Citizens’ Convention Progress Report 27

Dear members of the Citizens’ Convention, I would like to inform you about the following topics:

1. The name of the Federation.
2. The place of the Constitution on the website.
3. The In-depth Studies.
4. The Petition.
5. The Book.
6. The Annexes.

Ref 1: the name of the Federation. 

Through Progress Report 26, the Citizens’ Convention had been invited to cast a vote on the name of the Federation, with the announcement that the vote would only be valid if at least 36 of the 70 members would cast a vote. We received only 12 votes. This invalidated the vote and left the board with the task of coming up with a name. We chose the name ‘The Federated States of Europe’, motivated as follows.

We chose this name in the light of the crisis that, like a many-headed dragon, is not only ravaging the European Union but is branching out into a chain of crises around the world that the treaty-based European Union and the treaty-based United Nations cannot deal with. This is how we picture that global crisis:

While
– we are facing a global climate crisis that is forcing us to stop using fossil raw materials and, as a result, an unavoidable energy crisis with the need for unprecedented measures to protect common interests and with unprecedented negative financial and economic effects, while the banking/economic crisis of 2008 has still not been overcome in all EU-member states;
– the fight against the global Covid pandemic demonstrates the weakness of treaty-based government and health institutions, the cost of which is driving up inflationary effects on the European and world economy;
– the war in Ukraine, in addition to the horrific massacres, demonstrates that an autocrat, served by an extremely flawed federal constitution, can commit war crimes and will not stop threatening the countries in the east of the European Union, knowing that the rest of the world cannot afford a world war and that the UN will not expel him under the UN Charter because he has the right of veto;
– the global sanctions against Russia will inevitably have negative financial and economic counter-effects, adding to the already existing financial and economic weakening and thereby reduce the trust of citizens in governments and put national governments increasingly under pressure from anti-government groups;
– the EU is increasingly weakened internally by conflicts (a) between groups of member states (north versus south, east versus west) on matters of migration and financing, (b) between individual member states (Hungary, Poland and Slovenia) and the EU center on matters of democracy and the rule of law, (c) between constitutional courts (Germany, Hungary and Poland) versus the European Court of Justice on ‘who is the boss?’;
– the EU’s identity crisis is compounded by the fact that it is less than ever an autonomous geopolitical partner and has to conform to the wishes of America and NATO;
– not only the EU but many parts of the world are facing crises such as rising neo-fascism and autocracy, decay of democratic institutions, the global refugee and migration problem, poverty and famine, the crisis in the Middle East, China’s oppression of Tibet and the Uighurs and its threat towards Taiwan, the crises in Sudan and Yemen, the oppression of peoples such as the Rohingya, the Kurds, the Moluccas and of other peoples without their own state, not represented in the United Nations;
– all of this under a torrent of conspiracy theories, fake news, disinformation and worldwide hacks of IT systems;
– altogether, world threats that the United Nations was created in 1945 to prevent, an institution that violates its own rules with impunity, does not apply its own rules to violations by states and, as a result, cannot take a stand against the violation of human rights by key players of the Security Council and, for that reason, is also experiencing an identity crisis,

Must it be clear
– that the isolated crises are interlinking to form a chain with the name ‘global systemic crisis’, a crisis of the institutions and functioning of the world system;
– that we are dealing with an effect that shows itself in an unstoppable accelerating, broadening and merging of separate crises into one global crisis;
– that we as Europe are in the midst of a comprehensive, global crisis of values, a crisis that leads to a total reappraisal of what makes life valuable and what we have to do to make it so;
– that no treaty-based form of government can withstand this upheaval, as witnessed by the impotence of the EU and the UN;
– that it would be a culpable and unforgivable error if the European Union, in its vision on the future of Europe were content merely to adapt and perpetuate its treaty foundation;
– that only a democratic federal form of government – supported by a federal constitution of the people and not by executive treaties – can cope with the European crises and global systemic crises;
– that the Federal Alliance of European Federalists (FAEF) foresaw these developments, making efforts to respond to this historic moment of a world crisis with an equally historic moment of a democratic federal constitution, designed by FAEF’s Citizens’ Convention; an example of civic participation that goes beyond airing vain opinions and wishes, and that translates concrete, well-considered knowledge and insights into a legal framework that has not been produced before in the last two hundred years.
– that this deserves a name that does justice to the unprecedented determination and energy required to address the European crises within the global crisis;
– a name that commands respect in the light of the constitutional and institutional innovations FAEF’s federal Constitution is formulating in the areas of democratic accountability, representation of the people and states, citizen participation and effective decision-making. 
– a name that inspires confidence that this Federation – based on a democratic federal Constitution – is the only correct response to the vast complex of crises that afflict Europe and the World: The Federated States of Europe.

