The UEF would like to thank the distinguished guests who took the time to participate in the Congress.
For the greetings: Hans-Gert Pöttering (LINK VIDEO) Former President of the European Parliament (2007-2009), President of the House of European History, Petros Fassoulas Secretary General of the European Movement International, Christelle Savall, President of Young European Federalists and Fernando Iglesias President of the World of Federalist Movement. In particular, we thank Josep Borrell High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, that have taken a time to follow the works of the first session of the Congress.
Then during the political debate the interventions of Raúl Santiago Fuentes (Representative of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU), and the MEPs Brando Benifei, Rainer Wieland, Alin Mituta, Cyrus Engerer, Mercedes Bresso, Pietro Bartolo, and Thijs Reuten and the former European Parliament President Enrique Barón Crespo.
The five co-rapporteurs of the Report for the amendment of the treaties sent a pre-recorded video:
The delegates debated the challenges for the future of the European Union and exchanged opinions and ideas on the way forward for the Federalist movement and the European project.
The UEF Secretariat presented its activities for the 2021-2023 period (LINK HERE for report political activities), and Roland Hühn, Treasurer ad interim, presented the financial situation of the association LINK HERE. Giulia Rossolillo introduced the statutory changes required to transform the UEF from a Netherlands-based NGO to a Belgian-based Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif (AISBL). These changes were approved by the Congress. You can find the new statutes here (in English and French).
For more information on the change of seat of the UEF, please refer to the web page of the Congress.
The Secretariat hosted a workshop on the UEF strategy for the 2024 European elections. Here the presentation of the workshop (LINK). Due to time constraints, it was decided to postpone the discussions at a later meeting.
Therefore, the UEF invites all the delegates and the representatives of its sections to a meeting on 14 December (link to participate here).
Meena Fernandes, Policy analyst at the European Parliament Research Service, presented the results of the study on the costs of non-Europe. You can find the research paper here and the slide deck here.
Finally, it was announced that an extraordinary Federal Committee meeting (20 January, online) would call for an extraordinary Congress meeting for the Spring 2024 to revise the statutes of the association to draw new rules for the Secretary-General and make it a full-time professional. More information will follow.
Political message by the UEF President, Domènec Ruiz Devesa
Dear Federalist friends,
Just a few words from me before I leave you with this communication on the Congress that has just taken place.
First of all, let me thank you for the trust you have shown me by electing me as UEF President. It is an honour for me, as well as a great responsibility, because I am and feel first and foremost a federalist activist, who is currently in the institutions, but who lives the federalist commitment as his own priority, and in this sense also feels the relationship with the UEF.
These two years ahead of us will be important years to consolidate our organisation and find the right financial and administrative balance. They will be even more important politically, because they can be decisive for our Europe in taking the crucial steps towards a federal Union.
Our congress took place just three days after the approval by the European Parliament of the proposal to reform the treaties, the first one since the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, the first attempt at reforming the treaty in more than 15 years. We know the process that made it possible to arrive at this vote, through the Conference on the Future of Europe in which we participated directly; and we also know that it is a great opportunity, the only one today, and the first after 40 years since Altiero Spinelli’s Draft Treaty, to realise the federal Europe.
Today, therefore, while we are committed to building a broad and widespread campaign in view of the European elections, we urgently need to mobilise ourselves for the success of the next step, i.e. the decision of the European Council in favour of launching a Convention to elaborate the reform of the Treaties. We have urged the Spanish Presidency to immediately transmit the European Parliament resolution to the European Council and asked to President Charles Michel to put it in the agenda of the European Council of the 15th of December, although resistance from national governments will probably force a postponement. Here it is very important the role of the national sections to involve their national parliaments and urge the governments to be in favour of the opening of the Convention. The letter signed by me as UEF President and Sandro Gozi as Chair of the Spinelli Group has just been sent (LINK), together with the Manifesto we approved in our Congress; and here (LINK) you can find a draft resolution to propose to your national parliaments, to launch the mobilization.
We have a very important job to do. I thank you once more very much for all your work, commitment and dedication in federalism. I am convinced that we will work together with confidence and commitment over the next two years, and that together we can make a positive difference in order to meet the challenge of federal Europe. And since it’s a long process, by definition the best has always yet to come.
Result of the Elections
All bodies of the UEF found their members, all elected unanimously in an open ballot. Congratulations to newly elected and returning members of the following bodies:
- Executive Bureau
- President: Domènec Ruiz Devesa
- Vice-Presidents: Markus Ferber, Alin Mituta, Giulia Rossilollo
- Treasurer ad interim: Roland Hûhn
- Secretary-General ad interim: Luisa Trumellini
- Other EB members: Antonio Argenziano, Rafael Bez, François Leray, Daphne Gogou, François Mennerat, Eszter Nagy, Alejandro Peinado Garcia, and Wolfgang Wettach.
- ex-officio member of the EB: Christelle Savall, President of the Young European Federalists
- For the Arbitration Board: Ugo Ferruta, Daniel Frey, Marianne Huhn, Andreu Iranzo Navarro, Peter Osten, Stefano Spoltore, Daniela White.
- For the Federal Committee:
- Directly-elected Federal Committee members: Matilde Ceron, Aldecoa Francisco, Nikos Giannis, Angel Landabaso, Eva Lichtenberger, Jean Marsia, Hervè Moritz, Olalla Pastor del Valle, Luis Miguel Periza, Kati Sista, Flavia Gabriela Sandu
- Nominated members, the list is in the process of being completed LINK
Source: https://federalists.eu/report-of-the-xxviii-uef-european-congress-brussels-25-26-november-2023/