U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 23 - May 2005 U.E.F. NEWSLETTER 1. FOREWORD BY MERCEDES BRESSO, No. 23 - May 2005 UEF PRESIDENT Europe is facing new and fundamental INDEX: choices: the ratification of the European Constitution has revamped a row of questions 1. FOREWORD by Mercedes BRESSO, and doubts to be confronted such as: President of UEF Which kind of Europe do we want? What are 2. FUTURE ACTIVITIES: the values and perspectives of the new • Seminar in Sofia about enlargement Europe? Do we need more market • UEF enlarged Bureau meeting (including deregulation or more social cohesion? Are the Presidents, Secretary-Generals and we ready for a single European political Treasurers of UEF constituent orgs) economy? Can Europe sustain further • Seminar in Bad Marienberg about the enlargement? European Constitution The debate over ratification in France is 3. PAST ACTIVITIES: important for all of us because for the first • Open door day in the European time European citizens face themselves and Institutions in Brussels they divide over Europe’s future on topical political issues, such as political economy, • Events and actions organised by UEF civil liberties and foreign policy. France for the OUI • Seminar in Bardoneccia about Debate over Europe now reverberates the enlargement and the Constitution fear of social dumping expressed by the left • UEF Federal Committee meeting and wing supporters of the NO, or on the other extraordinary European Congress hand of the political spectrum the nationalistic instinct of the right wing that 4. NEWS FROM UEF SECRETARIAT does not want Turkey in Europe. 5. NEWS FROM UEF MEMBER Those who support the ratification hold ORGANISATIONS better arguments: the Constitution is a • Council of Members of NOMES/NEBS framework for regulation and not a call for a (UEF Switzerland) liberalistic “free for all” market. According to • Bureau meeting of UEF Groupe-Europe the Constitution all 25 countries should apply important social rights and for some of the • Annual General Meeting of Federal countries this is a new step forward. Union The introduction of the single currency has 6. YES – CAMPAIGN given a great impulse to regional integration but the limited power of the European 7. FEDERALIST INTERGROUP IN Central Bank has showed dramatically the THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT limit of a central bank which is still not a federal bank and the Constitution opens the 8. PRESS REVIEW way to further economic integration. 9. USEFUL LINKS 10. FRIENDS OF UEF Regarding Turkey, the Treaty will serve to measure this country’s progress on the 11. CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES grounds of human rights and civil liberties and therefore to estimate its accession by UEF 214 D Chaussée de Wavre, B-1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 508 30 30, Fax. +32 2 626 95 01 Page 1 of 1 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.federaleurope.org U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 23 - May 2005 reasons of democracy and freedom and not time). The subject of the conference will be by a civilisation test. the “The Impact of the Enlargement of the EU”. Round tables are going to take place The Constitution allows those moves and it about “The Impact of the Enlargement on the opens the way to a phase of European internal functioning of the EU in perspective integration in which citizens are directly of the European Constitution”, “Challenges involved and could influence the future of for Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia on their the continent. The debate over the way to the EU” and “Bringing the Union Constitution has opened the possibility for a Closer to the Citizens. Further Actions of truly accountable European Union. UEF and JEF after the referenda in France Thus, in my view, federalists must strongly and the Netherlands”. support a YES to the constitution not because Accommodation is reserved in the Grandhotel this Treaty is ‘perfect’ or ‘federalist’ but "Bulgaria" (5 Tzar Osvoboditel Boulevard, because it allows moving forward European 1000 Sofia), where a single room costs 35 integration and therefore brings us closer to Euro and a double room 50 Euro. The our final goal. working language will be . English In conclusion, whatever will be the vote in Travel reimbursement is provided, up to a France, let’s prepare ourselves for a new maximum of 150 Euro per Person, to cover period of engagement because either with a 50% of a 2nd class return ticket (APEX ticket YES or a NO to the Constitution the or 2nd class train ticket), or the cheapest European debate has changed and it will be means of travel. The other half is considered more heavily influenced by the federalist as participation fee to the conference. For view and perspectives. people wishing to come by car, there should be at least two people in one car, with a reimbursement of one-way at 0,13 Euros per kilometre. Accommodation reimbursement is provided for the two nights in Grandhotel “Bulgaria”. To find the programme of the Conference, please click here: http://en.federaleurope.org/fileadmin/user_upl oad/Programme_Sofia_Seminar.doc. UEF