In the paper, some eminent experts of the Movimento Federalista Europeo (MFE), the Italian section of the Union of European Federalists, outline a series of reforms of the EU institutional architecture, which might streamline and democratise the functioning to the Union.

Sandro Gozi, European Parliament member and Union of European Federalists President, has sent to the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) and of the The Spinelli Group the last issue of the series Federalist papers “The European Union and the return of war. The Urgent need for a federal Europe, Sovereign and Democratic” with the introduction of Sandro Gozi itself.

Here the paper online

Here the paper in PDF 

In the paper, some eminent experts of the Movimento Federalista Europeo (MFE), the Italian section of the Union of European Federalists, outline a series of reforms of the EU institutional architecture, which might streamline and democratise the functioning to the Union.

For instance, it is proposed:

• the transition towards a Parliamentary system where the European Parliament and the Council will turn into the Low and the High Chamber respectively, and the Commission will act as the Executive of the Union.
• this overhaul of the institutional framework should be coupled with the extension of the Ordinary Legislative Procedure to all policy areas, the budgetary empowerment of the European Parliament and the overcoming of unanimity voting in the Council.

We public here the introduction written from Sandro Gozi

"European unity, as we have known it since 1951, was built on the ashes of the Second World War, the most devastating conflict in the history of humankind. Now, eighty years on, war has returned to our continent, and it is drawing increasingly and dangerously close to the borders of the European Union. However, Putin’s attempt to exploit the divisions between the twenty-seven member states has failed, and indeed only reinforced the sense of belonging and unity that had already emerged during the pandemic. While pro-European forces certainly cannot but draw satisfaction from the emergence of this new “geopolitical” Union, the unprecedented political cohesion we are witnessing today must not result in political immobility, or short-sighted acceptance of the way the Treaties, in their current form, are limiting the scope for affirmation of a truly transnational political system. Rather, the EU’s current capacity for action, limited by the competences attributed to it, as well as by the fact that unanimity is still required in numerous areas, should drive us to demand, more insistently than ever, a sovereign and democratic Europe. It is, above all, crucial to overcome the idea that the single twenty-seven nations have a monopoly on democracy, and that this can be exercised solely within their own borders.

The very survival of Europe’s nation-states, now incapable of guaranteeing their own vital interests in the face of a world made of “empires”, from Russia to China, hinges on the success of this transnational project. The main challenges faced by the world every day, such as climate change, the digital transition, and the safeguarding of multilateralism, are indeed transnational issues and, as such, cannot be addressed through unilateral actions by the single nation-states, whose influence has declined dramatically. At the same time, the attribution of new competences to the EU must necessarily be accompanied by the creation of a genuine European political space, to be achieved through the progressive affirmation of transnational political and civic subjects as the main protagonists of truly European elections and debate.

Today, the EU cannot yet call itself fully democratic, or a power, or less still sovereign. This was, in fact, one of the main conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which saw participating citizens calling upon European and national politics to make the EU more social, greener, and above all more democratic and attentive to the demands of its citizens. Such an appeal cannot and must not go unheeded. The European Parliament, abiding by its commitment, immediately approved the reform of electoral law that introduces transnational lists, and voted to trigger Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union, thereby initiating the procedure for amending the Treaties, asking the European Council to convene, at the earliest opportunity, a Convention for this purpose. I think the ideas and proposals set out in this “federalist paper” can contribute in a concrete and constructive way to the democratisation of the EU in the context of this imminent process of European reform.

Deeming it now indispensable, we want a federal, sovereign and democratic Europe, aimed at defending the values and principles of peace, multilateralism and cooperation between free and sovereign countries, as well as national and local values, interests and identities; and ready to act as a power on the global stage to more effectively manage the problems and challenges which the nation-states have lost the ability to control."

The European Parliament confirms the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and calls for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties

The European Parliament confirms the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and calls for a Convention for the revision of the Treaties

In the light of the current crises, the European Union has shown not to be a fully democratic and sovereign power. It is one of the main conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), which ended on 9 May 2022. On that day, which celebrated the Schuman Declaration of 1950, European citizens, through the CoFoE conclusions, called on European representatives and political leaders to reform the European Union to make it fit for the challenges of the modern world.

The European federalists are convinced that the starting point of this process is the launch of a Convention that defines the new rules of the European project by revising the Treaties.

Yesterday's vote of the European Parliament endorses the results of the CoFoE and calls on the European Council to initiate the process of revising the EU Treaties, under Article 48 of the Treaty on the European Union, by convening a Convention. The resolution was adopted at the Strasbourg plenary with 355 votes in favor, 154 against, and 48 abstentions.

