We would like to share here the opinion signed by UEF President Domenec Ruiz Devesa and published in the Spanish newspaper Informacion with the title: Draghi y Gozi: federalismo pragmático y transformador

To read in Spanish here LINK

The European Parliament has just passed a major report calling for EU reform and enlargement to happen together — a potential turning point for Europe’s future. This video breaks down what the proposal means, who’s behind it, and how it could reshape the Union into a faster, more democratic, and more powerful Europe. We’ll look at what’s changing in decision-making, the Parliament, and the EU budget — and why it matters for countries waiting to join. Could this finally be the first real step toward a federal Europe?

Let’s unpack what just happened in Brussels.

Video produced by our social media partner EU Made Simple.

EP calls for the second time in three years for institutional reforms in view of the enlargement. It also reminds the European Council of its pending proposal approved in 2023 of Treaty amendments.

Brussels, 23 October 2025

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) and the Spinelli Group welcome the approval by the European Parliament of the resolution on the institutional consequences of the EU enlargement negotiations, reported by Sandro Gozi MEP, former Chair of the Spinelli Group and Honorary President of the UEF.  

“This report starts from a simple conviction: the real question today is not whether the European Union should enlarge, but how to ensure that enlargement strengthens our Union. The cost of inaction would be too high. Institutional reform is no longer a choice; it is a necessity. Continental unification and reform must go hand in hand. We must reform the Union to unify Europe.” stated Sandro Gozi.

This landmark resolution sends a clear message to the European Council: Europe cannot enlarge without reforming itself. It outlines concrete steps to make the Union fit for future enlargements and for global challenges that demand a stronger, more democratic, and effective European Union.

“Enlargement and deepening go hand in hand. The candidate countries must make enormous efforts to become eligible for accession. The same applies to the EU. It must reform itself in order to become bigger and stronger and to strengthen its own capacity to act.” Added Gabriele Bischoff, MEP, Chair of the Spinelli Group and Vice-President of Europa Union Deutschland.

In essence, the European Parliament is calling for a more representative and empowered EU Parliament, a streamlined and balanced Commission and a Council freed from the unanimity trap through available flexibility in the Lisbon Treaty and Treaty reforms.

Many of those points recall the resolution approved on 22 November 2023. The European Parliament reminded that it had already submitted a proposal to amend the treaties in accordance with Article 48.
Among the most significant proposals supported by the UEF and the Spinelli Group are:

• The Parliament’s composition must be reformed before enlargement to maintain democratic representativeness while ensuring an efficient size. Reinforce the democratic legitimacy of EU decision-making by strengthening Parliament’s rights of scrutiny and inquiry. Empower Parliament by placing it on an equal footing with the Council and granting it the full right of legislative initiative — the power to propose, amend, or repeal Union laws.This would complete the transition toward a true bicameral legislative system at the EU level.
• The Council’s voting system must be redefined for an enlarged Union. Propose Treaty amendments to expand QMV and reduce unanimity. Reform Article 7 TEU procedure (rule of law mechanism)
• The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) has to be reformed to grant Parliament full co-decision powers on the expenditure side, including the adoption of the Multiannual Financial Framework and to move beyond the historical limit of 1% of the EU’s GDP and introduce new own resources to finance competitiveness, the green transition, and common defence.
• But how to Implement Institutional Reforms Before Enlargement? Some reforms can be achieved without waiting for a full Treaty revision. Differentiated integration must always remain within the Treaty framework, preserving institutional unity and avoiding parallel or alternative structures that would undermine the principles of EU law.
•  In the field of defence, the current Treaties already allow for progress towards a European Common Defence: the Parliament therefore calls on the Commission and willing Member States to activate PESCO provisions without delay to advance towards a permanent European Defence System if there is  no unanimity in the European Council.

“The Gozi Report confirms that the Treaties already provide the legalto establish a Common Defence. As highlighted in the resolution, a qualified majority decision under Article 42(6) TEU and Protocol No.10 could enable the creation of a European Defence System among willing Member States—just as the Economic and Monetary Union began with a smaller group.” underlined Domènec Ruiz Devesa, former MEP and President of the Union of European Federalists “This approach is fully in line with the political proposals advanced by the Union of European Federalists and the Action Committee for the United States of Europe since February 2025: to make Europe capable of defending itself, acting as one, and building a true European sovereignty.”

The UEF and the Spinelli Group call on the European Council, the Commission, and all pro-European forces to translate the European Parliament’s proposals into a roadmap for the establishment of a federal and democratic Union—strong enough to enlarge and to lead.

