One year ago, the Union of
European Federalists (UEF) embarked on our “Democracy is Europe: Remember to Revive”
journey across the Baltics and Central and Eastern Europe. Two main ideas were
behind this: on one hand, to raise awareness about the central role of European
values in the revolutions of 1989-1991; on the other hand, to encourage a
reflection on the future of Europe, European democracy and the Rule of Law. After
our online stops in Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, and our physical ones
in Gdańsk (PL) and Prague (CZ), UEF’s
#DemocracyIsEurope project is coming to an end with our final conference in
Brussels on 2-3 December 2021.
Brussels is the chosen scenario in which the project “democracy activators”,
participants, stakeholders and researchers will present and discuss the
outcomes of the project, commemorate membership in the EU of the aforementioned
Member states, and advocate for further European integration based on the
strengthening and protection of democracy and the Rule of Law.
AGENDA
Thursday,
December 2, 2021
9.00 CET – House of European
History tour
14.00 CET – The central role of
European values in the revolutions of 1989-1991
16:00 CET – Defending and
strengthening democracy in the EU
17.30 CET – Competition:
#DemocracyIsEurope ideas for the future of Europe
Friday, December 3,
2021
9:30 CET – European democracy
in the Conference on the Future of Europe
11.30 CET – How to combat
disinformation & fake news
14.00 CET – Training “Talking
about the EU at the local level
15.45 CET – #DemocracyIsEurope
Awards Ceremony
The event is going to be a blended activity with an online and
offline (in Brussels, Belgium) settings, and we are looking for international,
local and online participants! For the 10 international participants who
are more motivated and want to participate physically, we will cover
accommodation expenses, and we will reimburse their travel fees up to 150 euros
(per person). Register here and stay tuned for more
details.
In the context of the Democracy is Europe project,
UEF invites you to join the essay contest « 1989-1991 the fall of
communist regimes: what was the idea of Europe behind the Central-Eastern
European and Baltic countries’ democratic transition? ». Read on the
prize and the conditions to participate here.
We would like to remind you to join our next hybrid event in the framework of our Democracy is Europe project. The sessions will take place on 11 and 12 November 2021.
AGENDA Thursday, November 11, 2021 – Grandior Hotele, Na Poříčí 42, Praha 1 15.00 CET Democracy is Europe: Remember to Revive – 30 years after the end of the Soviet Union: What can we learn from the transition for the future of Europe?
Sandro GOZI, MEP,
President of the Union of European Federalists
Ivo KAPLAN, UEF
Czechia Secretary General
Moderator: Vladimíra DVORAKOVÁ, director of the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies
16.30 CET Training: How to Fight democratic backsliding and populism in our daily life? Trainer: Mathias HAMANN, Institut für Kommunikation und Gesellschaft
Friday, November 12,
2021 – CEFRES, French Research Center in Humanities and Social
Sciences, Na Florenci 3 CZ-110 00 Prague 1 9.00 CET
Experiencing History: How did the peaceful revolution feel from inside?
Markéta HODOUSKOVÁ,
director of Kino Visegard
Moderator: Eva SPISAKOVA, Press Officer of the Czech Bishops’ Conference
10.45 CET Panel debate:
Czechia – A More Resilient Democracy in Central Europe?