This vote is a step forward for a more federal, sovereign and democratic Europe, and an important victory for the European federalists. The resolution calls for a reform of Europe’s institutional architecture, an issue that has been the main focus of federalist activity during the CoFoE, through the mobilisation of citizens on the multilingual platform futureu.europa.eu, and the work of its members in the CoFoE Plenary and the Democracy working group.

The resolution includes some of the most important demands for the reform of the European Union, as formulated in the CoFoE conclusions and supported by the European federalists.
In particular:

• on the EU's budgetary power, the text calls for the recognition of the Parliament's "full co-legislative rights on the EU budget" as well as the recognition of the European Parliament's direct right of initiative on legislative matters, which is the right of every national parliament;
• on voting procedures within the Council, the resolution calls for improving Europe’s capacity to act, thanks to a shift from the unanimity rule to qualified majority voting in areas such as sanctions, “passerelle” clauses, and emergencies;
• on the EU's competencies in the areas of health and cross-border health threats, the completion of the energy union - based on efficiency and renewables in line with international agreements on climate change -, in defense, and social and economic policies, the resolution asks for a reinforcement of the powers of the Union.

Sandro Gozi, President of the UEF said: "The conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and the demands of European citizens are clear: Europe will either be democratic and powerful or it will not be. Today, citizens expect a good outcome from the Parliament: we wanted this open debate with them, and now we have to respect our commitments and reform the treaties.
The world has changed, war has returned to our continent and has shown our weaknesses even more. We live in an age of empires where we have to decide whether to exist or disappear: unanimity is the guarantee of our disappearance.”

The European Council will discuss the conclusions of the CoFoE on the agenda for its next meeting on the 23 and 24 June. The European federalists will continue to advocate in favor of the recommendations of the CoFoE and for the convening of a Convention on the Reform of the Treaties, at both national and European levels.

Download here the PDF version

Download here the Resolution adopted​​​​​​​

On 9 May 2022, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) unveiled a mural on the Future of Europe by urban artist Antonyo Marest in the heart of the Esplanade campus of the University of Strasbourg. The artwork was painted in the framework of UEF’s project “MAKE EUROPE BLOOM: the Time is Now!”. The creation of the mural was part of the Strasbourg Summit programme, which brought together all the actors of European civil society from 5 to 8 May, as well as of the Lieu d’Europe project of the City of Strasbourg.

The inauguration was attended by local representatives, among which: Ms Carole Zielinski, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg in charge of Local Democracy, Citizens' Initiatives and Participation, Mr Nicolas Matt, Vice-president of the European Collectivity of Alsace, Mr Michel Deneken, President of the University of Strasbourg, Mr Mathieu Schneider, Vice-President of the University of Strasbourg. Local sections of the UEF and citizens took part in the event.

MAKE EUROPE BLOOM: The Time Is Now! is a project organised by the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and funded by the European Parliament. This project aims at raising awareness on the importance of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and its results presented on 9 May 2022.

Officially launched on Europe Day 2021, MAKE EUROPE BLOOM: The Time Is Now! carries out activities in different European cities. The first mural in Valencia, Spain, completed in July 2021, marked the start of this project, expected to last until June 2022. After Strasbourg, the next mural will be delivered at the end of May in Tartu, Estonia.

In addition, building on President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen’s 2020 State of the Union speech, this project also contributes to setting up the New European Bauhaus, a cultural and green architectural project, by mirroring citizens’ feelings on Europe through art. In order to meet this innovative approach, the UEF is counting on renowned urban artists to help us make Europe bloom with their art.

The creative process drew from the will of citizens. Before the production, UEF and the city of Strasbourg distributed an online survey among citizens, NGOs, and various local organisations. Antonyo Marest and his team created the mural from its results, which was then carried out.

The mural in Strasbourg consists of two side-by-side frescoes that interact with each other. Its creation on Strasbourg’s university campus makes it an excellent channel for communication and reflection for students and citizens.

On the left mural, the slogan 'Make Europe Bloom' can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner, the name of the project. Its font and colour scheme recalls the colours of the European flag, translating a symbol into a call to action.

On the right fresco, symbolism takes precedence over words, where two stars, one emerging and one being born, are incorporated into the scene to become part of the larger symbol that represents freedom, unity, and strength of free countries, alongside the flag of the European Union.

The artist is aware of the current situation in Ukraine and of its urgency. Identity symbols characterised by graphic icons such as the scales, laurel, bridges or clasping hands, chosen by the people who took part in the survey, have lost their meaning and have been decontextualised in their figuration. It plants the vibrant return of the notion and essence of Europe.

