Today marks the first year of the Russian aggression on Ukraine. On this important date for Europe and the besieged country, the European federalists want to reiterate their support to Ukraine and its people. The Union of European Federalists (UEF) remains committed to seeing a victorious Ukraine join the European Union.
Since the start of the conflict, the UEF stood beside Ukraine. On the day of the aggression, the UEF condemned “in the strongest possible terms the aggression [...] against Ukraine, a free and sovereign country in the heart of Europe.” On 4 March, the UEF partnered in the Europe-wide gathering in support of Ukraine organised by its German section of Europa-Union Frankfurt. On this occasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a moving speech and thanked the Europeans for their solidarity, while thousands of people gathered, at the same time, on major European city squares, such as in Frankfurt, Prague, Tbilisi, or Paris.
On many occasions throughout the last 12 months, the UEF reiterated its support to Ukraine. On 5 March, the UEF organised the first Europe-wide online demonstration on the video platform Twitch. On 29 March, our Political Commission on Common Foreign and Security Policy debated the implication of the war for the future of Europe. In April, a statement from the UEF renewed its support to “Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, which are currently confronted with continuous attacks and threats by Russia,” and recommended “the Commission [to] expedite its opinion on the granting of the candidate country status to Ukraine.” In June, the UEF welcomed Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for the European Union. In December, the Federal Committee endorsed the appeal "An airlift to save Ukraine" from its Italian section the Movimento Federalista Europeo.
On 27 February, the European federalists will gather at Cafe Kyiv in Berlin to explore ways for the European civil society to help Ukraine
At the UEF’s Federal Committee meeting of the 11 and 12 February 2023, Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF, called for the European Union to reform and welcome a victorious Ukraine: "Our generation must assume its political responsibilities—like the generation of Adenauer or Schumann did with its own. It is not the Ukrainians who should pay the price of our disagreements and reluctance in reshaping the European project. It is an existential duty to reform the European Union.”
The European federalists will never forget that the fight of the Ukrainians for freedom is ours, and it is that of all of Europe.
The Union of European Federalists (UEF) welcomes the joint declaration between France and Germany on Sunday 22 January and emphasises the commitment of the two countries to reform the European institutions, including the possibility of Treaty revision, in order to strengthen the European Union as a geopolitical actor and prepare it for future enlargements.
In the short term, France and Germany, in order to break the impasses that have been experienced, agree to extend the areas in which qualified majority voting takes place in the Council, for example in certain areas of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and taxation. Moreover, in order to strengthen public participation and support for the European democratic model, they are in favour of the renewal of European electoral law, including the creation of a single European-wide constituency with transnational lists, as well as the development of new ways of involving citizens in European policy discussions, building on the experience of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE).
“The European federalists greet this declaration with satisfaction”, states Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF and MEP of Renew Europe. “The shift to majority voting in the Council, particularly on those matters mentioned in the declaration, the new electoral law with the transnational lists, together with the declaration in favour of opening up the revision of the Treaties, these are all steps in the direction that we federalists advocate, and which also correspond to the demands contained in the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe.”
“We now call on the other member states, and notably Sweden, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, to prepare the necessary steps to bring the request of the European Parliament and the CoFoE citizens to the European Council to convene a Convention for the reform of the Treaties,” concludes Sando Gozi.
The Conference on the Future of Europe has clearly shown that European citizens want a stronger, more efficient and democratic Union. Only through treaty change will the European Union be able to answer their legitimate aspiration. Today's French-German declaration is another step towards the European citizens' will for a federal Europe, sovereign and democratic.
Citizens representatives asked the Council to take their recommendations seriously and ensure a proper follow-up, including through treaty change.
On 2 December, half a year after the conclusion of the work of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), the European Parliament in Brussels hosted the first follow-up event on this unprecedented democratic exercise.
The Union of the European Federalists takes stock of the open letter that the citizen representatives of the Conference sent to the European Commission and the Council and join in their concern.
In the document, the signatories express share a common worry with the UEF. They regret the “firm silence of the Council,” and its “unwillingness to listen to the citizens’ voice, and to pursue the change the EU needs.” The citizens hope for treaty change: they see it as a “necessity” if it is “the only way for implementing a proposal.”
Federalists, and with them all the supporters of the CoFoE, understand the necessity for Europe to adopt, without reserve, the recommendations put forward by the citizens that took part in the Conference–including the ones that require treaty reform.
Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF said: "we want a powerful and democratic Europe, through the strengthening of European parties and the Parliament. It is not enough that the member states decide by majority. The European Parliament must be able to supervise the work of the Council, have the right of legislative initiative and have more legitimacy thanks to transnational political movements and the introduction of transnational lists. These reforms should have started yesterday.”
The UEF will continue to support the claim of European citizens for a thorough implementation of the recommendations of the conclusion of the CoFoE and advocate for treaty reform, the only viable path towards a federal, sovereign and democratic Europe.
Here below the video of the intervention of our President, Sandro Gozi
For several years now, UEF has been one of the beneficiaries of the operating grant of the “Europe for Citizens” programme of the EACEA – Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Union and before of this program of others.
Thus, we are thrilled to announce that, again this year, UEF has been confirmed beneficiary of the operating grant of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) of the European Union!
The CERV stems from the fusion of the previous programmes “Europe for Citizens” and “Rights, Equality and Citizens Programme”, and aims to protect and promote rights and values as layed down in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights in particular by supporting civil society organisations active at local, regional, national and transnational level.
This grant proves the effectiveness of UEF’s actions for the promotion of democracy and citizens participation in Europe and beyond
In 2023, UEF focuses on the following actions:
• As a CoFoE plenary member, UEF supports the effective, comprehensive and consistent implementation of its conclusions to make the EU fit for the future.
• UEF works for making European elections 2024 a real choice and increasing the turnout. It develops an integrated go vote campaign and builds a civil society coalition to implement it.
• UEF stimulates debates on current challenges, e.g. inflation, energy policy, and raises awareness for EU values as the basis for European solidarity with innovative, creative online formats.
• UEF will continue to deepen & enlarge its network, by empowering its members on the local level to become change makers for Europe.