings, and interviews that were broadcasted on social media:
- Street action in front of the European Parliament : post 1, post 2,
- Update of the Spinelli Group composition, news, and events: post 1
- Political debate at the Association Parlamentaire Europeen (APE) with MEPs Sandro Gozi (Renew), Gabrielle Bischoff (S&D), Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA), Zejiana Zovko (EPP)
- Interviews with MEPs members of the Spinelli Group: Sandro Gozi (Renew, and President of the Spinelli Group), Gabrielle Bischoff (S&D), Daniel Freund (Greens/EFA), Markus Ferber (EPP)
PRESS CONTACT
Ilaria Caria
Secretary-General
secretariat@federalists.eu
Thank you very much for recording Olalla Pastor del Valle of the Union des Fédéralistes Européens - France (UEF France)
More news here https://federalists.eu/event/17-19-july-federalist-events-for-the-opening-of-the-new-european-parliament/
The UEF President Domenec Ruiz Devesa has signed four letters, that we publish below, addressed to the Presidency of the main pro-European political group in the European Parliament that which are officially constituted - EPP, S&D, Renew and The Left, right before the meetings among the EP groups and the candidate of the European Commission President.
Each letter calls to includes those points as key institutional conditions in exchange of its support for the election of the Commission President:
- Commission´s support to review and update the 2010 Framework Agreement.
- Commission´s support to European Parliament resolution of 22 November 2023 on proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties, in the context of the consultation foreseen in article 48 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU).
- Commission´s readiness to open a bilateral negotiation with Parliament on its powers of inquiry, on the basis of its latest proposal dated on 11 July 2023, as foreseen in article 226 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
And they concluded "It is my view that Parliament´s leverage at this moment is at its peak, and therefore must be wisely used. I am sure that you will succeed in improving the powers and influence of our institution at this critical time."
In the morning of the 18th of July, we organized a demonstration in front of the European Parliament, to spread the message of federalism to new MEPs, distribute flyers about the Spinelli Group, and call for the new legislature to continue the work on institutional reform.
At lunch time, a first preparatory meeting of the new Spinelli Group took place. Spinelli Group affiliated MEPs who got re-elected, as well as new ones, together with representatives of federalist organizations, discussed the next steps in the process of building the new Spinelli Group, possible future actions, as well as the possible creation of Spinelli Groups in national parliaments.
Afterwards, in the evening of 18th of July, together with our partners, we organized a debate on the challenges of the new legislature with MEPs Sandro Gozi (Renew), Gabriele Bischoff (S&D), Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA) and Željana Zovko (EPP). The panel was moderated by Hervè Moritz (EM France) and Matteo Angeli (APE). You can watch the full debate here.
In the morning of the 19th of July, we organized a breakfast for newly elected MEPs to learn more about the Spinelli Group.
We would like to offer a big thank you to our activists and partner organizations, without whom these events would not have been possible: The Spinelli Group, The European Parliament Association (APE), UEF France, JEF Europe, JEF Strasbourg, the European Movement France, and the European Movement Alsace.
We also wish to offer a big thanks to our media partners Other Europe and EU Made Simple.
You can watch the EU Made Simple interviews with MEPs regarding federalizing Europe here
The European Letter is back and it is dedicated to the European Elections.
In the aftermath of the political earthquake caused by the results of the European elections, it is increasingly clear that the construction of a democratic European sovereignty is the only way to stop the plan for democratic and civic backwardness carried out by nationalist and anti-European forces.
At the start of the new legislature, it is therefore imperative that the pro-European forces make their support for the new Commission conditional, not only on support for Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression, first and foremost on a commitment to support the European Parliament in its call for reform of the Treaties and to fight for the convening of the Convention.
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 80 entitled "European Elections 2024: The fight between European Federalists and Nationalists has just begun", 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:
The Union of European Federalists congratulates all members of the Spinelli Group 2019-2024 who were re-elected for the next term of the European Parliament.
