Category: EVENTS

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Brussels, 22 November 2021

Dear federalist friend,

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, 2 December, 2021 

 14.00 – 15.30 CET  The central role of European values in the revolutions of 1989-1991 and their state  of play today in Eastern and Central Europe: Presentation of the project outcomes

• Sandro GOZI, MEP & President, UEF 
• Stefano BRAGHIROLI, University of Tartu, Estonia 
• Eszter NAGY, Secretary-General, UEF Hungary 
• Laura TATARELYTE, European Movement Lithuania 
• Christian MOOS, Secretary-General, Europa Union Deutschland e.V. 
• Jacek KOLTAN, Director’s representative, European Solidarity Centre, Poland (tbc)

 Moderates: Giulia STEFANO, Project Officer, UEF

 16:00 – 17:30  Defending and strengthening democracy in the EU: Article 7 of TFEU and Conditionality 

• Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Chair of the LIBE Committee in the European Parliament 
• Ania SKRZYPEK, Director for Research and Training, Foundations for European Progressive Studies (FEPS)  
• Nicolaas BEL, Deputy Head of Unit, Justice policy and rule of law Unit,  Directorate General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission 
• Anna DONATH, MEP, Renew Europe Group (tbc) 
• Edouard GAUDOT, External Relations Director, Europanova  

Moderates: Alejandra ALMARCHA, Director of the Secretariat, UEF 
 

 17.30 CET – 19:00 CET Competition: #DemocracyIsEurope ideas for the future of Europe 
 

Friday, 3 December, 2021 

 9:30 – 11.00 CET European democracy in the Conference on the Future of Europe

• Francisco ALDECOA, Professor of International Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid, President of the European Movement in Spain and  Director of the Civil Society Representation of the Conference on the Future of  Europe
• Leonie MARTIN, JEF President 2019-2021 
• Citizen representative – Democracy working group 
• Ingrid GODKIN, Policy & Administrative Coordination, Cabinet of Vice President Šuica for Democracy and Demography, European Commission

Moderates: Alejandra ALMARCHA, Director of the Secretariat, UEF 

11.30 – 13:00 CET How to combat disinformation & fake news: media freedom in Central Europe 

• Paul BUTCHER, Policy analyst on citizen participation, disinformation,  democracy, EU reform, Western Balkans, EU enlargement, European Policy  Centre (EPC) 
• Žiga FAKTOR, Head of Brussels Office, EUROPEUM 
• Natasza STYCZYŃSKA, Assistant professor, Institute of European Studies,  Jagiellonian University Kraków (tbc) 
• Wojciech PRZYBYLSKI, Editor-in-Chief, Visegrad Insight (tbc) 

Moderates: Christian SKRIVERVIK, Head of Press and Communications, European Movement International (tbc)

 14.00 – 15.30 CET  Training “Talking about the EU at the local level – How to organise events in the   framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe” 

• Alejandra ALMARCHA, Director of the Secretariat, UEF 
• Mariona ESPÍN, Communications Officer, UEF 
• Michal RYBACKI, Policy Officer, JEF Europe 
• Ilaria CARIA, Communication Team, Movimento Federalista Europeo (MFE)

 15.45 – 16.30 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 online participants! 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.

Best regards,

UEF Secretariat

Register now!

Dear federalist friends,

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.

Best regards,

UEF Secretariat

Brussels, 10 November 2021

Dear federalist friend,

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

JOIN ONLINE HERE

16.30 CET Training: How to Fight democratic backsliding and populism in our daily life? Trainer: Mathias HAMANN, Institut für Kommunikation und Gesellschaft

JOIN ONLINE HERE

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

JOIN ONLINE HERE

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

JOIN ONLINE HERE

You can still register here to attend online!

Best regards,

UEF Secretariat

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,

Anna ECHTERHOFF

Secretary-General

Register here.

Chers Amis, Chers Membres, 
 
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

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71629373281?pwd=UnRMV2srRVlPdy9sK3cvRXNMZHBQdz09

Meeting ID: 716 2937 3281
Passcode: H22jcE


Deuxième partie de l’AG: Débat politique de 11h00 à 11h40

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71189446168?pwd=VWVnYUpYZWNyZXRqOEFVK3NGY1lsdz09

Meeting ID: 711 8944 6168
Passcode: U9d8yC

 
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

1. Approbation des comptes au 31.12.2020 et décharge aux administrateurs (1.1.2020-31.12.2020)
2. Rapport d’activité du Secrétaire général
3. Rapport politique du Président
4. Présentation des candidatures et élection du nouveau Conseil d’Administration* 
5. Débat avec Tom Vandenkendelaere, Député européen
6. 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.

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:

• Democracy is Europe 
• Crossroads Europe

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.

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.

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

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

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.