Europe from below - Voice of Europe

Citizens' agora on the future of Europe

Europe — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:33:00 +01:00

To step up the participation of civil society in European integration, the European Parliament is proposing a new way to involve citizens in a permanent dialogue on the EU's future.

And follow the debate live the 8th and the 9th on the following web page: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/wps-europarl-internet/faces/live/live-video.jsp?language=en

European Constitution versus New Treaty : The name changes but not the content

Europe — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:27:00 +02:00

Declaration by the Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly following the European summit on 21st and 22nd June in Brussels. Paris - Berlin - Amsterdam - Brussels - Helsinki - Luxembourg - Madrid - Rome, 26th June 2007

Discussions behind the people's backs

The text under discussion by the European Council has been kept secret and was drawn up by "sherpas" behind closed doors and without the knowledge of the European citizens and their parliamentary representatives.

A return to the intergovernmental method, both undemocratic and inefficient

The draft text which the European Council is discussing is not the "slimmed-down" treaty initially announced. It is in fact a mandate to be given to an Intergovernmental Conference to draw up a new treaty.

Therefore, the European people still have no say in the content of the new text. Furthermore, there is a return to the intergovernmental method which has paralysed the European construction process for several years. This method, already difficult with 15 EU Member States and increasingly so with 25, will be even more complicated with 27. By allowing the discussions to emphasise national antagonisms rather than the general interest of the European people, this IGC method can only exacerbate nationalistic sentiment and lead to minimalist compromises. Instead of this, we call for Europe-wide election at the earliest occasion of a Constituent Assembly with the mandate to elaborate a Constitution for the European Union.

A text drawn from the Constitution which further reinforces the existing neo-liberal and anti-social EU policies

Quite logically the heads of state reunited in Brussels, who were all in favour of the draft European Constitution rejected by the French and Dutch people, have drawn up a compromise similar to the one they adopted in 2004. In substance, the content of the mandate given to the IGC maintains the non-democratic institutional content of the Constitution and makes no change to the neo-liberal orientation of the EU policies.

The new treaty presents no positive advances to the democratic functioning of the EU. The European Central Bank remains independent of all political influence. As stipulated in the Constitution, the European Parliament continues to be a subordinate institution, the Commission retains its monopoly on acts initiatives, and the powers of its President are reinforced. This institutional system encourages blockage situations and renders common EU policy ineffective.

Neither does the text under discussion by the European Council make any changes to the content of the EU social and economic policies. It stipulates that the "current treaties remain in force", and notably all references to the necessary respect of free market laws. Consequently it does not provide for any positive harmonisation of social or fiscal dispositions across the EU.

Whilst human and social rights demand the EU-wide and world-wide implementation of rigorous policies to fight against the expansion of poverty and inequality which exist also within Europe, the EU is refused the necessary means in terms of justice and social policy to counter these problems.

As the imperialistic war-mongering logic gains ground across the world, the EU is once again denied any real possibilities as regards common foreign policy and is subject to the constraints of "military security" imposed by the imperialistic powers that be. The EU still has no power to intervene for the promotion of world peace.

__A loss of legitimacy, a denial of democracy __ The adoption of the substance of the European Constitution under a new name is a serious violation of democratic principles. The EU citizens who rejected it by referendum cannot accept this denial of democracy. Furthermore, the method proposed by the European Council is no more easily acceptable to the citizens of Spain who accepted the previous text by referendum. On the contrary, this attempt to push through the text by deceptive means can only exacerbate the crisis of legitimacy that the EU is currently suffering in the eyes of its citizens.

The Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly reiterates its demand that a new EU Constitution should introduce a reorganisation of powers along genuinely democratic lines and therefore that it should be drawn up by a Constituent Assembly.