enlarged Bureau meeting Mercedes BRESSO, UEF President 18-19 June, Brussels The next enlarged Bureau Meeting of UEF is 2. FUTURE ACTIVITIES going to take place on 18 June 2005 in the "Maison des Associations Internationales" in Seminar about "The Impact of the Brussels. All Presidents, Secretary- Enlargement of the EU", 3-5 June, Sofia Generals as well as the Treasurers of UEF UEF and EYM Bulgaria, with the financial constituent organisations are invited to join this meeting! In order to update and give a support of UEF supra national, is organising fresh start to the political and administrative an International Conference in Sofia. It is orientations of UEF, at a time when Mercedes going to take place from Friday 3 June BRESSO is starting her mandate as President (afternoon) to Sunday 5 June 2005 (lunch of UEF and Europe tries to pass the next UEF 214 D Chaussée de Wavre, B-1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 508 30 30, Fax. +32 2 626 95 01 Page 2 of 2 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.federaleurope.org U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 23 - May 2005 crucial step on its way towards political European Constitution and Europe’s youth”. union, it seems appropriate to closely On Saturday morning, 3 working groups will associate the member organisations with those be held, with the following titles: “What does considerations. Please do not miss this the European Constitution bring to the important opportunity for communication citizens”, “Ukraine and the EU: is there with the U.E.F. Bureau and the new progress?” and “The Enlargement of the EU”. President! Please click here in order to find the draft For more details, please click here: programme of this Seminar: http://en.federaleurope.org/index.php?id=280 http://en.federaleurope.org/fileadmin/user_upl (or simply go to www.federaleurope.org and oad/Programme_Bad_Marienberg_EN.doc click on ‘UEF activities’, ‘future events’, (or simply go to www.federaleurope.org and ‘enlarged BM’). click on ‘UEF activities’, ‘future events’, For the registration form, please click here: ‘seminar in Bad Marienberg’). http://en.federaleurope.org/fileadmin/user_upl oad/Registration_Form_enlarged_Bureau_me Conditions for participation eting.doc For participation in the programme, accommodation (single or double room with On Sunday 19 June, a Bureau meeting is shower/WC), food, participants will be asked going to take place in the UEF office meeting to pay 40,00 . They must cover the travel room, in the usual restricted round. costs themselves. “XIII Marienberger Gespräche zur Einheit Participants from Central and Eastern Europe Europas”, 24-26 June 2005 might get free places and a subvention to Bad Marienberg travel costs up to 50,00 per person in special circumstances. You are encouraged to create Europa-Haus Marienberg, together with UEF, travel groups. You can ask for the more are organising the “XIII Marienberger detailed conditions per Telephone: Gespräche zur Einheit Europas”. This year +49/2661/640-0, Fax: 640-100 or e-mail: they are going to take place from 24 to 26 [email protected]. June 2005 in Bad Marienberg (D). The subject of the Seminar will be “The European For detailed travel indications, please visit the Constitution and the Europe of the Citizens”. home page of Europa-Haus Marienberg: Speakers include Wolfram KUSCHKE, www.europa-haus-marienberg.de. Minister for European affairs and Media of the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, Friedhelm Registration FRISCHENSCHLAGER, from UEF Austria, If you are interested in participating in the Hildegard KLÄR, from Europa-Union Seminar, please register directly in writing Deutschland, Peter STREMPEL, JEF Europe, with Europa-Haus Marienberg, per Fax: +49 and others. Around 60 participants from (0) 26 61 640 – 100 or e-mail: ehm@europa- Germany, Western and Eastern Europe are haus-marienberg.de. expected. Working language Several panel discussions about the following The working languages will be German and issues are going to take place: “The EU at the English, with translation available from and crossroads: quo vadis Europe?”, “The into both of those languages. constitutional treaty and the future of Europe: a (mid-term) evaluation” as well as “The UEF 214 D Chaussée de Wavre, B-1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 508 30 30, Fax. +32 2 626 95 01 Page 3 of 3 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.federaleurope.org U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 23 - May 2005 3. PAST ACTIVITIES A link to the picture gallery: http://www.yes- campaign.net/index.php?id=1652&tx_lzgaller Actions all around Europe to support the y_pi1[showUid]=22. OUI, 22nd May Upon arrival in Paris, several groups of In order to show the wide support for the OUI activists have been mobilised and sent to around Europe, the partners of the YES different parts of the city to distribute many campaign took the initiative of having a leaflets with reasons to vote OUI and the common day of activities around Europe innovative "OUI seeds" and "OUI flowers" aimed at the French public in all EU member (details can be found in the Supporters' area states.