Declaration of the UEF Federal Committee meeting in Brussels, 5/6 November 2005
EUROPEAN CITIZENS SHOULD BE FULLY INVOLVED
IN THE CONTINUATION OF THE CONSTITUENT PROCESS
For half a century, the process of European unification has granted the European
citizens peace, democracy and economic and social development. The new
challenges to Europe – its role in the world, its contribution to the establishment of
peace, the promotion of sustainable development and the improvement of its social
model in a changing economic environment under challenge from globalisation cannot be successfully managed without promoting a federal solution.
An intergovernmental Europe, managed only by the national governments on the
basis of the principle of unanimity, has shown its limits preventing the EU from
making the necessary choices. This was demonstrated at the last summit, where
governments were unable to make the choices for the EU budget.
The negative referendums in France and the Netherlands show that the unification
of Europe can be realised only with a wider debate involving European citizens on
the major issues concerning the future of Europe. With the re-opening of the
constitutional debate the citizens are now at the centre of the political process in
Europe, while governments have no more been able to make decisions without
paying respect to the citizens’ wishes.
The UEF calls upon the governments and parliaments of the member states and
the European institutions to give a strong impetus to the “Dialogue with the
citizens” (Plan D) proposed by the Commission and organise a debate on what
kind of Europe we want, especially on Europe’s economic and social model in a
globalized world and on Europe’s role in the world.
The UEF asks to carry out a programme of public awareness involving both public
meetings at all levels of society including citizens’ juries, the media and the
internet, and identifying the financial resources which are necessary.
UEF European Secretariat
Chaussée de Wavre 214 D, B – 1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 508 30 30 Fax: +32 (0)2 626 95 01
info@federaleurope.org http://www.federaleurope.org
The UEF commits itself to call – starting from Genoa in December 2005 and
Vienna in June 2006 – Conventions of European citizens open to European and
national members of parliaments, regional and local representatives, and
organisations of civil society in order to establish a democratic dialogue with
elected politicians at all levels with the aim of assessing the will of European
citizens to face united the challenges of the new international environment and to
give a positive solution for the future of Europe.
On the basis of the debate with the European citizens and its organisations and to
bring forward the constitutional process, the UEF asks:
a) the European Commission to propose a plan for growth and employment in
Europe aiming at the achievement of the Lisbon goals, and which would be
financially based on a radically reformed multi-annual budget, enabling the
Union to finance policies reflecting its political priorities;
b) the member states to continue the ratification process of the draft
Constitution for Europe, which has already been ratified by 14 member states,
representing more than 50% of the total population of the EU;
c) the European Parliament to call Parliamentary Fora (“Assises”) in order to
discuss with national parliaments the fundamental issues for Europe emerging
from the debates on the future of Europe and eventually to work out a positive
solution to the constituent process;
d) the governments of the member states, especially the heads of governments of
the member states, that already ratified the Constitution, and the European Council
presidents Tony Blair, Wolfgang Schüssel and their successors, to support the
project of a Parliamentary Fora and the continuation of the constitutional
process;
e) the states that launched the initiatives in the security and defence sector (like
France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg) to continue involving other states, with
the aim of presenting a fully fledged European political project.
Note to editors
The UEF, founded in 1946, is an independent and non-governmental European
organisation, campaigning for a federal Europe. It is presided over by Mercedes BRESSO,
President of the Italian region Piedmont and former MEP.