Ref 2: The place of the Constitution on the website

In the middle of the Homepage on the website www.faef.eu you’ll see the icon Federal Constitution. Clicking there will lead you to a page with three topics. The first is the Constitution. The second is about the In-depth Studies and the third topic is about the aspects of the CC. We are leaving on the site these aspects because researchers of our process should be able to see how the work of the CC went between October 2021 and April 2022. If you click on the Federal Constitution, you will see two things: 
(a) You can scroll down and read the text of the Constitution. So, only the text of the Preamble and the ten Articles. With a language tool (under construction) that text can be translated. In the third paragraph there is a link to the members of the Citizens’ Convention so that the reader can see who participated in this process.
(b) The end of the two lines at the top says that the full Constitution version can be downloaded, so including the explanatory memorandum. That is for those who would like to study the articles in the context of their explanatory memorandum. However, that full document is beyond the reach of the language tool.

Ref. 3: The in-depth studies

The volume of In-depth studies is growing steadily, but is at present still under construction. It is proving to be a very welcome enhancement to the work of the members of the Citizens’ Convention. We hope to have this Volume completed by the end of April and then post it on the website.

Ref. 4: The Petition

As mentioned already in Progress Report 26 we will distribute a Petition to draw attention – Europe wide – to our work. The task is to make a well-reasoned call to support our federal Constitution, on a petition platform that is functional enough to have a Europe-wide effect. We aim to be able to send the Petition before the end of April. But before distributing the Petition we would like to discuss its text with the CC first during a Zoom meeting on Saturday 23 April at 14.30h. 

There are two different drafts. See the Annexes 1 and 2 below.

CC-members who cannot attend this Zoom meeting might send their observations on the two draft texts to administration@faef.eu.  Here is the link to the Zoom meeting 23 April 14.30: 

Topic: Meeting Citizens’ Convention

Time: Apr 23, 2022 02:30 PM Amsterdam

Join Zoom Meeting

XXXXX

Ref. 5: The Book

We are in the process of investigating the possibility to publish our work through an international publisher. That includes: the constitution + the explanatory memorandum + the in-depth studies. We will keep you informed of the progress.

Ref. 6: The Annexes

Draft Petition text 1:

We, Citizens of Europe, 

Considering

– that we are living in turbulent times, globally, running from crisis to crisis, 
– that we in Europe are relatively powerless to combat these crises or to mitigate their effects,
– that to the list of crises of climate, pandemic, refugee flows, energy shortages and economy we must add the war in Ukraine,
– that this war costs many lives and leads to destruction, on the brink of a new world war,
– that this war is reminding us again that the security of Europe’s Citizens requires a common foreign and defense policy, as well as its implementation,
– that such political decisions require a democratic governing system for safeguarding common European interests,
– that there is no such thing at present, 
because of the lack of authoritative leadership (who is the boss in Europe?),
because of the marginal position of the European Parliament (who represents the people?),
because of the internal conflicts between countries within the European Union (what are the common values?),
– that the EU system of governance is characterized by undemocratic treaties in which each country safeguards its own interests, 
– that this makes Europe’s geopolitical role on the world stage shameful,
– that this is leading to an identity crisis of the EU, which is going to give room to anti-democratic forces,

Understanding
– that a fundamental change of Europe’s governing system is necessary,
– that this system must be based on democratic constitutional grounds, while guaranteeing the own cultural identities of the different peoples,
– that the only solution to this problem is a federal system based on a European Constitution,

Noting further
– that the Federal Alliance of European Federalists has conceived a draft Federal Constitution for Europe by means of a Citizens’ Convention in the period October 2021 – April 2022 (www.faef.eu), 
– that a ratification process must now be organized whereby Citizens in Europe can express their views on this Constitution,

Request

The President of the European Parliament – as the first citizen of the member states of the EU – to facilitate this ratification process by all means necessary to establish The Federated States of Europe.

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Draft Petition text 2:

We want a democratic European Federal Constitution

Support us in exchanging the weak European Union for a strong federal Europe, based on a democratic Constitution instead of conflict-prone treaties. 

A Constitution that effectively promotes European interests, such as common defence, economy, healthcare and environmental protection. 

A Constitution that provides a higher capacity to handle global crises such as the 2008 financial crisis, the Covid pandemic, climate change, the war in the east of Europe. 

A Constitution that prevents internal crises such as the conflicts about the rule of law and democracy that we are experiencing in the EU.  

A Constitution that respects the sovereignty and cultural identity of Member States and Regions.

A Constitution that makes Europe a serious, reliable geopolitical player, with a common foreign policy.

A Constitution that guarantees peace, security and prosperity and lives up to the legitimate expectations and demands of European citizens.

By signing this petition, you will receive the Constitution of the European federation, designed by the Citizens’ Convention of the Federal Alliance of European Federalists. 

A Constitution of, by and for the Citizens of Europe that we ask to be submitted to the ratification of European citizens.

Become a proud co-founder of ‘Federated States of Europe’ and sign the Petition.

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Looking forward to meeting you in Saturday 23/4 Zoom meeting

On behalf of the Board
Leo Klinkers
President