Petr KUTILEK, Green
Party Politician and Political Scientist
Dr. Jérôme
HEURTAUX, Director of CEFRES (French Research Centre in Humanities and
Social Sciences)
Moderator: Edit ZGUT, Political scientist and a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS PAN), DemocraCE fellow at Visegrad Insight
Dear Delegates,
Dear Members of the Federal Committee,
Dear Members of the Executive Bureau,
Dear Presidents and Secretary Generals of the Sections,
Dear Federalist Friends,
In the framework of our XXVII European Congress, « Our Federal
Europe – sovereign and democratic », we would like to kindly invite you to
the UEF SPAIN – SPINELLI GROUP hybrid discussion that will take place on Friday 2nd July 2021, 17.00-20.45 CEST
Venue: Centre Cultural La Nau – Universitat de
València, Carrer de la Universitat, 2, 46003 València, Valencia, Spain
ON THE 80th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VENTOTENE MANIFESTO TOWARDS
A FEDERAL EUROPE
16:30 Arrival of the participants
17:00
Welcome and opening statements
María Vicenta Mestre Escrivá,
Rector of the University of Valencia
Joan Calabuig Rull, Regional
Secretary for the European Union and External Relations of the
Government of Valencia
Sergi Campillo, Vice-Mayor of
Valencia
Juan González Barba, Secretary
of State for the European Union, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
European Union and Cooperation, Government of Spain
Jürgen Foecking, vice-director
European Parliament Liaison Office in Madrid
Enrique Barón Crespo, UEF Spain
President
Francisco Aldecoa, president
European Movement Spain
Sandro Gozi, UEF President,
Member of the European Parliament and member of the Conference on the
Future of Europe
18.00 Panel 1: The Federalist strategy in the
Conference of the Future of Europe
Moderator: Enrique Barón Crespo, UEF Spain President
Domènec Ruiz Devesa, Member of
the European Parliament, S&D Group, Vice- President of UEF,
member of the Conference
Danuta Hübner, member of the
European Parliament, EPP Group, Member of the Conference
Katalin Cseh, Member of the
European Parliament, RENEW Group, member of the Conference – tbc
Dimitrios Papadimoulis,
Vice-president of the European Parliament, The Left, member of the
Conference
Fabio Massimo Castaldo,
Vice-President of the European Parliament, Non-Attached, member of
the Conference
19:00 Panel 2: The role of MEPs and national
parliamentarians in the Conference on the Future of Europe
Moderator: Francisco Aldecoa, president European Movement Spain
Héctor Gómez Hernández, member
of the Spanish Parliament (PSOE) and member of the Conference.
Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Member of
the European Parliament, RENEW Group
Jordi Sebastiá i Talavera,
Former Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA Group
Inmaculada Rodríguez Piñero,
Member of the European Parliament, S&D Group
20:00 Closing remarks
Susana Sumelzo, Chair of the
Joint Committee on European Affairs Congress-Senate, Spain – tbc
Brando Benifei, president
Spinelli Group, Member of the European Parliament and member of the
Conference on the Future of Europe
If you would like to attend this event, please register here and do not forget
to indicate if you will join physically or online.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Warm federalist regards,
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à l’Assemblée Générale (AG) annuelle de notre association qui se tiendra le samedi 5 juin 2021 de 10h00 à 11h40. Pour des raisons sanitaires (Covid-19), notre AG se tiendra de façon virtuelle (via Zoom).
Première partie de l’AG: Questions statutaires et rapports de 10h00 à 10h40
Au-delà des questions statutaires, nous souhaiterions que cette réunion soit aussi un moment de réflexion politique sur l’Europe et sur l’action des fédéralistes européens. Nous avons invité à cet effet le Député européen et Président du Mouvement européen Belgique, Tom Vandenkendelaere à intervenir et à dialoguer avec nous sur le thème de l’avenir de l’Europe.
En espérant vous voir participer nombreux et nombreuses, merci de confirmer votre présence par courrier électronique, téléphone ou SMS (0460.76.01.84). En cas d’empêchement, merci d’avance de nous envoyer une procuration de vote par courrier électronique.
Avec nos meilleures salutations,
Domenico Rossetti di Valdalbero Michele Ciavarini Azzi Secrétaire général Président
Programme de l’Assemblée Générale du 5 juin 2021
Approbation des comptes au 31.12.2020 et décharge aux
administrateurs (1.1.2020-31.12.2020)
Rapport d’activité du
Secrétaire général
Rapport politique du
Président
Présentation des
candidatures et élection du nouveau Conseil d’Administration*
Débat avec Tom
Vandenkendelaere, Député européen
Divers
* Les candidatures (postes à pourvoir : président,
vice-président, administrateur délégué, secrétaire général, trésorier,
responsable communication) doivent être adressées au Président, M. Ciavarini
Azzi, par courriel à Michele.Ciavarini-Azzi@ec.europa.eu)
avant le 29 mai 2021. Tous les membres en ordre de cotisation ont un droit de
vote. Un membre absent peut se faire représenter en donnant une procuration de
vote à un représentant.
Moreover, as a partner
of JEF Europe in the Y-FED project, we would
also like to flag you the Y-FED Large-Scale Model Simulation.