With these frescoes, artist Antonyo Marest has chosen to synthesise as much as possible the diversity and differences between our countries, as well as those that are found in each of us as complementary members of a complex society. Beyond shapes and colours, this singularity fits perfectly into a social map where no State can exercise a hegemony of criteria of size, strength, or intensity. It is a composition that, as a social map, shows us the maximum exponent of our rights, the greatest of virtues, the capacity for integration and growth.

The establishment of equality between citizens and Member States makes our society more democratic, fairer, more progressive and, above all, it creates a reference for the future to attract new countries to the path towards a better future.

PRESENTATION OF THE MURAL BY THE ARTIST

(ENGLISH, SPANISH, FRENCH)

Press Contact:

anna.echterhoff@federalists.eu

Anna ECHTERHOFF
Secretary General

On the Europe Day UEF participated with UEF Austria, JEF Austria, Europe Direct Wien, R9 channel, contribute to the organization of The Online Symposius about the future of Europe.

Watch below the registration of the various interventions moderated by Nana Waltzer

• Democracy in Europe: past and present: Dimitris Charalambis/University of Athens
• We are Europe: The Future Conference: Anna Echterhoff/General Secretary of UEF Europe
• Democracy in the States of Europe, Dirk van den Boom/University of Münster
• Democracy in the EU and the EP, Rainer Wieland/Vice President of the European Parliament
• Digital Democracy: Wikipedia Anton Schäfer and Diego Hättenschwiler/Wikipedia experts
• Academic freedom and democracy education Shalini Randeria/Rector CEU-Central European University
• Europe Now: Co-determination in Europe Götz Otto/Actor and Nana Walzer

Podcast with Nana Walzer | 3 May 2022

In the World Press Freedom Day, UEF in cooperation with Association of European Journalists (AEJ) celebrated that day with a reflection and analysis about the situation of Press freedom in Hungary where nowdays it is a right very compressed by the government of Viktor Orban since 2010.

The restriction of press freedom in Hungary is one of those examples where the European Union should act by placing conditions on the disbursement of European funds with respect for civil rights, but due the sovereignty of the country it is very difficult to proceed.

The topics were debated by Ester Nagy, UEF EB member, and Otmas Lahodinsky, AEJ, and the event was moderated by Nana Walzer.

You can watch the registration here LINK.

UEF President Sandro GOZI: A good day for Europe - France remains pro-European! Congratulations, Monsieur le Président!

The whole European Union had its eyes on France these days. It would have been unthinkable if the run-off election in its Member State, one of the six founding members, had not gone in favor of Emmanuel Macron. It would have been a political earthquake not only in France but in the entire EU. In his first term in office, President Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in making France once again an "engine with high horsepower “in view of the European integration. He gave new political impetus to the European project, which had fallen into the status quo as a result of the many crises of the last decade. Needless to remind that it was Macron who first called for the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE); it is also due to him that today we are again talking about a common European defence.

"Many times – too many times – Europe has been at a crossroads. The European Union needs France as a strong Member State, especially because democracies in some; Member States are currently under pressure. Likewise, the disregard for the rule of law in some countries requires united and decisive action at European level. With the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, Europe is facing the question of survival in terms of its values and its political order. The time to complete the European project, which was created precisely to prevent war and despotism in Europe, is now, “states the UEF President. "Right now, the EU is demonstrating unity and determination in the face of this dramatic common threat; but once again its strength is in reaction and has not been in action. EU lacks genuine competences in foreign and security policy, in defence policy, in industrial and energy policy, and in one word it is not politically equipped to act effectively. Even its economic union is incomplete, since we do not have a fiscal union and a federal budget”, Sandro GOZI concludes.

Emmanuel Macron is thus the first President since Jacques Chirac elected in office for a second term. However, the result of the two candidates this time was much closer than in 2017. While the gap between Macron and the right-wing populist candidate in the run-off election in 2017 was more than 30 %, today it is 17 %. „If you take a closer look and include the turnout of 72 %, the election result should be seen as a wake-up call. Especially for us pro-European civil society organisations working to strengthen the democracy and in particular the European democracy, this election result gives a clear mandate and shows the need for even greater engagement at the local level. As Union of European Federalists, we take this mandate and will intensify our efforts in the promotion of European democracy and values. We will also support our UEF-section in France to grow at the local level. However, this is not only a need in France but also in other Member States. If we do not succeed in convincing the citizens of the need of a united Europe, the European project will have no future," says UEF President Sandro GOZI. As a member of the CoFoE, the UEF, which exists for over 75 years, has repeatedly pointed out the special importance of organised civil society in the context of European integration.

In June, Europe will once again look to France for the election of the National Assembly.

Read here German version