Dear Friends,  The past year has been quite eventful. While we are still looking forward to the festive days before we welcome 2011, it is safe to look back and sum up the European year. We Federalists remember some important milestones that are strongly linked to our cause and our activities: the celebration 60 years of Schuman Declaration and the first anniversary since the Lisbon Treaty came into force. The Spinelli Groupwithin the European Parliament was created in which politicians dedicated to building a federal Europe have united. Recently, a political agreement on the implementation of theEuropean Citizens’ Initiative was reached allowing taking further steps towards the development of participatory democracy in the European Union.  From an organizational point of view it was a very hard year. The UEF Secretariat in Brussels experienced many changes due to the inevitable office moving and myelection as voluntary Secretary General. Apart from these rather technical challenges we cannot ignore the successes and unforgettable moments for UEF, such as the unanimous admission of UEF Serbia to the UEF federalists’ family and those who on a daily basis work endlessly for our cause. A special thanks to Mana and Laura, who whenever we come a step closer to our goals are often the powerhouse behind the scenes.  In this update we want to touch up on a few moments that seem to have defined 2010 for the Federalists.  I wish you and your families a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  Sincerely yours, Christian Wenning UEF Secretary General

XXIII UEF European Congress will be held in Brussels in 25927 March 2011. You can consult the draft agenda and register on XXIII UEF European Congress.

We are pleased to announce that a new UEF Serbia (in Serbian) website is now available at www.uef.rs. The new website provides enhanced access to UEF Serbia information and resources. A clearer structure and navigation make finding necessary information easier. Now you can follow federalists’ movement activities in Serbia. Soon English version will be added.

On December 3, UEF Bulgaria in cooperation with the Information Office of the European Parliament in Sofia organized a civil forum titled “Europe, which way?”. Four Bulgarian MEPs took part in the forum: Dr Andrey Kovatchev, President of UEF Bulgaria, Iliana Ivanova, Evgeni Kirilov and Kristian Vigenin. The civil forum aimed to provide interested and critical-minded citizens with the opportunity of an open discussion with Bulgarian MEPs on European issues concerning the future of the European Union. The focus of the discussion was the need for a new political and economic architecture, the problems in the eurozone, would there be pan-European economic governance and sanctions for countries with excessive budget deficit, and would there be changes of the Lisbon Treaty only year after its entry into force.
 
The discussion took place in Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The organizers wished to have a direct contact with the student and professor communities and to get an idea of what the young Europeans think about the EU. After the end of the civil forum Dr. Kovatchev said: “I was pleased to find so many pan-Europeans among the students. I am very happy that they understand the nature of the European Union and estimate the possibility to be part of it. I feel better when I know that the future of our continent is in their hands”. This was as well the spirit of the discussion. The idea for a European federation was valued as a challenge which is worth fighting for.

On December 10, UEF Belgium organized a seminar on “The perspectives of the Euro faced with the budget and financial difficulties of the Eurogroup’ Member states”. It has been realized in the framework of the project “Europe lunch: European challenges and citizenship” supported by the European Commission. This is the first event of the European project which was organized together with the local RTBF broadcast offices in the city of Mons, in partnership with the “Club de la Presse du Hainaut”. The topic was introduced by Mr. Paul Goldschmidt, a former Administrator of Goldman Sachs International and former Director of Financial operations in the European Commission; and Mr. Paolo Clarotti, Political advisor of UEF Belgium.
  Both of guest speakers focused on the fragility of the Economic and Monetary Union and stressed the need to strengthen the political and economic pillar, in order not to weaken the common currency, which is still strong and stable.
 
50 participants, mainly students and representatives of civil society organizations, attended the seminar and participated in the debate. For further information and texts written: www.uef.be

The next seminar organized by UEF Belgium within “Europe lunch: European challenges and citizenship” will take place in Brussels on January 11, 2011 and will
deal with the European budget issues. Melchior Wathelet, the Belgian Budget Minister will be welcomed as the guest speaker.

The Young European Federalists (JEF) have released the new issue of their bi-weekly Newsletter JEF-INFO. To find the full version of the newsletter at the homepage of JEF Europe, click here.