Today Luisa Trumellini, the Secretary General of the UEF was interviewed by the Twitter influncer, Quentin Deschandelliers aka @Mepassistant, the Eurobubble's inner voice.

The interview is dedicated about who we are, what we do, what is european federalism, our objectives, our goals, our partners, actual political campaign.

Watch the full interview here in Twitch: LINK

UEF and MFE return to participate in Focus Europa, a series of interviews on tomorrow's Europe organised by UEF and MFE with the Italian Twitch channel, Ivan Grieco's La Miniera.

In the final episode for the year 2023 will be interviewed:

1) Giulia Rossolillo, UEF Vice President, Professor of EU Law at the University of Pavia
2) Luisa Trumellini, Secretary General of the UEF
3) Luca Lionello, UEF Federal Committee Member and researcher at the Catholic University of Milan
4) Carlo Maria Palermo, UEF Federal Committee Member, CESPI Scientific Committee Member

The interview is conducted in Italian.

You can watch the episode on Twitch by subscription, or here in YouTube.

The full series can be reviewed here: LINK
Or by going to Media Library

Brussels, 18 December 2023

As the Conference on the Future of Europe concluded in May 2022, all the European institutions agreed to give the citizens recommendations for proper implementation. The European Parliament was the first to take action with its June 2022 and November 2023 resolutions calling for a Convention to reform the Treaties and activate Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).

Today, the Council of the EU played its part, thanks to Spain’s leadership, and transmitted the European Parliament’s request for activation of Article 48 TEU to the European Council. Europe now turns to Charles Michel and EU national leaders to immediately include the EP‘s request on the agenda of the next EUCO meeting.

The request for Treaty change has to be considered by the European Council first of all because it is urgent and necessary. The European Union lacks the indispensable tools to act in the face of the challenges of security and economic competition that we are undergoing. The Russian war against Ukraine and interference, migration flows, ecological and digital transition, and enlargement force us to take action. More than ever, we need to reform our institutional framework, and the report offers several solutions.

Earlier this month, the Union of European Federalists sent a letter to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, requesting to put a decision point on the call for a Convention at the agenda of the next European leaders’ summit in Brussels. Today, the UEF reiterates this call.

Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the UEF said: "Of course, there is still a long way to go. First of all, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, must put the issue on the agenda of the next European Council meeting in January or March 2024 at the latest. Secondly, a majority [...] will have to be sought. All this before the European elections in June. What is certain is that the Spanish government, during its rotating presidency of the Council, has done its job in this area, and with distinction.”

The UEF also urges Charles Michel to start working towards a majority to agree to the establishment of a Convention, with the help of the Belgian rotating presidency of the EU, to start in January 2024.

The UEF, through its sections, will be pressing national governments to support the call for a Convention; and in parallel will closely follow the developments at the European Council, and will continuously advocate for this crucial reform in the interest of European citizens. Should you wish to participate in this activity, you can join the UEF or one of its sections in Europe. 

Deadline: 15th January 2024

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is recruiting a Policy Officer to work in the Secretariat based in Brussels.

Main Tasks:

Essential qualifications and qualities:

Desiderable:

Contract conditions and remuneration:

Application procedure and agenda:

Brussels, 13 December 2023

The Plenary of the European Parliament has adopted the report Ruiz Devesa - Simon on the European Elections 2024, which includes the proposals of the European Parliament on how to organize the European elections of June next year. The text provides for recommendations to be submitted to European and national political parties to strengthen the European dimension of the electoral process and increase the participation and electoral rights of the EU citizens.
 
"We call to the European political parties, and especially national parties, to commit to a series of recommendations, such as including the logos of European political forces on their ballot papers," says Ruiz Devesa. It also urges European political parties to ensure that the content of their campaigns is conducted in line with the values of Article 2 of the EU Treaty and that the process for nominating their candidates for election is carried out democratically.

AFCO report on EU elections 2 - UEF

The report calls for a binding agreement between the European Parliament and the European Council on the "lead candidate" process for the election of the president of the European Commission. "It is important that, contrary to what happened in 2019, this time we can indeed ensure that the head of the list principle is complied with," defends Ruiz Devesa. "We propose that the candidate of the political group that obtains the most seats in the elections has the opportunity to start negotiations with the rest of the groups to try to form a sufficient majority and, if not, that the turn passes to the second most voted and so on until the Parliament can have a common candidate."
 
The Union of European Federalists (UEF) welcomes this important decision and calls on the European political parties to quickly adopt this set of recommendations, and—in addition—to provide voters with clear indications of their position on the crucial issue of treaty change.
 
Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the UEF said: "The next elections to the European Parliament must aim to evaluate the last five years of activity of the EU institutions, in a real exercise of democracy and European politics,". We cannot have "a collection of 27 parallel national elections that depend on domestic issues, but we must Europeanise this discussion and thus stimulate participation in the European elections, putting European issues on the agenda of the media".
 
It is possible to rewatch the Press Conference after the vote here.
 
In the coming months, the UEF will roll out its campaigning activities, encouraging citizens to vote from 6 to 9 June 2024, reminding candidates of the importance of a federal Europe, and debating the future of our Continent.

European Letter logo UEF - UEF

The European Letter is back.

