La decisione del Parlamento europeo del maggio 2022 di aprire la strada a una profonda riforma dell'UE a partire dalle proposte adottate dalla Conferenza sul futuro della Europa era stata accolta con favore dai Movimenti europei di Cipro, Francia, Grecia, Italia, Malta, Polonia e Spagna.

A un anno da questa decisione, le sfide internazionali ed europee hanno confermato che è giunto il momento di andare oltre il Trattato di Lisbona firmato più di quindici anni fa riguardante le politiche europee relative alla distribuzione delle competenze tra gli Stati membri e l'UE e le politiche legate all'efficienza e alla democrazia del sistema europeo.

A 43 anni dalla nascita del Crocodile Club, il 9 luglio 1980, i Movimenti Europei invitano il Parlamento Europeo a seguire l'esempio del progetto, del metodo e dell'agenda che portò il primo Parlamento europeo eletto nel 1979 ad adottare il progetto di Trattato che istituisce l’Unione europea il 14 febbraio 1984.

 

OPEN LETTER TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE

The following National Councils of the European Movement (the European Movements) had welcomed the decision of the EP in May 2022 to open the way to a deep reform of the EU starting with the proposals adopted by the Conference on the future of Europe.

One year after this decision, the International and European challenges have confirmed that is the time to go beyond the Treaty of Lisbon signed more than fifteen years ago concerning the European policies related to the distribution of the competencies between the Member States and the EU and the politics related to the efficiency and the democracy of the European system.

The European Movements underline the need and the urgency of 

• the simplification of the EU institutional architecture,
• more transparency and accountability,
• reshaping the EU in a way that will guarantee its open strategic autonomy with a single foreign and security policy including a common defence, - the effective and democratic decision making, - and a new reflection on EU competencies.

The European Movements are ready to support the EP proposals to deepen the reform of the EU on:

• the inclusion of health, healthcare, education, and energy among the shared competences,
• introducing an emergency clause whereby the Council by qualified majority voting and the EP can empower the Commission to act with extraordinary competencies and to mobilize all necessary instruments in case of major crises in fields such as security and defense, health, and climate,
• changing unanimity decision making to qualified majority voting in the Council,
• providing the EP with full co-decision legislative rights where it has a consultative role and co-decision rights on the Budget including on the revenues,
• a genuine legislative right of initiative complemented by the European Citizens Initiative directly addressed to the EP,
• introducing an EU-wide referendum,
• introducing a social progress protocol to ensure that social rights are fully protected and safeguarded in case of conflict with economic freedoms, while respecting the competencies of the social partners,
• introducing a European citizenship statute including the non-EU residents and a specific appeal to the Court of Justice on Fundamental Rights.

The European Movements draw the attention of the EP to clarify the question of the political borders of the EU, the institutional architecture of the Continent, and the division of competencies in an ever closer European Union.

In view of the next enlargement of the EU, the European Movements are convinced that the political deepening of the European integration to achieve its federal goal in the framework of the principle of subsidiarity is inescapable - in order to overcome the conflicts between absolute sovereignties which risk blocking the way to a deeper EU reform which can be achieved by giving the EP which is to be elected in June 2024 by the EU’s citizens  - a constituent role , as suggested by Altiero Spinelli and the Crocodile Club 43 years ago.

At the same time, it is necessary to create a public space where the European interests prevail, empowering by appropriate methods the participation of structured civil society, social partners, local and regional authorities in the unification of Europe, maintaining and enhancing the innovative dynamic created by the Conference on the future of Europe with the direct and deliberative engagement of the citizens. 

The European Movements suggest: 

• strengthening the effectiveness and democracy of the EU,
• additionally introducing shared competencies in the fields of industrial and SMEs policies, training, youth, and Civil Protection in the framework of a common identity,
• exclusive competencies in the Articles 208 to 221 TFEU,
• to pursue social progress reinforcing EU competencies to raise minimum standards and setting up European facilities for upward convergence in the social field,
• changing unanimity decision making to qualified majority voting in the European Council and in the Council by amending Articles 22, 42.2, 42.4, 46.6, 48.4, 48.6 TEU and Articles 19, 103, 153.2.b, 192, 311, 314, 352 TFEU,
• providing the EP with full co-decision rights notably in the Articles 5 and 121 TFEU always where the unanimity decision making change to qualified majority voting and in the nomination of the Members of the Court of Justice,
• more resources should be provided to encourage cultural dialogue and cultural diversity across the EU.

Moreover, and in accordance with the principle “no taxation without representation” the European Movements suggest submitting the multiannual financial framework on expenses and genuine own resources to an inter-parliamentary conference (assises interparlamentaires) where all the members split in political and transnational groups acting by a qualified majority.

Even more, the European Movements suggest providing the EP a full constitutional right to modify the treaties following the assent of an inter-parliamentary conference (Assises interparlamentaires) acting by a qualified majority  without an intergovernmental Conference.

The European Movements expect with great interest the report made by the six rapporteurs of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, the vote of the Committee and finally approval by the Plenary before the end of next Autumn.

This approval will be done on the eve of the congresses of the European political parties preparing for  the European elections, in which the proposals of the EP on the transnational lists, the vote of the younger citizens and the composition of the next EP are essential for a true European democracy.

It’s too late now to open the way for a partial revision of the treaties before the end of this legislature. The amplitude of the proposals that are now in the hands of the six rapporteurs requires a deep meditation in the congresses of the European political parties, the approval of the citizens through the same instruments of the Conference on the future of Europe (Digital Platform and transnational panels) and finally the leading role of the newly elected Parliament to avoid the trap of an Intergovernmental Conference where the governments could confirm the old-fashioned principle that “we are the owners of the Treaties”.

Forty-three years since the birth of the Crocodile Club on the 9^th of July 1980, the European Movements urge the European Parliament to follow the example of the project, the method and the agenda adopted by the first elected European Parliament on the 14^th of February 1984.

Best regards,

The European Movements in Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland (President), Spain.

 

9^th of July 2023 

 

OPEN LETTER TO EP 9 JULY 2023