Please, find below the details of each event and project. You are all
invited to attend!
IMAGINING THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
In which Europe would you
like to live in 10 or 20 years’ time?
The Conference on the Future of Europe will begin on May 9,
Europe Day, to define the direction that the European Union should take.
Citizens
and civil society will be able to give their opinion on the Europe they want
and thus contribute to shaping its future in the medium and long term through a
participatory forum.
UEF and Xul Foundation invite
you to participate in this process with Crossroads Europe, a European funded
project, to collect proposals and opinions on the Europe we want in the field
of participatory democracy and representation. These contributions will be
collected in a document of policy recommendations to be submitted to the
Conference on the Future of Europe.
If you want to get involved and contribute, if you wonder how to develop participatory processes in times of pandemic, if you want to broaden your knowledge on citizen participation, if you want to contribute to the construction of Europe and to give your opinion on the challenges it faces and its future, we are counting on you. Do you want to rethink Europe with us? We have planned a series of virtual workshops that will take place ONLINE on April 20 and 21, 2021.
2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the return to freedom and
democracy to Central and Eastern Europe and of Estonia’s restoration of
independence.
The project « Democracy
is Europe » aims to raise awareness on the centrality of the European
ideals in the transitions and peaceful revolutions of 1989-1991 in Central and
Eastern Europe and the Baltic States and to encourage debate and reflection on
the impact of such ideas in today’s Europe.
The Estonian session of
“Democracy is Europe” is organized in cooperation with and locally managed by
the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu.
The Estonian grass-root event
consists of two days of activities. On April 23, two panel sessions will be
held to discuss the historical context of Estonia’s Singing Revolution and its
significance for nations struggling for democracy and freedom nowadays. The
panels will be open to everyone interested. On April 24, the registered
participants, grouped in virtual teams, will work on different creative
projects that capture the significance of Estonia’s experience for today’s
Europe and its fundamental contribution to the process of integration. The day
will be concluded by a keynote speech of Visiting Prof. Toomas Hendrik Ilves,
former president of Estonia (2006-2016).
The full programme of the
event is available at the following link and the Facebook event can be
found here.
Registration is REQUIRED to participate in the event and is available at
the following link (open until April 22).
Y-FED
The project “Y-FED: Europe is what we make of it” aims to bring the EU closer
to its young citizens by developing a proposal for an improved institutional
framework of the Union in line with the European Youth Goals. The initiative,
supported by an Erasmus+ “European Youth Together” grant, will be implemented
between January 2020 and July 2021 through a series of capacity-building
training courses, public policy hackathons, a large-scale simulation of a
reformed EU and advocacy actions. The project partners comprise 18 civil
society organisations as well as 2 networks of European and regional
decision-makers.
About the Large-scale
Model Simulation, 14 – 19 June, 2021
The large-scale simulation is the main event of the nearly 2
years long project “Y-FED: Europe is what we make of it” that will gather more
than 100 young people from all over Europe in an online and physical
environment for 5 days.
As the cherry on the top, the model simulation is none like any
other simulations out there (MUNs, MEUs). It follows its own methodology
recreating a European Union of the future that is more youth-led, more
inclusive, more efficient and closer to its citizens. The model is inspired by
the first edition of Y-FED in 2019 and the hackathon solutions based on the
European Youth goals.
The event is going to be a blended activity with an online and offline
(in Strasbourg, France) settings and the current call is for the participants who will join
the event physically in Strasbourg under the roles of members of “The House of
Citizens” and “The European Senate”. For the rest of the roles
who will through online participation, there will be a call launched in May. The
goal will be to create a synergy between the participants in Strasbourg under
the 2 roles of members of “The House of Citizens” and “The European Senate” and
the journalists, lobbyists and citizens who will join online.
We hope you are all well and enjoying the springtime wherever you are in Europe!
We would like to update you on our next project events! In the context of our Crossoroads EU project we are glad and proud to invite you to attend four interesting sessions, in Spanish, co-organised by our partner Fundacion Xul.
The events will address the topic of Participatory Democracy in the European Union with dialogues at a national and an international level. The participants, in the second phase of the events, will also have the chance to develop the necessary skills to use Digital Platforms for democratic engagement – Decidim.