• Read here the text of the European Parliament resolution of 22 October 2025 on the institutional consequences of the EU enlargement negotiations (2025/2041(INI))  LINK
• Read here the discussion about this resolution  LINK

Brussels, 22 October 2025

Seventy years ago, in 1955, Jean Monnet founded the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, a transnational political initiative that brought together leaders from national parties and trade unions to accelerate European integration. The Committee played a decisive role at the moment of the adoption of theTreaties of Rome, the accession of Britain to the European Communities, and the direct election of the European Parliament.  

In the 1980s, the Committee was revived under the impulse of Max Kohnstamm , Monnet’s direct collaborator in the first Committee. That second incarnation working closely with Jacques Delors contributed the Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty, reaffirming the vision of a political Europe. 

The new Action Committee for the United States of Europe operates through the partnership established by the Union of European Federalists (UEF), the Association Jean Monnet, the Spinelli Group of the European Parliament, the Young European Federalists (JEF),and Civico Europa Network. 

In 2024, the Action Committee was relaunched with a new generation of European leaders and thinkers committed to completing the Union, starting  with the Declaration of 7 May 2024, followed by the Ventotene Declaration of 1 September 2024, the Memorandum on European Defence of 5 March 2025, and the Second Schuman Plan on 9 May 2025. Together, these texts set out a roadmap for a stronger, more sovereign, and more democratic Europe, rooted in the values and methods that guided the original Committee. 

The Final Declaration on a Roadmap to European Sovereignty adopted on 18 October calls among other things for the full implementation of the Letta and Draghi reports, the establishment of a European Common Defence, the  abolition of unanimity In decision-making, and the organisation of an interparliamentary assembly to reinvigorate the integration process. 

Some quotes from the participants: 

“The third Action Committee is aiming at developing a ‘collective Monnet’, composed pro-European personalities to foster a common vision for a stronger and federal Union” - Domenec Ruiz Devesa, Former MEP 2019-2024 and President of UEF 

“We should not take for granted the European project and be aware of the challenges we need to overcome. All pro-European forces need to fight together, starting by implementing the necessary institutional challenges to tackle the EU's challenges.” Fernando Mariano Sampedro Marcos, Spanish State Secretary for the European Union 

“European federalism is the most ambitious political project in mankind” — Mario Monti, Professor at University Bocconi, former Prime Minister of Italy, former European Commissioner and Member of the Senate of the Italian Republic. 

“The West as we knew it doesn’t exist anymore. As Europeans, we need to overcome our internal institutional competition, clarify and use the tools that we already have on the table to finally build our strategic autonomy.” — Josep Borrell, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and former President of the European Parliament 

“We can criticise the functioning of the EU institutions, but we can not make the big mistake of delegitimising them. We should build the future together, constructively” — Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former Prime Minister of Italy 

“If we want a peaceful future, it must be federal” — Enrique Baron Crespo, former President of the European Parliament and President of UEF Spain 

“Uniting the pro-European forces of Europe is a start. But thinking of the states alone without the citizens won’t work” — Othmar Karas, Former First Vice President of the European Parliament 

“The call to relaunch the Action Committee for the United States of Europe reminds us of our founding purpose: to secure peace, freedom, and democracy through unity. A federal Europe is not a dream of the past — it is the condition for our shared future. Now is the time for courage, trust, and joint responsibility, so that Europe can stand tall and speak with one voice in a world of giants.” — Andrea Wechsler, MEP and President of Europa Union Deuschland (EUD-UEF Germany)

"Times of crisis - and the 2020s are certainly one of them - often lead citizens and politicians to caution, not to innovation or deep reform. But we, as federalists, are here to challenge them and push them to act. Because these reforms are exactly what we need in moments like this, to move forward and progress together." — Christell Savall, President of Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) 

"We must be bold enough to acknowledge our failures: the threats we underestimated, the crises we allowed to grow. We must confront the nationalist and populist forces that seek to divide us and to put down what we have spent at least 70 years building. I do believe that hope, boldness, and courage must guide us to build a strong Europe with its citizens, for its citizens. I am confident this Action Committee will honour the legacy of those who came before us." — Mathilde Baudouin, Secretary General of the Union of European Federalists (UEF) 

Declaration A Roadmap to European Sovereignty LINK

All statements, documents, and activities of the Committee can be consulted on the website of the Union of European Federalists. LINK 

Pictures here by the photographer David Arous: Day 1 LINK, Day 2 LINK

Program, List of Participants and Background Paper LINK

Brussels, 10 October 2025

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the joint resolution “on a united response to recent Russian violations of EU Member States’ airspace and critical infrastructure”[1], which marks a significant step forward towards the creation of a European Defence Union.

