European UnionFederalist Theory

How we view European Federalism

Whenever we mention federalism, some people think surely we must refer to a European superstate: well, they’re wrong.

What Federalism does mean to us is to put into practice the EU motto “United in diversity”, In Varietate Concordia.

We’re not inventing anything new: we’re the humble heirs of great European Federalists, and EU fathers, like Altiero Spinelli and his cellmates, who drafted the renowed Ventotene’s Manifesto while persecuted by the Italian fascist dictatorship for their revolutionary ideals.

We do not deny that State and regional entities in Europe are, sometimes, profoundly different from one another, but it is undeniable that they also share values and interests across a broad range of topics, be they security, trade, human rights, or migration management. To us, federalism is the best way to unite these entities under a common banner – a geopolitical compromise if you will.

The differences among the current member states are mostly representend by unique national and cultural identities, whose existence even the most staunch Europeanist shouldn’t and couldn’t deny, and most of all, language.
Similarities instead can be found in the geographical proximity and, most importantly, in the sharing of certain values like basic freedoms, secularism, rule of law, checks and balances and welfare state.

Europe is the smallest continent – in fact, it is an appendage of a much larger landmass; and yet the intricate and complex fabric that developed within it, makes it unique. It gives us unique weaknesses and strengths, threats and opportunities. With a collective effort by the European citizens, differences can be overcome. Not removed, but overcome – an asset, rather than a liability: why should different languages and local unique traditions stop humans from cooperating and collaborating for the betterment of society?

The current European Union is neither an intergovernmental organization (like the United Nations) nor a proper Federal Union like the United States. We think that Europe can’t stay in this limbo forever: its flaws and failings are evident, as are its successes, and we should, as in the Commission’s White book words, “do much more together”.

We endorsed the fifth scenario of the Commission’s White Book, but in the short term reality seems more inclined to bring us a multi-speed Europe, depicted in the third option. Britain is leaving the Union, while the Visegrad group is showing discontent for the idea of giving away sovereignity. Moreover, Poland’s governement assault on rule of law and Hungary’s behavior toward immigrants confirms substantial differences between Western and Eastern Europe, mostly determined by recent historical reasons, to which we should not be blind.
We will keep fighting also for our Eastern brothers, as showed our support for the anti-government protests in Romania.

We also believe that “United States of Europe” is an unfortunate epithet for a new, progressive and revoutionary project, for it could be mistaken by skeptic citizens for a bad copy of the United States of America. We prefer the classic but meaningful “European Federation”.

On 25th March, My Country? Europe and the Young European Federalists will take to the streets in Rome to show politicians that federalists are numerous and determined.

Join us! -> HERE

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Bruno Formicola

Former policy trainee at the European Parliament. Master graduate in International Relations and European Union Studies at the University of Leiden, co-founder of My Country? Europe. Information junkie.

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2 Comments

  1. In Europe , “Federalist” is sometimes used to describe those who favor a common federal government, with distributed power at regional, national and supranational levels. Most European federalists want this development to continue within the European Union .

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