We can only wish them good luck!
- Andrey Kovatchev, EPP, BULGARIA
- Eva Maydell, EPP, BULGARIA
- Sandro Gozi, Renew, FRANCE
- Bernard Guetta, Renew, FRANCE
- Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Renew, FRANCE
- Laurence Farreng, Renew, FRANCE
- Christophe Grudler, Renew, FRANCE
- Raphaël Glucksmann, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, FRANCE
- Daniel Freund, Greens/EFA, GERMANY
- Simon Sven, EPP - European People's Party, GERMANY
- Damian Boeselager, Greens/EFA, GERMANY
- Markus Ferber, EPP - European People's Party, GERMANY
- Gabriele Bishoff, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, GERMANY
- Rasmus Andresen, Greens/EFA, GERMANY
- Moritz Kroener, Renew, GERMANY
- Delara Burkhardt, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, GERMANY
- Manolis Kefalogiannis, EPP - European People's Party, GREECE
- Brando Benifei, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, ITALY
- Alessandra Moretti, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, ITALY
- Petras Auštrevičius, Renew, LITHUANIA
- Andrius Kubilius, EPP - European People's Party, LITHUANIA
- Javier Lopez, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Jonás Fernández Álvarez, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Lina Gálvez Muñoz, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Nicolás González Casares, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Juan Fernando López Aguilar, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Ignacio Sánchez Amor, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Javier Moreno Sánchez, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- César Luena López, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Cristina Maestre Martín de Almagro, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
NEW MEMBERS THAT SIGNED THE UEF PLEDGE
At the same time, we would like to offer our warmest congratulations to the newly elected members who signed our UEF pledge before the European elections and who have committed to become part of the Spinelli Group for the next term of the European Parliament:
- Estelle Ceulemans, Parti Socialiste, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, BELGIUM
- Murielle Laurent, Place Publique / Parti Socialiste, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, FRANCE
- Kai Tegethoff, Volt, Greens/EFA, GERMANY
- Jan-Christoph Oetjen, FDP, Renew, GERMANY
- René Repasi, SPD, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, GERMANY
- Camilla Laureti, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, ITALY
- Carolina Morace, MoVimento 5 Stelle, Non-inscrits ITALY
- Cecilia Strada, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, ITALY
- Cristina Guarda, Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, Greens/EFA, ITALY
- Elisabetta Gualmini, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, ITALY
- Flavio Tosi, Forza Italia, EPP - European People's Party, ITALY
- Giorgio Gori, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Irene Tinagli, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Marco Tarquinio, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Matteo Ricci, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Nicola Zingaretti, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Pierfrancesco Maran, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Pina Picierno, Partito Democratico, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats ITALY
- Salvatore De Meo, Forza Italia, EPP - European People's Party ITALY
- Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, D66, Renew Europe NETHERLANDS
- Thijs Reuten, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, NETHERLANDS
- Laura Ballarín Cereza, PSOE, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, SPAIN
- Maria Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Partido Popular, EPP - European People's Party, SPAIN
EU PARLIAMENTS MEMBERS THAT HAVE ACCEPTED TO BE MEMBER OF THE SPINELLI GROUP AFTER THE ELECTION
- Sabrina Repp, SPD, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, GERMANY
- Vivien Costanzo, SPD, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, GERMANY
- Nikos Papandreou, Pasok, PES - Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats GREECE
- Ľubica KARVAŠOVÁ, Renew, SLOVAKIA
- Nikolaos FARANTOURIS, The Left, GREECE
- Reinier VAN LANSCHOT, Greens, NETHERLANDS
- Dimitrios TSIODRAS, EPP - European People's Party, GREECE
- Pascal Canfin, Renew, FRANCE
- Markus Ferber, EPP - European People's Party, GERMANY
- Guy Verhofstadt, Ex Officio Permanent Member, Belgium