The resolution was approved with a broad cross-party majority of 469 votes in favour, 97 against and 38 abstentions, including support from several opposition parties beyond the current pro-European majority.
This wide consensus reflects a growing understanding across the political spectrum that Europe’s security must be guaranteed through shared institutions, capabilities, and solidarity.

For the first time, the European Parliament explicitly states that “MEPs insist on the urgent need to move towards a genuine European Defence Union, building on and going further than existing frameworks such as the White Paper for European Defence and Readiness 2030”, and calls for:

• the establishment of a European command-and-control structure complementing NATO;
• a common logistics and intelligence framework;
• and the activation of Article 42(7) TEU, the mutual assistance clause, to ensure collective European action in the face of external threats.

Domenec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists, stated:
“This resolution sends a clear political message: Europe must be able to defend itself.
The European Parliament’s call for a genuine European Defence Union, for a common command and logistics structure, and for the activation of Article 42(7) are not only technical measures — they are in line with the UEF’s political demands, as outlined in our 2025 Policy Paper on a Common European Defence[2] and the Memorandum on a European Defence Union of the “Action committee of the United States of Europe”[3].
These are essential intermediate steps towards a true European Defence Union.
The UEF strongly supports this cross-party commitment and urges Member States and the European Council to turn these words into an institutional reality by establishing shared structures and taking a federal approach to European defence. The treaties should also be reformed to ensure that the European Parliament can exercise democratic control over the European defence system, and unanimity should be abolished across the board in the European Council, particularly with regard to foreign and security policy, taxation, and the Multiannual Financial Framework.”

The UEF considers this resolution a major political signal of consensus across pro-European and opposition forces that Europe’s defence can no longer remain fragmented among 27 national systems.
Only by pooling sovereignty and resources within a federal framework can the European Union guarantee the security of its citizens, complementing NATO and contributing to global stability.

The UEF calls on European leaders to use this momentum to move from coordination to federation, ensuring that the European Union gains the democratic and institutional tools to act as a true geopolitical power.

Mathilde Baudouin

Secretary General of the UEF

[1] PR of the EP Parliament https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20251003IPR30664/call-for-a-unified-eu-response-to-russian-violations-and-hybrid-warfare-threats

[2] Read here https://federalists.eu/federalist-library/proposal-on-a-common-european-defence/

[3] Read here https://federalists.eu/campaign/re-launching-of-the-action-committee-for-the-united-states-of-europe/memorandum-on-european-defence-union/

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) has today sent a letter signed by the UEF President Domenec Ruiz Devesa and the Vice President Markus Ferber to all Members of the European Parliament, urging them to adopt a firm stance on the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 and to press for a Treaty reform under Article 48 TEU.

What the letter asks for

In the letter, UEF calls on Parliament to adopt a resolution that:

1. Invites the European Commission to withdraw and replace its July 2025 MFF proposal, pursuant to Article 293(2) TFEU.
2. Refuses to enter into consent negotiations or interinstitutional trilogue talks based on the current MFF package, unless significant changes are made.
3. Conditions further engagement on a positive response by the European Council to Parliament’s prior resolution of 22 November 2023, which called for a Convention and Treaty reform under Article 48 TEU.

UEF argues that the existing MFF proposal risks renationalising Cohesion Policy, weakening shared management, under-funding European public goods (in areas like defence, critical technologies, green transition), reducing the role of EU own resources, and concentrating decision-making at the national level while diluting Parliament’s authority.

Significance of the action

This mass appeal is part of UEF’s broader strategy to ensure that the next EU budget and the architecture of EU governance align with federal, democratic, and accountable principles. By engaging directly with MEPs across political groups, UEF aims to build a cross-party coalition that demands:

• A strong EU-level financing framework, rooted in genuine own resources;
• A cohesion policy maintained as a union policy beyond purely national envelopes;
• A governance model preserving Parliament’s prerogatives and democratic oversight;
• A Treaty reform that allows Europe to evolve beyond unanimity blocks.

Domènec Ruiz Devesa (UEF President) and Markus Ferber (Vice-President) co-signed the letter, signalling the importance UEF places on both parliamentary engagement and structural reform.

What’s next

We will closely monitor how MEPs react and whether they respond with a resolution reflecting these demands. UEF will also engage national chapters and civil society networks to push for sustained momentum in the coming months.

