U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 33– July 2006 U.E.F. NEWSLETTER in charge and of the Austrian federalist N° 33 activists. I would like to thank them for all their work and efforts. Thanks also go to the team from Brussels, which prepared and INDEX: managed the dissemination of the practical and political information that contributed so 1. FOREWORD by Michel Morin much to the success of these events, and both of these reflect the current strength of our 2. SECOND EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ supranational organisation. CONVENTION This Newsletter is devoted mainly to what 3. XXI UEF CONGRESS took place during the Convention and the Congress. The key question is, is it possible 4. OTHER PAST EVENTS for everyone to endorse the plans and Marienberg Talks on European Unity conclusions which were discussed and 60 years of Europa Union in Hessen adopted to engage in the new federalist JEF International Summer University campaign? I would like this foreword to be a Europa Forum Neumarkt testimony. As a new member of the European Bureau, I will try, for the moment, to maintain 5. NEW UEF BUREAU an objective point of view on what may appear banal and familiar to experienced 6. FUTURE EVENTS militants. rd 23 International Seminar, Ventotene 60 years of European federalism, In my opinion, when European citizens and Hertenstein, Switzerland federalist militants meet together to discuss Two day seminar on the future of and reflect, democracy in Europe moves Europe, Besançon, France forward. The construction of the European Union with all its contradictions and the move 7. PRESS RELEASES towards a federal state with its ensuing New UEF Campaign: A European engagements quite obviously do not stop at referendum for a European Constitution the doors of a Congress of the UEF! But Second European Citizens’ Convention without being too self-centred or too self- G8: Putin-hugging instead of tough satisfied, I believe that we can regard our demands work as laying down values and hope for the years to come. 8. NEWS FROM THE SECRETARIAT First of all, one constant characterises the 9. CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES Congress. All the policy guidelines call upon the expression of European citizens. Some members wanted to make the further 1. FOREWORD BY MICHEL MORIN ratifications of the ECT a priority, for others the priority was the mobilisation of the citizens of the most integrated states and for For three days, the University of Vienna others it was a radical referendum. The hosted the 2nd Convention of European majority wanted to fight for a European Citizens and the 21st supranational Congress referendum in 2009, prolonging the lengthy of the UEF, and during this time interesting step from the Convention to the process of and productive meetings and activities took ratification of the ECT in all countries. We place, thanks to the commitment of the people UEF 214 D Chaussée de Wavre, B-1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 508 30 30, Fax. +32 2 626 95 01 Page 1 of 20 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.federaleurope.org U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 33– July 2006 remain thus an organisation which sees the and the strategic choices to be made. emergence of a European citizenship and the Following the discussions and the debates, a reinforcement of European democracy as vast majority finally emerged for the adoption being fundamental. There is also a common of the General Resolution on the Political confidence in the collective power of the Strategy and this majority was also in favour people of Europe, which, whilst richly diverse of the other motions. This process are nonetheless engaged in the same demonstrates that we are able reconcile a democratic model. Not an original concept for radical outlook with a commitment to us perhaps, but, seen from the outside, one transform what exists in reality. History never that makes the federalists the "ultra- turns out exactly as planned. This is as true of democrats" of European construction, and this Europe as it of anywhere else, and, because is a strong common point for us all, going all of us are determined to move towards a beyond any strategic differences. federal European state, we will be all the more able to work together to face In the debates themselves, the Congress once tomorrow’s challenges. again focused on the supranational dimension of our organisation: the ideas, the strategies, Please follow this link to read the original the debates and the alliances formed beyond French version of the foreword: national memberships. Of course, the size of http://www.federaleurope.org/fileadmin/files_ each member organisation determines its uef/PREFACEMMorin.doc respective power and influence but, within each representation, the ideas and the proposals overrode purely national 2. SECOND EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ considerations. CONVENTION The realities of the external world permeated