We kindly invite you to participate and to spread the voice among your network and friends.
IMAGINING THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION In which Europe would you like to live in 10 or 20 years’ time? The Conference on the Future of Europe will begin on May 9, Europe Day, to define the direction that the European Union should take. Citizens and civil society will be able to give their opinion on the Europe they want and thus contribute to shaping its future in the medium and long term through a participatory forum. UEF and Xul Foundation invite you to participate in this process with Crossroads Europe, a European funded project, to collect proposals and opinions on the Europe we want in the field of participatory democracy and representation. These contributions will be collected in a document of policy recommendations to be submitted to the Conference on the Future of Europe. If you want to get involved and contribute, if you wonder how to develop participatory processes in times of pandemic, if you want to broaden your knowledge on citizen participation, if you want to contribute to the construction of Europe and to give your opinion on the challenges it faces and its future, we are counting on you. Do you want to rethink Europe with us? We have planned a series of spaces for dialogue and reflection, as well as virtual workshops that will take place in April.
Fundacion Xul The Spanish non-profit organization Xul Foundation, is one of the nine partners involved in the European project Crossroads Europe, led by the Union of European Federalists, which aims to promote cross-cutting dialogue on the construction of the EU around four thematic axes: climate change, international community, democracy and governance, and security and freedom.
The online round of events Civil Society Days 2021 – A Sustainable Recovery for the Future of Europe’s Citizens is intended to be a public forum bringing together European citizens, civil society organisations and the European institutions. While delivering on the high expectations of its citizens, Europe must ensure that the ecological and digital transitions are built on the values of solidarity and human rights, social justice, equality, and on education, culture, migration, democracy, participation and entrepreneurship.
The EESC Liaison Group is organising 8 different workshops on:
Multilevel
sustainable democracy in Europe
Social
economy and youth entrepreneurship for a sustainable recovery
The
role of education and culture in the sustainable recovery for Europe
The
future of work in the well-being economy
Youth
activism, systemic change and recovery in Europe
A social
Green Deal for a sustainable recovery
The
role of key civil society groups in the renovation wave
The
role and economic value of volunteers in the road to recovery and beyond
Fritz Felgentreu Member of Parliament, Deutscher Bundestag (Member of the Defence Committee and Spokesperson for the 1st Committee of Inquiry) Comments on the Proposal:
Domenico Moro CSF Coordinator for Defence and Security Area
Panelists:
Brando Benifei(tbc) MEP, President of the Spinelli Group Gen. Vincenzo Camporini Scientific Advisor to the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and former Chief of Defence Staff of Italy Maj. Enrico della Gatta Strategic Communication Advisor to the Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) Daniel Fiott Security and Defence Editor at the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) Domènec Ruiz Deveza MEP, Vice President of the Union of European Federalists Webinar Coordinator:
We are glad to jump in 2021 with a series of timely and interesting events coming from our two leading projects: Democracy is Europe Crossroads Europe You are all invited to attend! Below you can find the details of each event and project!
Warm regards,
UEF Secretariat
Democracy is Europe Project investigates the 1989-91s transitions/peaceful revolutions in Central Eastern Europe, the European values behind them and the current state of play of these values. The next stop of our investigation is Hungary, with two panel sessions: the first focused on the past – HERE TO REGISTER, will be held on Friday, January 22 at 17.00 CET, Online. The second one, covering the current political landscape and providing inputs for future scenarios will take place on Saturday 22, January at 16.00 CET, online – HERE TO REGISTER.
In the project framework we also launched a CALL FOR PAPER for young students. The winner will be awarded with a voucher to buy books or could choose an online course at his/her choice.
The panel sessions will be in Hungarian, but the English translation will be provided.
The next step of the Crossroads Europe Project will be dedicated to Climate Change and will be a chance for the participants to debate with and to be informed by policy-makers and civil society organisations on their policy approach towards the Climate issue, at an international, national and local level.
Address this topic with: MEP Alessandra Moretti – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Alberto Bellini -University of Bologna, Filippo Pieri – Regional Secretary CISL Emilia-Romagna region (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori), Alberto Majocchi – University of Pavia and, Rita Tedesco, Climate & Energy programme manager, ECOS – European Environmental Citizens’ Organisation for Standardisation.