Stay tuned for updates — your support and mobilization in your country will be essential.

We are pleased to announce that the Committee on Petitions (PETI) of the European Parliament has formally declared admissible UEF’s Petition No. 0456/2025 concerning the reform of the Treaty of Lisbon.

In its letter dated 26 September 2025, the PETI Chair, Bogdan Rzońca, confirms that the petition “falls within the European Union’s fields of activity” and that it has been accepted for further processing. The Committee has also requested that the European Commission carry out a preliminary investigation into the issues raised in the petition.

Moreover, owing to the constitutional character of the matter, PETI has referred the petition to the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) for additional examination.

This is a major step forward for our campaign Treaty Reform Now! and for democratic accountability in Europe.

The formal admissibility signals that the European Parliament is now officially engaging with the content of the petition, assessing the legal and institutional implications of the proposed Treaty reforms.

We will continue to provide updates and keep all supporters informed as the process unfolds.

We would like to share here the opinion signed by UEF President Domenec Ruiz Devesa and published in the Spanish review  with the title: Democrata Informacion Parlamentaria.

Read here the original article in Spanish LINK HERE

In November 2023, the plenary of the European Parliament adopted an ambitious proposal for the reform of the EU Treaties. This project responded to the political and democratic mandate received following the Conference on the Future of Europe, an unprecedented exercise in citizens' deliberation which, through representative citizens' panels, called for a more effective, more democratic and more empowered Europe, in an increasingly complex and hostile geopolitical context. In short, they asked for more and better Europe.

Among the main innovations proposed were:

• the elimination of unanimity in many areas (including foreign policy)
• the strengthening of the European Parliament's legislative power
• the creation of shared competences in public health, energy, defence or education
• the affirmation of the rule of law as a binding basis for institutional functioning.

These reforms are not a federalist whim, but a functional necessity: we cannot enlarge the Union to 30 or 35 States with institutional structures designed for six, and subject to the permanent blockage of national vetoes. Vetocracy is not compatible with enlargement, nor with an effective Union.

The European Parliament's proposal triggered the ordinary reform procedure provided for in Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). This article expressly recognises that the European Parliament - like the Commission and the Member States - has the right to submit proposals to amend the Treaties. Once a proposal has been submitted, the European Council must examine it and decide, by a simple majority, whether to convene a Convention to discuss it, whether to entrust an Intergovernmental Conference directly with the drafting of the new texts, or whether to ask Parliament to withdraw the proposal. Under no circumstances can it ignore the request for reform: it is obliged to deal with it.

This procedure has been followed correctly: the plenary of the Parliament approved a series of articulated amendments to the Treaties, and the Council, under the Spanish Presidency, formally transmitted the proposal to the European Council in December 2023. Since then, the European Council has not even acknowledged receipt, nor has it debated the issue, nor has it responded in any way. This silence is politically but also legally unacceptable, as well as grossly disrespectful to the parliamentary institution.

Although article 48 does not set a specific deadline for a reply, it is clear that a prolonged omission violates both the article itself and the principle of loyal cooperation enshrined in article 13(2) TEU, which states that "the institutions shall cooperate in good faith with each other". The absence of an explicit deadline in Article 48 TEU does not mean that the European Council can ignore the reform proposal indefinitely. According to the settled case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, when a legislative text does not set a specific deadline, it must be understood that the institution concerned is obliged to act within a reasonable period of time.
This doctrine, developed in particular in the context of Article 265 TFEU (action for failure to act), requires the institution called upon to act to define a clear position within an appropriate period of time, so that prolonged failure to act may give rise to legal liability. Moreover, this requirement is reinforced by Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which guarantees the right of every person to good administration, including the obligation for the institutions to deal with matters within their competence within a reasonable time. Applied to the present case, the silence of the European Council since December 2023 constitutes a clear breach of this principle, all the more so in the case of an institutional proposal duly submitted by the Parliament.

We would like to share here the opinion signed by UEF President Domenec Ruiz Devesa and published in the Spanish newspaper Informacion with the title: Von der Leyen: ¿cambio de rumbo?

To read in Spanish here LINK or here below in English

President Von der Leyen arrived at the September 2025 State of the Union debate weakened by a poor start to her second term, particularly on her stance on Gaza, but also on the rather vassal relationship with Trump's United States, and the bizarre proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 presented in July. Against this backdrop, the Commission president declared "Europe's independence" and her willingness to work with the pro-European majority in the European Parliament. She made numerous announcements of plans, summits, initiatives, from cars to affordable housing, from support for the Mercosur agreement, to strengthening energy interconnections and battery production, to support for just transition in the framework of the Green Pact, to more protection for European steel, and all with a strong social accent (including the goal of eliminating poverty in Europe by 2050).

