European Letters

Europe is in danger, caught between the threat of a trade war with the United States and the uncertainty of the conflict in Ukraine, on which its security depends. The new course of American politics has revealed the unsustainability of a divided Union, incapable of supporting Kyiv and defending its own economic sovereignty. The negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034 could become an opportunity to relaunch the process of reforming the Treaties. The European Parliament must use its veto power over the MFF to demand that the European Council initiate a procedure for revising the Treaties aimed at giving the Union genuine fiscal capacity.

With the election of Friedrich Merz as Chancellor and the confirmed leadership of Emmanuel Macron for the next two years, Germany and France finally seem

For Europe, the long season of illusions is over: the belief that it could count indefinitely on American protection, that the globalised world could guarantee peace and stability thanks to trade liberalisation and economic interdependence, that the democratic model would inevitably spread throughout the world. Europe thus finds itself exposed to very serious threats to its security, while experiencing a sharp economic decline and weakened by a political crisis that is seeing a growing consensus of nationalist, anti-European and anti-democratic forces. If these multiple crises are not used as an opportunity to strengthen political integration, there is a real risk that the European Union will break up. Only a politically united Europe will be able to survive and prosper again in the new context.

To confront the threats posed by the US and Russia, European democratic governments must demonstrate the political will to take concrete steps towards building an effective autonomous defense. This defense will enable Europeans to ensure their own security and that of Ukraine (read the appeal at this link https://297ae.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/OycZvHuFo1eQsnbVs5XBQMFt/CZA6i6D7Eq11).

Trump’s election, with the repercussions it will cause internationally, comes at a time of great vulnerability for the European Union, squeezed between security threats, dependence on third countries in strategic sectors, technological backwardness, an economic, political and social crisis that weakens democracy, and two key countries, Germany and France, paralysed by internal crises. Faced with this scenario, the European Union can only save itself by addressing the underlying issues that have been paralysing the integration process for decades and by resolving the causes of its structural decline.

Mario Draghi’s Report on the Future of European Competitiveness analyses Europe’s decline with irrefutable data, and identifies internal fragmentation as the primary reason for the EU’s inability to advance the common European interest and to mobilise sufficient resources for innovation and economic development. The solution indicated by Draghi is to equip Europe with the political-institutional instruments to act united as often as necessary, on many interdependent political levels. For this it is indispensable to introduce the necessary institutional changes in the Union by reforming the Treaties.

The election of Ursula Von Der Leyen to the presidency of the Commission with the vote of pro-European forces sends an important signal of stability, further reinforced by the reduction in size of the Rassemblement National in France after the legislative elections. In her programmatic speech, the president also announced the next Commission’s commitment to a reform of the Treaties. The window of opportunity to reform the Union remains open, although complex. Meanwhile, history continues to knock on Europe’s door, urging it to finally grow up and take on its responsibilities.

In the aftermath of the political earthquake caused by the results of the European elections, it is increasingly clear that the construction of a democratic European sovereignty is the only way to stop the plan for democratic and civic backwardness carried out by nationalist and anti-European forces.

At the start of the new legislature, it is therefore imperative that the pro-European forces make their support for the new Commission conditional, not only on support for Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression, first and foremost on a commitment to support the European Parliament in its call for reform of the Treaties and to fight for the convening of the Convention.

In view of the European elections on 6-9 June, the Union of European Federalists (UEF), together with the Association Jean Monnet, the Spinelli Group, the Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe) and Guy Verhofstadt – MEP, former Prime Minister of Belgium, who led the work for the drafting of the European Parliament Report with the proposals for the reform of the Treaties following the conclusions of the CoFoE (the Conference on the Future of Europe) -, launched a Manifesto/Appeal addressed to citizens and political forces in view of the vote and the new legislature and to initiate the revival of Jean Monnet’s Committee of Action for a United States of Europe.
This European Letter is dedicated to the dissemination of this Appeal/Manifesto. You can sign at this link: https://bit.ly/441GybH

The threat to European security posed by Russian imperialism is forcing Europeans to face the question of the need to equip themselves with a common defence, to become capable of protecting themselves.

The European Letter wants to contribute to this debate by explaining that a true European defence is not credible unless there are transfers of sovereignty at the European level to endow the Union with a true autonomy of government, not only by freeing it from the vetoes and blackmail of the member states, but also by creating the conditions for expressing a genuine European general interest.

On 22 November, the European Parliament opened the procedure for the revision of the EU Treaties. It is now up to the European Council to convene a Convention to discuss the EU reform project in detail.
Precisely with this in mind – with a view to the March European Council meeting – the European Letter stresses the urgency of a thorough and coherent reform of the Treaties and brings to your attention a Memorandum (LINK) explaining why only the opening of a Convention is the only feasible way forward for the reform of the Treaties, whereas neither simplified revision procedures nor adjustments in view of enlargement can satisfy effective Treaty reforms.

On 22 November, the Report on the proposals of the European Parliament’s for the Amendment of the Treaties (2022/2051(INL)) was voted by the European Parliament. This report proposes a profound institutional reform to make the European Union more democratic and capable of action, and thus adequate to face political challenges and enlargement. This vote also formally opens the procedure for Treaty revision, and in this respect calls on national governments and parliaments to take sides.
Precisely with this in mind – in view of the EU Council’s transmission to the European Council (hopefully as early as December, so that a decision can be taken at the March meeting) – the European Letter publishes this note explaining the content and value of this Report and invites national parliaments to discuss it with their governments.
We also point out this draft resolution (LINK) for national parliaments to discuss and adopt.

European Letter dedicates its first issue of 2022 to an analysis of the judicial problem that has its origins in the conflict between Poland, grappling with its authoritarian drift, and the European Union, which seeks to uphold the values of the rule of law.