“L’Europa ha bisogno di una dichiarazione di indipendenza”. Il principale quotidiano italiano questa settimana lancia un coraggioso appello agli Stati Uniti d’Europa. Co-firmato da Slavoj Zizek e altri 53 importanti europei

What is the core argument and reasoning? I dont read italian…

independence from WHAT?

These people are free to declare independence. Nothing depends on them.

Federation ?

This is a good thing in the long term

English translation (complete text):

The European Union is facing unprecedented challenges at a time when the UN-based multilateral order is under attack. The strategy of appeasement toward Donald Trump — from the NATO summit to the deregulation of digital, artificial intelligence, and environmental standards, including the tariff humiliation at Turnberry — is not working. Concessions and accommodations have reduced neither Trump’s unpredictability nor his hostility [to *Politico*: “Weak leaders, they don’t know what to do”].

On the contrary, they have increased Europe’s strategic vulnerability, produced an unacceptable plan of capitulation for Ukraine, and resulted in a political declaration of war against the EU in the form of the United States’ National Security Strategy, in which Trump calls for a return to a Europe of nations and accordingly announces an alliance with the continent’s national-populist political forces.

Europe must therefore draw the necessary conclusions: its security, prosperity, and democracy can no longer depend on the fluctuating will of the United States. Strategic autonomy is no longer an option but a necessity. The European Union must be able to act independently, assume full responsibility for its own defense, and pursue its interests and values on the world stage with sovereignty and credibility.

A more productive and competitive Europe is an indispensable condition for geopolitical power and social well-being. We must therefore ensure, by 2028, the full implementation of the Letta and Draghi reports on completing the single market and enhancing European competitiveness. Moreover, we need a multiannual budget that supports new public and private investment in key and innovative sectors. We therefore call on the Commission to present a new proposal for a reinforced and more ambitious Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), capable of financing European public goods, including new priorities in defense and research, while preserving the social and environmental dimensions, cohesion, and agriculture, in full respect of parliamentary oversight and the role of Europe’s regions and cities, and financed through genuine EU own resources.

However, restoring competitiveness and modernizing the budget are not sufficient to build a geopolitical Europe. As in 1950, we must focus on a critical point: the establishment of a common European defense supported by a strengthened political union. Only a more federal Europe can meet these challenges, ensuring respect for our values and fundamental rights — unless we are prepared to accept Trump as a global political authority in an ambiguous partnership with Putin and Xi Jinping. Recognizing the security threat facing the EU and Trump’s open hostility, confirmed by the National Security Strategy, we call on the Member States meeting in the European Council to establish a Common European Defence, as provided for in Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union. This can also be achieved through a new permanent structured cooperation among willing Member States in the absence of unanimity. This would constitute a European defense system capable of coordinating national armed forces in the event of aggression against any Member State. Such a system requires an EU command and control center.

More broadly, EU institutions and leaders must make full use of the Lisbon Treaty through a federalist interpretation across all policy areas, as was done in the response to the coronavirus pandemic, in line with Mario Draghi’s call for “pragmatic federalism.” The EU would never have become a trading power if this policy had been subject to unanimity. We must overcome vetocracy in foreign policy, defense, and finance. A stronger EU budget, benefiting certain Member States, could be made conditional on their support for activating the passerelle clauses that allow a shift from unanimity to qualified majority voting. In parallel, the European Council must follow through coherently on Parliament’s proposal to reform the treaties in order to abolish unanimity in the EU decision-making system — budget and taxation, foreign policy, security and defense, as well as enlargement, must all fall under the ordinary legislative procedure — including future treaty revisions.

We believe that the European Parliament can play a fundamental role in implementing the necessary institutional reforms, particularly in view of enlargement. First, by conditioning its support for upcoming annual budgets and the MFF on European Council action consistent with the above demands. Second, by promoting an inter-parliamentary assembly to defend the full realization of these objectives, as well as an ad hoc European Citizens’ Assembly in order to engage citizens and the European public sphere as a whole.

To this end, we support the creation of a renewed, transpartisan, and inter-institutional pro-European coalition, bringing together the most committed Member States within the European Council, the pro-European majority in the European Parliament and national parliaments, the European Commission, as well as regional and local institutions, moving beyond the inertia inherent in each institution, and organized pro-European civil society. We call on all of them to mobilize at local, national, and transnational levels to support these demands for a more sovereign and more democratic Union.

I can’t help thinking that the semi-detached members of the EU, Orban in Hungary springs to mind, might not be too pleased anout this.

Link?

nice propaganda account “goldstarflag”

How are the United States of Europe be any different than what they are now? They cant even accept all the Balkan countries in EU because its not a real democracy. Its a form of dictatorship where one country like Hungary can wreck havock on everyone else.

As an Italian we’ll be willing to lead this, we’ll call it Nova Roma with the capital in Rome and rename Istanbul to Constantinople as a condition for turkey to join then the second capital will be there.

we either federalized or we will be licking boots until one of the big players (Russia, USA, China) decides they had enough of us and steam roll us. While i do understand the Belgians to a certain degree it was once more a sign of the extreme weakness of the European Union. Even if the Russians are at our doorstep we are too weak to do something against them….such a shame

When I see that Elmar Brok and Ulrike Guerot have signed it, I know it has to be complete bullshit.

Czech republic and Slovakia didnt manage to stay united despite being very similiar nations. Look at the mess Austria-Hungary was. If EU were to federalize it would implode immediately. It should stay as an economical union.