All very laudable but it remains to be seen how it will play out, given Germany's well-known penchant for the use and abuse of big announcements, and its overriding need to change the conversation around a number of important gaffes. Only on the Middle East is there a real change of course on the part of the European Commission.

Von der Leyen, after many, many months of thunderous silence and inaction, has finally taken the bull by the horns, proposing to (partially) suspend the trade dimension of Israel's Association Agreement with the EU. But as Josep Borrell points out, this measure, which has yet to be approved by member states in the Council (by qualified majority) is rather limited (imposition of tariffs worth some 230 million euros per year), and comes "50,000 deaths too late". It is also proposed to suspend funding for Horizon Europe and other programmes; and to sanction extremist Israeli ministers (this will be more difficult because it requires unanimity). Welcome correction but much more will be needed to stop the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

On Ukraine, perhaps the only major area where the Commission and the High Representative have remained on track after the change of cycle, work is underway on the 19th sanctions package to accelerate the end of dependence on Russian crude oil, end the ghost tanker fleet, and limit Russia's trade with third countries. In addition, Von der Leyen announced a plan, the details of which are still unclear, to mobilise Russia's frozen financial assets to provide a 'reparations loan' to Ukraine, which is not to be repaid until the aggressor compensates for the damage it has caused.
That said, von der Leyen was unwilling or unable to propose a change of course on other key issues. He spoke of continuing to implement the Letta and Draghi reports on the internal market and competitiveness, but nothing about issuing common debt to finance investments and strengthen the euro as an international currency, as proposed by the former president of the European Central Bank. He defended tooth and nail the humiliating and damaging trade agreement (sic) with Trump, whose only justification is our dependence on Washington in military matters, but did not propose to create a Common European Defence, as foreseen in the Treaty, with a strategic and operational dimension, but more money for joint arms production.
He also re-emphasised his proposal for a multi-annual budget which, if approved as it stands, would mean the end of regional and cohesion policy as we understand it, completely marginalising the role of the European regions and the European Parliament in its design and implementation.

She also defended the enlargement of the Union without linking it to institutional reforms, which is unfeasible, beyond calling for an end to unanimity in foreign policy decision-making, without proposing any plan in this regard, or making any reference to the proposal for reform of the Treaties submitted by the European Parliament to the Council in November 2023.

At the moment, only the European Parliament has the power to provoke a real turning point that would restore the credibility of the integration project and its federal vocation. On the one hand, it can vote against the proposal to reduce European tariffs on US goods, arguably the most implausible part of the deal reached by Von der Leyen and Trump, when the EU must accept tariffs of 15 per cent on its goods. On the other hand, it can reject outright the proposed new Multiannual Financial Framework, asking for its return and negotiating on a new proposal and linking its final approval to the opening of the treaty reform procedure. It remains to be seen what majorities can be achieved on these issues in the coming days. Watch out.

The opening took place on September 7 with a round table at the Ventotene Town Hall, attended by Mayor Carmine Caputo and representatives of the organizations: Nikos Chircop (JEF Europe), Sara Bertolli (GFE), Melanie Thut (JEF Germany), Antonio Argenziano (UEF), Dora Bender (Challenge), Younes Ahmed (DFH Palestine), and Dvir Aviam Ezra (DFH Israel). The meeting, moderated by Moritz Hergl, was enriched by a video message from Tobias Flessenkemper, Director of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.

In his speech, Caputo reiterated the value of the initiative for the island as a place not only of memory but also of building dialogue and peace. This message was echoed by the other speakers, who stressed the enduring relevance of the Ventotene Manifesto as a beacon of hope born during one of the darkest periods in human history, and now renewed by young people from Europe, Israel, and Palestine.

About thirty activists from Israel, Palestine, and various European countries are taking part in the Forum. Through workshops and shared training sessions, they explore federalism as an innovative framework to overcome divisions, strengthen dialogue, and propose lasting solutions to contemporary conflicts.

The aim is to create stable networks, promote intercultural understanding, and provide useful tools to be applied in their community and professional contexts, with a particular focus on the Middle East, but within a vision of global cooperation.

Press Release by JEF Europe on the Final Outcome

Pictures

Video of the Press Conference on the Italian Senate Place