First signatories :

Oskar LAFONTAINE, MP, Co-Chairman of Die Linke, Chairman of Die Linke group at the Bundestag

Jean-Luc MELENCHON, Chairman Pour la République Sociale (PRS), Socialist Senator, former government minister

Fabio AMATO, international representative for Rifondazione Comunista, Italy

Diether DEHM, spokesperson on European affairs for Die Linke Parliamentary group, Germany

François DELAPIERRE, General Secretary PRS, France

Michael EFLER, Regional representative for Mehr Demokratie, Germany

Vicent GARCES, spokesperson for Izquierda Socialista - PSOE, Spain

Raquel GARRIDO, Coordinator of the Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly, France

Riccardo PETRELLA, Professor of political economics, Chairman of international world-wide water committee, Belgium

Thomas WALLGREN, academic, SDP Finland

Henri WEHENKEL, Dei Lenk, Luxembourg

Erik WESSELIUS, national spokesperson for the referendum NO campaign, the Netherlands

EU summit: proclaimed success is democratic failure

Europe — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 19:06:00 +02:00

Brussels, 2007-06-23

After months of secret Sherpa negotiations outside of parliamentary control, European leaders came together to this weekend's EU summit to fix the institutional impasse for the better - or worse. The further weakening of the frail Constitutional Treaty is the ultimate evidence of the Union's biggest structural problem: The right of every random government to stop Europe from moving forward and tackling the challenges of our future.

The Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) are deeply concerned about the outcome of last night's EU summit. Jan Seifert, President of JEF Europe, described the so-called Reform Treaty as "a sad end to the least democratic Treaty reform process in EU's history". He further commented: "The worst of nationalist-bureaucratic Europe has struck back. As a consequence of the Sherpa negotiations between unelected bureaucrats national parliaments, civil society and citizens have been completely side-lined."

JEF Europe fears that EU leaders have forgotten their own bold promises from the Laeken declaration and all subsequent summits. The JEF President commented: "It has been repeated over and over again that Europe needs to match the challenges of the 21st century. With the envisaged new treaty, Europe will neither be able to speak with one voice in the world nor has it gained clear competences for energy and climate change in order to act in accordance with the self-proclaimed goals from only three months ago. Given the crucial decisions that have to be taken in the coming years, insisting to leave the current voting-mechanisms practically unchanged until 2017 makes the Kaczynski potatoes the most expensive EU leaders ever."

Seifert expressed JEF Europe's disappointment about the adopted procedure: "If anything becomes obvious, then it is the huge gap between the Europe of the bureaucrats and the Europe of the citizens. Europe's governments have opted for a Europe in which citizens and parliaments are deferred to the audience without any chance to influence. The result of this: The 'reformed' EU is the biggest in ambition and the smallest in democratic oversight and delivery."

"If there is one lesson to be learned from the Summit failure, then it is that no future reform can work with the same outdated principle of secret intergovernmental bargaining and unpredictable ratifications in 27+ member states. The veto right must be abolished!" Seifert stressed. He continued: "JEF Europe demands that a future Constitution and future Treaty revisions have to be exclusively prepared through a Convention. It should come into force if either 2/3 of the member states have ratified the new proposal or citizens have approved the reform in a pan-European referendum with a double majority system.

Seifert concluded: "Europe should be a project by and for its citizens. Today, Europe's leaders have chosen to diverge from this vision. We will keep on fighting for it!"

ENDS

Your contact is: Vassilis Stamogiannis, Secretary General, mobile +32 495 501383

JEF will publish a more detailed analysis on the individual innovations of the new treaty on its website www.jef.eu in the coming days.

The European people's red line.

Europe — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:31:00 +02:00

In these hours of bilateral meetings behind European Council's closed doors every leader underlines his conditions and indicates the 'national' red line. Under this red line every leader threatens he cannot go.

The European Council takes into account the voice of governments making national interests.

But who is in charge to make the general interest during the European Council meeting deciding important aspects of the future of 500 milion of European citizens?

Who can represent the common values and desires of European people as a whole?

European citizens, as shown in the last survey published by FT.com/Harris, are in favour of a European Constitution and want to be heard through a pan-European referendum. But this vision is not represented in the European Council. No one of the national leader is proposing these options coming from below.

The only person could represent the general interest is the chief of the European Parliament Hans Gert Poettering. But Angela Merkel denied him to be part in EU leaders summit.

If we want to build a stronger Europe we need to change the method restarting in a very different way:

NO more IGC,
NO more national veto,
NO more treaties.

YES to a constitutional assembly or convention,
YES to the majority vote and
YES to a European Constitution including the Rights Charter for all European citizens.

European democracy cannot be more denied to European people.

European democracy 'sous embargo': draft IGC mandate unveiled

Europe — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:12:00 +02:00

Just few hours before the European Council kick off (with the aim to relaunch the European constitutional process after two years reflection) the new cafebabel blog "Europefrombelow" unveils to European citizens the draft IGC mandate. It's the document prepared behind close doors by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The draft IGC mandate "sous embargo" is widely circulating since yesterday through the press and the internet.

Increasing number of citizens are asking to be involved in the process through a European wide referendum. Yesterday the Italian Foreign Minister D'Alema received the first 10,000 signatures claiming for it. It's not more possible to make new institutional changes without the Parliaments and civil society participation.

We can be sure 100% reading the draft that the results of compromise will be insufficient to give Europe real power to face problems affecting European citizens. The raison is very clear: the veto vote is blocking any progress in the process. UK and Poland (but also the little Luxembourg) can stop any improvement. The only way out is to decide to drop the veto tool that give an extraordinary force to anti-European and nationalistic countries. If it will not possible to reach a political and social Europe in the framework of 27 Member States a vanguard group should be permitted to move forward.

European Union needs a new start with a wide and public debate and the active participation of European citizens. Without them our national governments cannot impose any new Treaty or Constitution what ever will be name: Mini Treaty, Reform Treaty, TEC, TEU, etc.

In the following paragraph we underline the principal aspects and changes respect to 2004 IGC.

The "Draft IGC Mandate" prepared by German Presidency and circulated before the European Council is designing a new face to Europe that in our opinion will not enhance the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the EU and will not simplify the existing treaties.

The first principle accepted by all 27 Member States is that the word and the concept of Constitution disappeared definitely from the text.

A new Treaty, named "Reform Treaty", will introduce into the existing treaties, which remain in force, the innovation results from the 2004 IGC.

It generates a complicate treaties box.

Infact the circulating proposal says that the Reform Treaty will contain two substantive clauses amending respectively the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC). The TEU will keep its present name and the TEC will be called Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

The TEU and the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union will not have a constitutional character. The term "Constitution" will not be used, the denominations "law" and "framework law" will be abandoned and the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs will be change.

All symbols creating an European identity will be deleted from the Treaty. The flag, the anthem and the motto "Unity in the diversity" will disappear.

The article on fundamental rights will contain a cross reference to the Charter on fundamental rights giving it legally binding value but concerning competences it will be specified that the Union shall act only within limits of competences conferred upon it by the Member states in the Treaties.

The national Parliaments will enhance their role: infact the period given to national parliaments to examine draft legislative texts and to give a reasoned opinion on subsidiarity will be extended from 6 to 8 weeks. And their control mechanism will be reinforced: with one third of the votes allocated to national parliaments the commission will reexamine the draft act.

It will be possible a voluntary withdrawal from the Union and the Treaties can be revised to increase or reduce the competences conferred upon the Union.

Regarding the Council vote system the introduction of the double majority has been blocked by two delegation asking for a more democratic, more transparent and more efficient Union (ridicule). The two delegation affirm that it can be achieved by degressive proportionality. This proposal came from Poland and Czech Republic.

For a new state accession the conditions of eligibility reference to the Union's will be replaced by the Union's value.

The Member States will be the masters of the Treaties: infact when a member of the Council considers that a draft legislative act would affect fundamental aspects of its social security system or criminal justice system it may request that the matter be referred to the European council. And the ordinary legislative procedure shall be suspended. And the Commission have to submit a new proposal.

That's all for the moment. Waiting for Bruxelles news.

Don't let the European governments decide for you. Ask your voice to be heard. Sign the petition for a European referendum:

http://www.europeanreferendum.eu

You can dowload the draft text of the IGC Mandate http://www.europeanmovement.org/news_det.cfm?news_id=492

No Europe No Party!

Europe — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:29:00 +02:00

Behind close doors. This is the method our governments have chosen to redesign a new Constitutional Treaty. On 21 and 22 of June European council will meet in Bruxelles to decide how to move forward (or backward). Despite of transparency and democracy our political leaders are taking very important decisions about our future without any involvement of citizens and of national and European parliaments.

It's incredible that in 2007 democracy in Europe reduced itself in a narrow street where only 27 heads of state and government (with their sherpas) can decide in the name and on behalf of 500 million of European citizens.

It's incredible that European Parliament the only body directly elected by the people had accepted this method without any formal protest.

It's incredible that European and national political parties didn't trasmit to their members and affiliates the importance of what is going on.

It's incredible that European civil society, with a few exceptions such as European Trade Union Confederation and Union of European Federalists, didn't take any actions or mobilitations to demand a different Europe.

Where are the pro-European French people had voted NO in Constitutional referendum ?

Where are European social forum delegates demanding another Europe ?

It's time to wake up and to stand up for our rights to have a voice in European matters that will affect our everyday life in a substancial way.

It's time to ask a full participation of European citizens through the involvement of their representatives (at national level with national Parliaments and at European level with European Parliament) in a new European Convention with the aim to formulate a new Constitutional text and directly with a pan-European referendum on the European Constitution to be held on the same day as the elections to the European Parliament in 2009.

The proposal of a new intergovernmental conference behind close doors to draft a new version of the Constitutional Treaty is a shame for people who believe in democracy.

The only way out is to say 'basta' to intergovernmental method. 'No more IGC' is the first request to fill the gap of European democracy.

It's time to act for our future and for next generation in Europe and in the world. It's clear that without Europe young people will have no party at all. __ Europe needs a constitution and it's all the European people together who should decide on it! Sign now: http://www.europeanreferendum.eu__

European Parliament: Roadmapping without a compass - June 7th, 2007

Europe — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 09:45:00 +02:00

As the European Parliament debates the Report on the roadmap for the Union's Constitutional Process this afternoon, the Young European Federalists point out the shortcomings of the EP's standpoint. JEF Europe expects the parliamentary representatives of the European citizens to live up to their mission in a more responsible way than with this tame resolution almost 6 month late.

"We are truly disappointed by the report. Not only because a document like this should have been adopted before the German presidency to actually influence the Sherpa negotiations, but also because it clearly lacks a concrete direction and fails to tackle crucial points." Jan Seifert, President of JEF Europe, opened his statement on the European Parliament's Report on the roadmap for the Union's Constitutional Process, which is debated in the plenary session on Wednesday, 6 June 2007.

JEF Europe, the organisation of Young European Federalists, points out that the EP's resolution proposal lacks concrete criticsm of the intransparent and undemocratic sherpa method employed by the German presidency and thus implicitly supports for the constitutional process to be moved away from the citizens and behind closed doors. That the Parliament is supporting a new IGC rather then a new convention is a clear step backwards.

"It's a shame that Parliament has lost any ambition to demand going beyond the classical IGC method", Seifert added, describing the proposal to make use of the Maastricht procedure involving EP respresentatives in the IGC as non-workable with 27 member states.

JEF Europe has for long been fighting for a democratic and transparent constitutional process involving the European citizens in the decision-making. "What Parliament should rather ask for is full transparency during the whole consultation process with access to all documents and possibly a revival of the convention method as this is what the Heads of State agreed to in the first round", Seifert said.

Regarding Parliament's call for a coordinated ratification procedure, JEF Europe's president concluded: "We don't need a mere coordination. We need every single European citizen to have a say on the future of Europe and this can only be achieved having a pan-European referendum on any future treaty revision. That's what Parliament should ask for!"

JEF Europe is one of the partner organisations to the European Referendum campaign collecting one million signatures demanding a pan-European referendum on a future European Constitution. For more information, go to www.europeanreferendum.eu.

"Federalism in EU and the World" international seminar in Ventotene: call for papers

Europe — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:50:00 +02:00

ALTIERO SPINELLI INSTITUTE FOR FEDERALIST STUDIES - 24th International Seminar on Federalism

FEDERALISM IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD - Ventotene, September 2-7, 2007

Call for Papers. You are invited again to be a part of this discussion. After the success of last year's experiment, a certain number of speakers will be selected on the basis of a Call for Papers, open to everyone interested. The deadline for the submission of an abstract of your paper is June 10.

For many years, the Altiero Spinelli Institute for Federalist Studies has organised a yearly international seminar on the island of Ventotene. This island off the Italian coast, was the place where Altiero Spinelli, author of the Federalist Ventotene Manifesto, was imprisoned during the Second World War. Each year, young Federalists gather here to discuss with leading experts from the European and World Federalist Movement federalist ideas and their application to the European and global context.

Topics & Structure of the seminar

Possible topics for this year's conferences may include but are not limited to: - Federalism as a Political Theory - Federalism as an Institutional Model - The Values Pursued by Federalism - Federalism as an Answer to the Challenges of Globalisation - The EU as the Most Advanced Federalist Experiment - The Potential for a Greater Global Role of the EU - The Federal Citizenship: A New Model - Past, Present and Future Role of the Federalist Movements in the European Integration - Proposals for Overcoming the Present Stalemate of the EU - Guidelines for Strategy and Action of the Federalist Movements in the Near Future

Starting with this year, the traditional structure of the seminar will be changed, following the suggestions of previous participants. Each morning will host three talks of 30 minutes each (09.30-11.00), on a general topic. These presentations will be followed by working groups (11.30-13.00). The afternoon session will be devoted to the presentation of the groups' feedback (17.30-18.00) followed by an interactive discussion between the participants and the speakers (18.00-19.30). This way, we want to encourage a more active involvement of all participants into the seminar's works.

Call for Papers

You are invited again to be a part of this discussion. After the success of last year's experiment, a certain number of speakers will be selected on the basis of a Call for Papers, open to everyone interested. The deadline for the submission of an abstract of your paper is June 10.

Your abstracts will be reviewed by an Altiero Spinelli Institute Commission and notices of acceptance will be sent out on approximately June 30. The Altiero Spinelli Institute will provide to the selected speakers full reimbursement of their travel expenses and accommodation and full board for two nights - three days. Speakers who want to attend the whole seminar will receive full travel reimbursement and will have to pay a fee of 90 €.

All abstracts must contain: - Author's name and affiliation - Title of the paper - Author's email (check carefully that it is the correct one) - Author's full postal address (street, zip, city and country) - Author's mobile (preferred) or landline (not preferred) phone

If you wish to submit an abstract, please send it to applications at istitutospinelli.org. before June 10. Abstracts sent after the deadline will not be examined by the commission.

PARTICIPATING CONDITIONS

Applications The online application form must be submitted by June 10 at the very latest. The form is accessible through the Institute's website on http://www.istitutospinelli.org/index.php?option=com_facileforms&Itemid=11

If you should encounter any problems with the web-based form, send an email to applications at istitutospinelli.org. Make sure that it contains all the same data requested by the web-form.

Admission By June 30, an Altiero Spinelli Institute Commission will select the participants and will provide the admitted ones with detailed information concerning the procedure for confirmation, the final programme and how to reach Ventotene.

Participation fee and travel reimbursement Considering that, in the past years, the participation fee was often higher than the travel expenses, starting with 2005, the Altiero Spinelli Institute decided to abolish both the participation fee and the travel reimbursement. The selected participants will receive without any cost accommodation and all the meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) from the lunch of Sunday Sept. 2 to the lunch of Friday Sept. 7 included. No travel reimbursement is provided. Booking in large advance, it will be possible to fly to Rome or Naples at very low costs from many places in Europe.

Special conditions for Italian participants The conditions for Italians applying for the international seminar are instead the same as those of the national seminar (150 € participation fee and 80% travel reimbursement up to a maximum of 70 €).

Caution money A caution of 100 € shall be paid in advance by those who have been accepted in the seminar, so that the Institute can book the hotel, without risking own funds in case of last-minute withdrawals. The full amount of 100 € will be given back, cash, to each participant at the end of the seminar, provided that s/he will have attended all sections.

Scholarships In order to facilitate those who come from the farthest countries, the Altiero Spinelli Institute will provide a certain number of scholarships of 150 € each, covering part of the travel expenses, upon request. The attribution of the scholarship will be communicated together with the confirmation letter. Please note that the acceptance to the seminar does not automatically imply the attribution of a scholarship unless explicitly stated.

If you want to apply for a scholarship, please send a full CV and a motivation letter (not longer than one page) to scholarships at istitutospinelli.org.

Working language English will be the working language for the international seminar. An Italian seminar will be run in parallel, with Italian participants.

Noam Chomsky. The installation of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe is, virtually, a declaration of war.

Europe — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:53:00 +02:00

Simply imagine how the US would react if Russia or China or Iran or in fact any foreign power dared even to think about placing a missile defense system at or near the borders of the US, let alone carrying out such plans. In these unimaginable circumstancse, a violent US reaction would be not only almost certain but also understandable. for reasons that are simple and clear.

It is well known on all sides that missile defense is a first strike weapon. Respected US military analysts describe missile defense as "not simply a shield but an enabler of U.S. action." It "will facilitate the more effective application of U.S. military power abroad.” “By insulating the homeland from reprisal, missile defense will underwrite the capacity and willingness of the United States to `shape' the environment elsewhere." "Missile defense isn't really meant to protect America. It's a tool for global dominance.” “Missile defense is about preserving America's ability to wield power abroad. It's not about defense. It's about offense. And that's exactly why we need it.” All quotes, from respected liberal and mainstream sources -- who favor developing the system and placing it at the remote limits of US global dominance.

The logic is simple, and well understood. A functioning missile defense system informs potential targets that “we will attack you as we please, and you will not be able to retaliate, so you cannot deter us.” The system is being marketed to Europeans as a defense against Iranian missiles. Even if Iran had nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, the chances of its using them to attack Europe are lower than the chances of Europe being hit by an asteroid, so if defense is the reason, Czech Republic should be installing a system to defend the country from asteroids. If Iran were to indicate even the slightest attention of such a move, the country would be vaporized. The system is indeed aimed at Iran, but as a first strike weapon. It is a component of the escalating US threats to attack Iran, threats that are in themselves a serious violation of the UN Charter, though admittedly this issue does not arise in outlaw states.

When Gorbachev agreed to allow a unified Germany to join a hostile military alliance, he was accepting a very severe threat to Russian security, for reasons too familiar to review. In return, the US government made a firm pledge not to expand NATO to the East. The pledge was violated a few years later, arousing little comment in the West, but raising the threat of military confrontation. So-called “missile defense” ratchets the threat of war a few notches higher. The “defense” it provides is to increase the threat of aggression in the Middle East, with incalculable consequences, and the threat of terminal nuclear war.

Over half a century ago, Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein issued an extraordinary appeal to the people of the world, warning them that they face a choice that is “stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?” Accepting a so-called “missile defense system” makes that choice, in favor of an end to the human race, perhaps in the not-too-distant future.

24.5.2007 From a letter to Jan Tamáš Noam Chomsk

European left representatives say "No to secret negotiations on the EU constitution"

Europe — Sat, 19 May 2007 11:06:00 +02:00

PRESS RELEASE

18th MAY 2007

Declaration of the Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly

On the occasion of Angela Merkel's visit with Nicolas Sarkozy, and her decision to begin renegotiations of the European Constitution.

Paris - Berlin - Brussels - Helsinki - Madrid - Rome - Lisbon - Amsterdam - Luxembourg

The network of political representatives composing the Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly is extremely concerned by Angela Merkel's intention to re-open discussions on the European Constitution on the basis of secret negotiations carried out without the people's knowledge. This opaque and non-democratic method was clearly rejected by the NO votes expressed during the French and Dutch referendums. In several EU countries, the YES vote was obtained through parliament and no real citizens' debate was organised. In other countries, the referendum votes originally planned were cancelled as public opinion became increasingly hostile to the Constitution.

The European Union needs a Constitution which allows for the people to express their opinion democratically in order to elaborate European policies which respect the interests of the majority of the people. What Europe does not need is yet another arrangement signed behind the peoples' backs.

With the recent election of Nicolas Sarkozy to the French Presidency, Angela Merkel has found a partner to support the renewal of obscure negotiations for a new draft Constitution. Nicolas Sarkozy has clearly announced that he will not organise a new referendum on the adoption of a new Treaty concerning the EU's institutions.

The Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly wishes to remind Mr Sarkozy and Ms Merkel that :

Any text regulating the competences of the European institutions automatically takes on a constitutional status. Hence it must be subject to debate and adopted by the citizens themselves under the form of a genuine Constitution.

The European Union will not recover its legitimacy amongst the people if it rejects its citizens by refusing them the right to decide through a constituent process.

The inefficiency of the intergovernmental negotiation method has been widely proved. The contradictions between different national or institutional positions can only be resolved by the expression of the citizens' opinion.

More than ever, it is now clear that the only method capable of obtaining the consent of the citizens in order to relaunch the European construction process democratically is to convoke a European Constituent Assembly. It is the only choice which guarantees transparency, which respects the people's sovereign opinion, which allows for European policies to be reoriented for the benefit of the majority of the people and which restores the efficiency of a European Union which threatens to become powerless and eventually paralysed.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon (PS Senator, Former Minister, France)

Oskar Lafontaine (Spokesperson for the Die Linke Group in theBundestag, Former SPD Président, Former Minister of Finances, Germany)

Erik Wesselius, (Spokesperson of the NO campaign in Holland)

Juan-Antonio Barrio (Izquierda Socialista-PSOE, Spain)

Vicént Garcés (Izquierda Socialista-PSOE, Spain)

Jean-Maurice Dehousse (Former Minister, Former Member of the European Parliament, PS, Belgique)

Henri Wehenkel (Déi Lenk, Luxembourg)

Miguel Portas (MEP, Left Bloc, Portugal)

Fiona Dove (Director, TNI, Hollande)

Riccardo Petrella (Professor, expert to the Europea n Commission, Italy)

Thomas Wallgren (Professor, SPD candidate, Finlande)

François Delapierre (General Delegate, PRS, France)

Raquel GARRIDO (Coordinator - Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly)

Press Contact : Raquel Garrido + 33 6 63 38 70 68

9 May 2007: Another Europe is possible! Let's build it from below.

Europe — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:07:00 +02:00

50 years have been passed since the Rome Treaties signatures in 1957.

Now after half century we can say that functionalistic method is not more able to give sufficient fuel to finish the constituent process started with the European Convention. Angela Merkel is trying to give an impulse to the European Constitution but the road towards a political integration is opposed by newcomers (Poland and Czech Republic) and oldcomers (UK). The way out is not the suggested Mini-Treaty without common European flag and hymn, without the Fundamental rights' charter and without calling for a European citizens' intervention.

What is needed is the real participation of so called European demos. It's not more possible for European élite to build or to modify institutions and to make European policies without the consensus of the European citizens. Otherwise the response will be negative as already happened in France and in Netherland.

As Jürgen Habermas underlined the only way out is a Europe-wide referendum. The governments – which control the process after all – have to recognize their own powerlessness and, this one time, "dare to use democracy." They have to rise above themselves and face the political parties of which they themselves are composed with the necessity of engaging in an open, Europe-wide campaign, a struggle for each and every vote in favour of, or in opposition to, an expansion and deepening of the European Union.

It's time to give the voice to the existing European people.

A different and democratic Europe is possible: let's build it from below!