Union of European Federalists

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Union of European Federalists
Chairman logo
Sandro Gozi daticamera.jpg
Sandro Gozi
  		Old flag of the European Movement.svg
Basic data
Alignment Promotion of a democratic and federal Europe
distribution European UnionEuropean Union European Union Switzerland Serbia Montenegro
SwitzerlandSwitzerland 
SerbiaSerbia 
MontenegroMontenegro 
Establishment date December 17, 1946
Place of foundation Paris
Chairman Sandro Gozi
Deputy Christopher Glück,
Otto Schmuck
Treasurer David Garcia
Secretary General Paolo Vacca
Addresses
address Square de Meeûs 25
1000 Brussels
Website federalists.eu
structure
Members approx. 20,000
structure 24 national sections
and UEF Europe Group
Youth organization Young European Federalists
Memberships European Movement International ,
World Federalist Movement

The Union of European Federalists (UEF) is a supranational association with its headquarters in The Hague and the General Secretariat in Brussels , whose primary aim is to promote European federalism . It aims to democratize the European Union and create a federal European state . With over twenty national sections, the UEF is the pro-European association with the largest number of members. The largest sections of the UEF are the Europa-Union Deutschland , the Italian Movimento Federalista Europeo and the European Federalist Movement in Austria. The UEF is one of over thirty member organizations of the European Movement International network . Your youth organization is called Young European Federalists .

history

The association was founded in 1946 as a Europe-wide amalgamation of various national associations that aimed to form a European federal state. Since the twenties there have been groups in various cantons in Switzerland which, partly inspired by Count Coudenhove-Kalergi’s Pan-European Union founded in Vienna in 1923 , campaigned for a federal unity of Europe. On June 24, 1934, these groups formed the Swiss “Europe Union”, from which today's New European Movement Switzerland emerged .

In August 1938 the "Pax Union" was founded in London, which was soon called the " Federal Union " and in 1940 had more than 1000 members in Great Britain . In France, in December 1941, a resistance group against the German occupation called " Combat " was founded, which published a newspaper of the same name , in which the aim was to create the United States of Europe . In Italy the Movimento Federalista Europeo was founded in 1943 , which was initiated primarily by the anti-fascist resistance fighter Altiero Spinelli . In 1941, on the Italian island of exile, Ventotene, together with Ernesto Rossi, he wrote the socialist- inspired Manifesto of Ventotene , which called for the revolutionary establishment of a European federal state after the end of World War II and was particularly popular in European resistance circles. In May 1944 there was a conference of resistance fighters in Geneva, at which a declaration was drawn up in favor of a European federation, which was mentally influenced by the Manifesto of Ventotene. On the occasion of the merger of French resistance groups in June 1944 under the name Comité Français pour la Fédération Européenne , a declaration was published that indicated the need for a European federation.

Hertensteiner Cross

After the end of the World War, representatives of European federalism met at the invitation of the Swiss European Union in September 1946 and presented twelve theses on the European federal state in the Hertensteiner program . After further conferences in Luxembourg and Basel, the Union of European Federalists was founded in Paris on December 17, 1946 . The driving forces were mainly the former French, Dutch and Italian resistance fighters around Altiero Spinelli. The idea of ​​European federalism also spread in Germany after the World War; The Europa-Union Deutschland was founded in 1947 and shortly thereafter joined the UEF as a national section. Important German sponsors of the international work of the UEF were Eugen Kogon and Carlo Schmid .

Historical flag of the European movement . It later became the flag of the European federalists.

However, the UEF was not able to achieve the ambitious goals of the federalists for a European federal state “without ifs and buts”. In 1948, at the Hague European Congress , she sought to join forces with the United Europe Movement (UEM) founded the previous year , which was inspired by Winston Churchill and led by his son-in-law Duncan Sandys . The European Movement was founded as the umbrella organization for the various European associations . In contrast to the UEF, however, the UEM primarily pursued intergovernmental cooperation between European governments and, if necessary, aimed at a confederation , not a federal state. Indeed, the result of the joint effort, the Council of Europe , founded in 1949, was a disappointment for many UEF activists. Altiero Spinelli even claimed that Churchill's UEM had betrayed the federalists: he was only interested in building an anti-communist counter-movement to the UEF and preventing a European federal state.

The founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 and the European Economic Community in 1957 also did not correspond to the drafts of the UEF. The realpolitical successes of the new communities led to internal tensions among the federalists: While the “constitutionalists” continued to strive for the quick adoption of a democratic European constitution, the “functionalists” accepted the gradual integration by the newly established institutions, even if these were not yet ideal of a state. In 1954, the UEF once again stood up for the European Political Community , which was seen as a starting point for a European federal state. After its ratification failed in the French parliament, however, the conflicts in the UEF got out of hand. In July 1956 it split into the constitionalist Mouvement Fédéraliste Européen (MFE) around Altiero Spinelli, which continued to demand a real European constitution, and the functionalist Action Européenne Fédéraliste (AEF), which campaigned for the gradual expansion of the European Communities. In the following years, however, both groups exercised little influence on European politics.

The flag of the European Union is very popular with European federalists in parallel with the flag of the movement.

At the beginning of the 1970s, the UEF was revitalized again. After the MFE and AEF reunited in 1973, their work focused on calling for direct elections to the European Parliament , which the Member States of the European Communities decided in 1976 and which took place for the first time in 1979 . The federalists hoped that the improved democratic legitimation of the European Parliament would allow it a new attempt at a federal state. In fact, Altiero Spinelli, elected MEP in 1979 , campaigned for the newly elected parliament to play the role of a constituent assembly. In 1984 Parliament passed an overwhelming majority of the European Constitutional Treaty, which was drawn up by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs under the direction of Spinelli. However, this draft, the last concrete attempt to establish a European federal state, failed because it was not ratified by the member states. The summit meetings of the European Council in Fontainebleau in 1984 and Milan in 1985, at which the heads of state and government decided to reform the European institutions without taking the draft constitution into account, were accompanied by large-scale demonstrations by the UEF; the Milan demonstration with around 100,000 participants was the largest demonstration in the history of European federalism.

In the 1990s, as European integration progressed, the basis for the activities of the UEF continued to collapse. Funded by the European Commission , the UEF increasingly limited itself to actions for a parliamentarization and democratization of the European Union and for a stronger role for the European parties . She campaigned for the abolition of intra-European border controls through the Schengen Agreement as well as for the EU constitutional treaty that was passed in 2004 and ultimately failed .

President

President of the Executive Board
President (until 1966 "President of the Central Committee")

General Secretaries

organization

The UEF is the umbrella organization of its national member organizations (sections), which each form independent associations and operate largely independently of one another. The national organizations are largely free to organize specific actions as long as they fit into the general political framework of the UEF. The congress meets every two years, where delegates from the national organizations meet. He determines the political framework of the UEF, appoints the president, can change the statutes and elects half of the members of the federal committee. This committee, the other half of which is elected by the national sections, coordinates the activities between the congresses, approves the annual budget and elects the board that is responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the congress and the committee. The committee also appoints the treasurer and (at the suggestion of the board) the general secretary who directs the day-to-day work. As further organs there is the conference of representatives of the member organizations, which meets at the request of the board or at least two national sections and includes delegates of the national associations as well as the president, the general secretary and the treasurer. The conference has an advisory role for the committee and determines the membership fees. For the settlement of conflicts in the organization there is an arbitration committee consisting of seven members elected by the Congress.

Board

UEF Board (2013)
President: Elmar Brok MEP (Germany)
Vice-Presidents: Philipp Agathonos (Austria), Isabelle Durant (Belgium), Francesco Ferrero (Italy), Andrej Kowatschew (Bulgaria), Heinz-Wilhelm Schaumann (Germany)
Treasurer: Kolja Bienert (Catalonia)
Secretary General: Paolo Vacca (Italy)
Other board members: Florent Banfi, François Mennerat, Petroula Nteledimou, Dominique Ostyn, Arielle Rouby, Luisa Trumellini, Catherine Vieilledent
JEF President: Christopher Glück
Honorary Presidents: Andrew Duff MEP (UK), Jo Leinen MEP (Germany), John Pinder (UK)
Honorary members: Alfonso Iozzo (Italy), Friedhelm Frischenschlager (Austria), John Parry (Great Britain), Sergio Pistone (Italy), Guido Montani (Italy)

Federal Committee

The highest decision-making body between the congresses, which usually take place every two years, is the Federal Committee. It is composed of the personal members elected by the Congress and the delegates of the member associations. The Presidium of the Federal Committee is currently held in an equal position by: Michele Ciavarini Azzi (Belgium), Peter Strempel (Austria), Elina Viilup (Estonia).

The federal committee elects all members of the board except for the president, who is elected by the congress. It receives the reports of the board and decides on the budget of the association. Between the congresses, the federal committee advises and decides on the political orientation of the association.