More speakers to be confirmed soon.
Click thelinks below to register JAN 25 – Climate Change, desertification and the migration issue ONLINE – 21.00 CET
JAN 29 – Session 1: Environment, climate and health at the time of Covid – 19 ONLINE – 17.00 – 18.45 CET Session 2: Emilia-Romagna, new pact for work and the climate ONLINE – 19.00 – 20.45 CET
JAN 30 – Session 1: Sustainable cities and communities ONLINE – 9.45 – 11.00 CET Session 2: Green Deal: the EU response to climate change ONLINE, 11.15 – 12.30 CET
We report below the invitation to the Federal Committee Meeting by the Union of European Federalists.
Dear Members of the Federal Committee, dear federalist Friends all over Europe,
The current crisis has shown the importance of acting united as Europeans in an effective and supportive way. In tackling the pandemic, the Union has been faced with an unprecedented challenge, and has already made choices that indicate the need and the will to strengthen its political unity.
The Conference on the future of Europe will be an absolute opportunity to debate a concrete project for a stronger Union, involving citizens in a transparent and participatory process by which they can become increasingly aware of the fundamental importance of our unity as Europeans and actively participate in the reform processes that can achieve it.
As federalists we have an important role to play in this phase, towards the citizens and towards politics and institutions. That is why we wanted this moment of joint working together with the sections and members of the Federal Committee on 14 November and in this spirit we are convening the Federal Committee on 19 December.
Looking forward to meeting you at these important meetings, I wish you good work.
Your sincerely, Sandro GOZI
President
Union of European Federalists Rue d’Arlon 53 B-1000 Bruxelles +32 (0)2 508-3030
NEXT FEDERAL COMMITTEE GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS Dear Members of the Federal Committee, dear federalist Friends,
Following the invitation of our President to the Kick-Off Meeting and the next Federal Committee (FC), I am contacting you regarding the technical details of the two meetings scheduled in agreement with the Executive Bureau.
The online Kick-Off meeting with the sections and members of the FC who wish to participate, is open to all interested activists, to discuss proposals for our campaign in view of the launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The meeting is scheduled onlinefor 14 November, from 9am to 1pm. We will send you the registration form next week to receive the zoom link. About ten days before the meeting we will send you the policy proposals of the EB.
The FC is convened also online (due to the current pandemic), for the 19th December, from 9am to 6pm, with a break for lunch from 1pm to 2pm. I remind you that, according to the established practice, the deadline for the submission of resolutions will be 6 weeks earlier, and is therefore set for 9 November at midday; then there will be 3 weeks to submit amendments – by Monday 30 November.
Resolutions must be sent in Word format by email to the European Secretariat (secretariat@federalists.eu).
Considering the circumstances, and the limitations that we will face in an online meeting, I recommend FC members and Political Commissions to be considerate and submit resolutions and amendments only if considered absolutely necessary and urgent for this meeting.
There will be no participation fee for this meeting. However, if you wish to contribute to the organisation of the meeting with a donation, you are welcome to do so easily and rapidly, following to UEF Bank Account:
Name of the bank: BNP PARIBAS FORTIS BANK, Rond-point Robert Schuman 10, 1040 Brussels, Belgium TO: UNION OF EUROPEAN FEDERALISTS UEF IBAN code: BE69210037609578 BIC: GEBABEBB
A short recap on the relevant dates and deadlines:
– ONLINE Kick Off Meeting:November 14, 2020, from 9.00 to 1.00pm. Registration forms will be out next week and registration procedures will be closed November 12, 2020 at midday.
– ONLINE Federal Committee: December 19, 2020 from 9am to 6pm.
– Submission of resolutions deadline is November 9, 2020, at midday.
– Amendments will have to be submitted by Monday 30 November.
In the next weeks, the Executive Bureau will finalise the proposed agenda as well as the technicalities for holding and managing the meeting.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Looking forward to our exchange at the two meetings.
Yours sincerely, Anna ECHTEROFF
Secretary-General
Union of European Federalists Rue d’Arlon 53 B-1000 Bruxelles +32 (0)2 508-3030
Our mailing address is: secretariat@federalists.eu
