Federalists events – April 2021

Dear federalist friends,
 
We are happy to invite you again to a series of timely and interesting events in the framework of our two ongoing projects:

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!

Warm federalist regards,

UEF Secretariat

Register here

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.

Register here

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).

Register here

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.

Federalists Events – April 2021

Dear federalist friends,

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.

Warm regards and see you later,
 
UEF Secretariat

Register here

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.

CIVIL SOCIETY DAYS | 1-5 March 2021

Dear federalist friends,

As a civil society organisation we are sending this email to involve you in the CIVIL SOCIETY DAYS 2021, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), fully online from 1 to 5 March 2021.

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

Register HERE to join the sessions!

#CivSocDays

Warm federalists regards,

Anna ECHTERHOFF
Secretary-General

Union of European Federalists
Rue d’Arlon 53
B-1040 Bruxelles
+32 (0)2 508-3030

The SPD Proposal of a 28th Army: Towards a European “Dual Army”?

28 January 2021 – from 17:00 to 19:00 hrs

Online event on the ZOOM platform:
Please register here

Presentation of the Proposal:

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:

Flavio Brugnoli  Director of the CSF

Federalists events January 2021

Dear federalist friends,

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.

Here you can find the PROGRAMME in ENGLISH
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

The event will be held in Italian.

 

Federal Committee Meeting

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