the walls of the old university to influence the strategic options and reflections. Everyone is now fully aware that complexity is an essential characteristic of the construction of the Union and also the route towards the federal Europe that we want. This is not new. Thus the importance of the European On Thursday 28 and Friday 29 June the authorities obliges federalists to continually Second European Citizens’ Convention took analyse their evolution and to take account of place in Vienna (Austria). The Convention their realities, but without simply tagging was organized jointly by UEF Austria, JEF along behind either the European institutions Austria and UEF supranational. or governmental policies. On the other hand, there is a danger of getting locked into an It was a great success, as it gathered over 200 idealised project, which could be defined participants from all over Europe, of all ages. without taking account of all the Members of the European Parliament and of contingencies. national Parliaments, representatives of Civil Society and general public convened to The complexity has increased during recent discuss the current situation of Europe and the years because of the widening of the Union challenges of the future, and to relaunch the and the ratification of the ECT. These two European constitutional process. factors impacted on, and will continue for the foreseeable future to impact on, the debates UEF 214 D Chaussée de Wavre, B-1050 Brussels Tel. +32 2 508 30 30, Fax. +32 2 626 95 01 Page 2 of 20 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.federaleurope.org U.E.F. NEWSLETTER N° 33– July 2006 Key note speech by Didier DONFUT, Mr. Donfut stressed the importance of a joint Belgian State Secretary for European preparation of the EU’s Spring Summit and Affairs meetings gathering the 12 ministers for Employment, Social Affairs and Research. Mr. Donfut expressed his concern with the The reinforcement of the Eurogroup was crisis which Europe is now facing, in terms of necessary, as the Lisbon Strategy was not citizens’ discontent and defection from the totally adequate, especially in terms of the original European project. He stated that one method adopted (“open method of of the biggest problems which were slowing coordination”). down the European process is the Euroscepticism about the possibility of All this should be realized as soon as possible, building a common European feeling in since Europe is rapidly loosing ground and countries which are culturally and politically credibility. The goal should be a competitive very different. However, this diversity is a Europe towards the rest of the world, and not potentially enriching asset that Europe should a Europe where Member States are in cultivate as a lesson of experience. So, the competition. problem was not the diversity, but the difficulty of finding a common great vision To read the speech, please click here: that could embody the integration. http://www.federaleurope.org/fileadmin/files_ uef/speech_DDvienne290606_FMonier.doc Mr. Donfut then expressed his support of the idea of allowing a group of Member States, To read a summary paper of Guy sharing an integrated and coherent political Verhofstadt’s main points, please click here: goal, to form a core group, while the rest of http://www.federaleurope.org/fileadmin/files_ the enlarged Union should continue to ensure uef/verhofstadt.doc peace and security for our continent without paralyzing the process of deepening the Union. This “core group” would be The Workshops progressively joined by the countries which are able to make the necessary efforts. It On Friday morning, the Convention was should not be a “private club”, but it should divided into 4 Workshops, discussing the act as a driving force attracting other following topics: “A European Government countries and convincing them that intense for the Economy?”, “Which Social Model for cooperation is more efficient. Europe?”, “The Young Generation: How to Fully Engage Europe’s Human Potential?”, He expressed his unconditional support to the “European External Action: Europe as a book of Belgian Prime Minister Guy Power for Peace?”. Verhofstadt “The United States of Europe”, as well as to the speech given by the latter at the Workshop 1: “A European Government European Parliament. First of all the for the Economy?” was moderated by importance of a new European socio- Alfonso IOZZO. Pat COX, President of the economic governance, focused on the Euro European Movement International, and area should be stressed. Then, the Eurogroup former President of the European Parliament should be reinforced and become the real was the guest speaker. pillar of the socio-economic governance; however there should be concrete plans in Pat Cox outlined the undeniable achievements order to realize the Eurogroup reinforcement. of the EU. Yet, Europe was going through a Among the proposals of the Prime Minister, severer confidence crisis in which the “avant- UEF 214 D Chaussée de Wavre, B-1050 Brussels Tel.