Open Letter from the Young European Federalists to Members of the Convention

The Young European Federalists call on the Convention to draft a Constitution for a European Federation

The Young European Federalists welcome the creation of the European Constitutional Convention: a new and historic opportunity for individuals, representing the governments and parliaments of member states and candidate countries and the European Parliament, to move beyond the stale horse-trading of recent years and present a bold proposal for a Constitution for a European federation.

Today, you, the members of the Convention, have the chance to lay the foundations of a genuine European democracy, and to make the Union fit for the challenges of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. But unless you show your resolve to work in an open and transparent manner and to engage the interest and support of the citizens of Europe, the Convention will become merely another talking shop for politicians behind closed doors. Such a return to the intergovernmental and undemocratic ‘business as usual’ can only damage the legitimacy of the European project. The future of Europe concerns all the peoples of Europe, and their voices must be heard.

If the goal of a federal Constitution for the Union is to be achieved, the Convention must:

1. Address the question of how to delineate competencies between the European and national levels in order to ensure that citizens are able to understand which level of government is responsible for decisions taken;

2. Ensure that the reformed institutional structures are democratically accountable and transparent, including the transformation of the Council into a genuine second chamber with all legislation conducted in public, the extension of co-decision between the two chambers to all areas, a democratic method of choosing the President and members of the Commission, and the encouragement of genuine European political parties;

3. Establish more efficient decision-making, including the extension of majority voting to all areas, and the replacing of the absurdly complex system of weighting in the Council with a more transparent system;

4. Take seriously the need to engage public interest and secure public support, in order to ensure that the results of the Convention cannot be ignored or put aside by the subsequent IGC;

5. Avoid being held hostage to special interests or the concerns of a minority of representatives, and instead works to produce a strong result.

We therefore call on all supporters of the federalist idea within the Convention, whatever their nationality or background, to join together in a Federalist Intergroup to promote the federalist solution to the reform of the European Union.

The Young European Federalists, now active in 30 countries across Europe, will campaign for the establishment of a truly federal Union, based on the principles of democracy, transparency, subsidiarity, and accountability. Europe must not only be the Europe of the elite, but of the peoples.

Today you, the members of the Constitutional Convention, have an unique opportunity to rise to this challenge. The Young European Federalists call on you to present a proposal for a federal Constitution for the whole of Europe.