National affiliates

States with member organizations of the Union of European Federalists, as of 2018
country Member organization Establishment date Web presence
BelgiumBelgium Belgium UEF België / UEF Belgique uef.be
BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria UEF Balgarija 2002 uefbulgaria.eu
GermanyGermany Germany Europe Union Germany December 9, 1946 europa-union.de
FinlandFinland Finland Euro-op federalism 2007
FranceFrance France UEF France Union des Fédéralistes Européens
GreeceGreece Greece European Federalist Movement Greece Το blog των Ελλήνων Φεντεραλιστών
ItalyItaly Italy Movimento Federalista Europeo 1943 mfe.it
LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania Europos Federalistų Sąjunga Lietuvoje 3rd February 2012
LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg UEF Luxembourg
MontenegroMontenegro Montenegro Union of European Federalists Montenegro 2011 uefcg.org
AustriaAustria Austria European Federalist Movement Austria January 31, 1955 efb.at
PolandPoland Poland Unia Europejskich Federalistow Polska 1994 uef.lodz.pl
PortugalPortugal Portugal Federalistas Europeus - União dos Federalistas Europeus in Portugal
RomaniaRomania Romania Uniunea Europeană Banat din România - UEBR 1995 (relaunch 2007)
SwedenSweden Sweden Europafederalisterna europafederalisterna.eu
SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland New European Movement Switzerland 1998, forerunner to 1934 as the European Union europa.ch
SerbiaSerbia Serbia Unija Evropskih Federalista Srbija (member since October 30, 2010) May 2, 2009 uef.rs
SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia Únia Európskych Federalistov 2013 federalisti.sk
SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia Društvo Združena Evropa Slovenije
SpainSpain Spain Unión de Europeístas y Federalistas de España November 2013 uefspain.eu
Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic UEF Česká Republika uef.cz
HungaryHungary Hungary Európai Föderalisták Uniója Magyarország 2013 federalists.hu
United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom Federal Union August 1938 as "Pax Union" federalunion.org.uk
Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus European Federalist Movement of Cyprus 2004
European UnionEuropean Union European Union UEF Groupe Europe April 12, 1975

literature

  • Gerhard Brunn : European unification . In: Universal Library . No. 17038 . Reclam, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 978-3-15-017038-0 , pp. 54 ff .
  • Jürgen Mittag : A brief history of the European Union. From the European idea to the present . Aschendorf, Münster 2008, ISBN 978-3-402-00234-6 , p. 63 f .
  • Sergio Pistone: The Union of European Federalists . Giuffrè Editore, Milan 2008, ISBN 88-14-14251-3 .
  • Sergio Pistone and Otto Schmuck: The Contribution of the European Federalists to the Unification Process . In: Otto Schmuck (Ed.): People win for Europe - For a Europe of the citizens, In memoriam Claus Schöndube . Bad-Marienberg 2008, p. 93–114 ( europa-union.de [PDF]).
  • Heinrich Kümmerle: Europe is there for everyone! Heilbronn 2020, ISBN 978-3-00-066061-0 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see Frank Niess: The European Idea. Suhrkamp 2001., ISBN 3-518-12160-X , pp. 76, 77 .
  2. ↑ Cf. Gerhard Brunn: The European Unification . In: Universal Library . No. 17038 . Reclam, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 978-3-15-017038-0 , pp. 54 ff .
  3. ↑ Union of European Federalists (UEF) ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ History - Europe Union Germany. Retrieved August 13, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Union of European Federalists (UEF) ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ^ MFE: Il Movimento Federalista Europeo. Retrieved August 13, 2020 (it-it).
  7. ^ Union of European Federalists (UEF) . Andrew Duff attended the constitutive meeting of UEF Lithuania
  8. ↑ Union of European Federalists ( Memento from October 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ^ European Federalist Movement Austria ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from April 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ Uniunea Europeană Banat din România - UEBR ( Memento from January 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ^ History. In: European Movement Switzerland. Retrieved on August 13, 2020 (German).
  13. ↑ Unija Evropskih Federalista Srbija ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ Union of European Federalists (UEF) ( Memento from December 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ Historia - Unión de Europeístas y Federalistas de España. Retrieved August 13, 2020 (European Spanish).
  16. ↑ Union of European Federalists (UEF) ( Memento from October 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  17. ^ History - Europe Union Germany. Retrieved August 13, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ UEF Groupe Europe ( Memento from January 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive )