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Europeans, let's talk now or forever hold our peace!

The President of the European Commission is asking us citizens to actively participate in the Conference on the future of Europe, which will start very soon.  Here are his words:

“I aspire for Europeans to build the future of the Union and to play a leading role in setting our priorities and our level of ambition.  I would like the citizens to express their opinion at a Conference on the Future of Europe which will start in 2020 and run over two years.

The Conference should bring together citizens (with a strong presence of young people and civil society) and European institutions as equal partners, and should be well prepared with a clear scope and objectives agreed upon between the Parliament, the Council  and the Commission ”.

Those of us who aspire to a social and united Europe, to a Europe without borders, without hatred and without wars, those of us who are concerned about the future of our children and the millions of people who have been left without work and homeless, must stop complaining.  This is the moment for action, to say clearly and loudly what type of Europe we want, because we do not like today's Europe.  For this reason, we are addressing this letter to Mrs. von der Leyen, who is currently supported by at least three platforms or citizen associations: “Europeans in Catalonia”, “Political Volunteering” and “Romanic Europe”.  (Political parties are excluded).  The letter could be much longer.  It only addresses a few fundamental points, but it is about all of us getting involved, not asking for everything: If half of what is asked in this letter were achieved, it would be a giant step towards the integration of Europe

European integration is either made by the citizens or it will not be done.

If you agree, sign this letter and spread the word.  Thank you

 

Associations:

       * Europeans in Catalonia,

       * Romanic Europe,

       * Political volunteering - Union of politicians without pay

                                                                              

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Subject: Conference on the future of Europe

To Frau von der Leyen

Madam President of the European Commission

Thank you for giving us citizens of the Union the opportunity to address you.  In response to the invitation that has been sent to us to participate in the Conference on the future of Europe, we would like to present just a few proposals, which we gather in two blocks:

A) Treaty reform:

    1) Abolition of the requirement to vote by unanimity or by consensus in both the Council and the European Council

    2) Integration within the Union of all intergovernmental issues, which is beyond the control of the European Parliament and the Court of Justice

    3) Deep modification of the articles related to the principle of subsidiarity;  In the meantime, by virtue of this principle and given the impotence and inability of national governments to solve many of the problems that the Union currently has, these issues should become the competence of the Union.

    4) Modification of the conditions so that leaving the Union is not so easy, requiring, among other things, that all citizens of the Union be consulted.

    5) Modification of the concept of European citizenship, so that we can speak of authentic citizenship, not of second-class citizenship that any national government can take from us.

    6) Full integration into the Eurogroup of all countries that so desire.  Europe prevails at two speeds

 

B- Question of citizenship

    1. For the European citizen to feel that the Union is their own and not an invention of politicians or heads of government, they must have a European Parliament that truly represents them and with powers in many issues in which they currently neither intervene nor are they consulted;  Furthermore, it is necessary that no one can take away European citizenship from a European citizen against his will

    2. It is necessary for the citizen to see and feel that it is s/he who also attributes powers to the Union.  Therefore, Article 5 of the EU Treaty, which reads “… the Union acts within the limits of the powers conferred upon it by the Member States” should be amended.  The word "States" is very confusing in this context and nobody relates it to citizens.  However, citizens do participate in some way in the attribution of these powers, since the treaties have to be approved by the European Parliament, and the European Parliament does represent us.

    3. It is also necessary for citizens to be able to participate in the election of the President of the Union.

    4. Transnational lists for elections to the European Parliament are urgent and that elections take place on the same day in all Member States.

    5. All bureaucratic obstacles must be removed, so that Union citizens residing in a country that is not their own can exercise their right to vote without problems in all electoral votes in the country where they reside.

    6. Europe Day must be a public holiday throughout the Union.

    7. The Erasmus program should be extended to all levels of education and to young workers.

    8. The European Union must appear before the citizen as the Europe which defends human rights and social rights.

Please receive, Madam President, these lines as a small contribution to that Europe that we all desire, together with our most sincere congratulations.