The European Letter is published in 5 languages under the auspices of the Luciano Bolis European Foundation in cooperation with the Union of European Federalists, whose activities are co-financed by the European Union.

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 76 entitled "European Parliament activates the treaty revision procedure: the significance of the vote and Europe’s priorities", is sent to parliamentarians in the following legislative bodies:

The European Letter 76 publishes the note written by Luca Lionello after the 22 November vote in the European Parliament on the proposals of the European Parliament's for the Amendment of the Treaties (2022/2051(INL)). This report proposes a profound institutional reform to make the European Union more democratic and capable of action, and thus adequate to face political challenges and enlargement. This vote also formally opens the procedure for Treaty revision, and in this respect calls on national governments and parliaments to take sides.

Precisely with this in mind - in view of the EU Council's transmission to the European Council (hopefully as early as December, so that a decision can be taken at the March meeting) - the European Letter publishes this note explaining the content and value of this Report and invites national parliaments to discuss it with their governments.

The European Letter has also pointed out this draft resolution (LINK) for national parliaments to discuss and adopt.

Here below the four translated version of the European Letter:

20231207_event follow up - Version 2 for IS

Original report in French by UEF France

A look back at the European Dialogue on 2 December ‘Election 2024: Meeting citizens’ expectations’.

On 2 December 2023, the Union of European Federalists and UEF France, Young Europeans and the European Movement hosted a European Dialogue at Europa Experience in Paris focusing on the 2024 European elections and how to meet citizens' expectations. After a welcome by Sandrine Amiel from the European Parliament Representation in France, the presidents and spokespersons of the associations Chloé Fabre, Marie Trelat and Laure Niclot introduced the discussions, which were moderated by Aurore Laloux, president of Jeunes européens Paris.

The first round table gave Frédéric Petit, Mercedes Bresso and Valérie Hayer the opportunity to address key issues relating to the future of Europe: the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU budget and welcoming new Member States.

image 6 - UEF

Issues for the Future of Europe

-* Frédéric Petit, Député des Français de l’Étranger

Frédéric Petit raised an essential question: is Europe capable of enlarging while respecting democratic values and the rule of law? Comparing European expansion to the formation of a family, he stressed the need to understand the ‘why’ of enlargement and the will behind it.
Analysing existing models, Mr Petit distinguished between imperialism and cooperation, stressing that the EU, while successful, is not the first model in history. Historical examples such as the Republic of Yale Vodine were cited, highlighting the challenges of language, armed forces and borders. The deputy pleaded for Europe's capacity to adapt and enlarge, stressing that this was an inescapable necessity.

image 7 - UEF

-* Mercedes Bresso, Member of the European Parliament

Mercedes Bresso highlighted the EU's crisis management and the growing need for strategic autonomy, particularly in the context of relations with NATO. She underlined the creation of the strategic defence compass in 2021 and the need to structure the States into a confederal area for a common and coherent voice.
Ms Bresso also addressed development aid policy, proposing that it be transformed into a strategic partnership for co-development.
She called for an effective response from Member States to meet the major challenges expected by citizens, making Europe a significant global player.

The EU's budgetary challenges


-* Valérie Hayer, Member of the European Parliament

Valérie Hayer stressed the need to strengthen the EU budget (currently 1% of European GDP) to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. She pointed to the current imbalance where state contributions dominate EU funding, creating a negotiating mechanism that traps everyone in the hands of the Member States.

Ms Hayer highlighted the significant advances made, in particular the adoption of the Next Generation EU recovery plan in 2020, which has led to the creation of a common debt and the prospect of own resources. The plastic contribution is one of the first measures to be taken. She also highlighted the institutional challenges posed by the need for unanimity in the decision-making process, arguing for the necessary reform of the Treaties.

Towards a more democratic, efficient and united Europe in 2050

-* Christophe Chabrot, lecturer in Public Law at Lyon II, member of the UEF Scientific Council

Mr Chabrot spoke of the crucial role of the European Parliament as the chamber of European unity and democracy, which federalists have succeeded in having elected by direct universal suffrage. He underlined the current challenges, such as the emergence of new political divisions and the strengthening of the extreme and nationalist right in Europe. He stressed the need for a new European narrative to combat these extremes.

Mr Chabrot encouraged reflection on how to make the European Parliament more powerful while preserving the diversity of opinions. He opened the way towards a stronger political Europe, highlighting the fundamental issues of democracy and treaty reform.

A manifesto for the European elections

The afternoon concluded with a presentation of the Manifesto for the European elections put forward by the three associations, which structures the proposals around 5 axes:

For a more democratic Europe ready to welcome new members
For a Europe that provides social support for the ecological transition
For a Europe that gives itself the means to act
For a Europe capable of asserting itself as a global player and working for peace
For a Europe of solidarity, an area of freedom, capable of managing migration to provide a dignified welcome

We publish here the letter signed by the UEF President MEP Domenec Ruiz Devesa and the Chair of the Spinelli Group Sandro Gozi sent after the UEF Congress held in Brussels on 25-26 November 2023 on 29 November 2023 to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, 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 in order to reach a political agreement for the calling of the Convention.

In the letter is include also as attachament the "Manifesto For a Federal Europe: The urgency of overcoming the current treaties" adopted during the UEF Congress.

20231130-Letter to Charles MichelDownload
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