Amended Text & Explanatory Memorandum of the Preamble of FAEF’s draft federal constitution

Dear members of the Citizens’ Convention, and those who – as a non-member – follow our process by receiving our Progress Reports,

The Board of FAEF is very pleased and grateful for the valuable contributions in improving the Preamble of our Federal Constitution for Europe. Never in the 200 years of unsuccessful pursuit of a federal Europe has such an approach been dared. Please see the revised version. But first pay attention of the following Notes 1-10.  

Note 1: this revised version of the Preamble and its Explanatory Memorandum is a consolidation of the incoming amendments between 2 and 16 October 2021. As such, it is a perfect example of the way in which improved knowledge should be acquired.

Note 2: the bold words in the Preamble text are amendments, submitted by members of the Group 55+. The bold words in the Explanatory Memorandum are partly amendments, partly adjustments by the FAEF Board, necessary to explain the meaning of amended phrases of the Preamble text by the contributors, and to respond to some observations of contributors.

Note 3: the contributors to this revised version of the Preamble are: Cristina Fasone, Giuseppe Martinico, Berend Scheperboer, Jakub Jermar, Herbert Tombeur, Olivia Munoz-Rojas Oscarsson, Christer Lundquist, Fabrice Luijten, Koen van Bremen, Amparo Plaza Muñoz, Ramon Maynou Ferreres. Their backgrounds can be found in the list of members of our Citizens’ Convention, the Group 55+:. 

Note 4: These contributors can still submit slight modifications on Saturday 17^th and Sunday 18^th via citizensconvention@faef.eu. The FAEF Board will assess these and make any necessary adjustments. Members who have not contributed to the amending of the Preamble are also entitled to propose slight modifications on Saturday and Sunday, via citizensconvention@faef.eu. The Board will carefully study them to assess their value in improving the remarkable work already done by the contributors mentioned in Note 3.

Note 5: the Board will not enter into discussions after Sunday 18 October on single words in the Preamble or sentences in the Explanatory Memorandum. If a considerable number of members of the 55+ Group have fundamental objections to the overall new version of the Preamble and its Explanatory Memorandum, they should notify the Board by Wednesday 20 October. In that case, the Board will organise a video call meeting for the members of the 55+ Group on Friday 22 October and submit the revised overall version for decision to the participants of that meeting. The vote will be by simple majority. Members who indicate that they cannot attend that online meeting have the right to vote via citizensconvention@faef.eu.

Note 6: if the Board does not receive fundamental objections from a large number of members to the entire version of the Preamble, the new version will be recorded on the website ultimately 23 October:. 

Note 7: the Board takes into account that potential forthcoming amendments of Articles I to X may of our federal constitution may lead to the need to adjust something in the Preamble. This will be communicated to the 55+ Group. It is not unlikely that during the amendment process until the end of May 2022, evolving insight from Group 55+ members may lead to proposals for new amendments to articles already discussed. The Board will collect these potential additional insights (to be send to citizensconvention@faef.eu), consider them for their added value and communicate them to the members of the Group 55+ at the end of the overall amendment process.

Note 8: from 23 October, the amending of Article I of our draft federal constitution will begin. Amendments can be submitted from 23 October to 6 November. Between 6 and 13 November, the adoption will take place, in principle through the same procedure as for the Preamble.

Note 9: the FAEF Board would greatly appreciate it if the members of the 55+ Group would distribute (after 23 October) the revised version of the Preamble as widely as possible. As a sign that a group of European Citizens feels responsible for working on a federal Europe from the grassroots of society: bottom-up. And how we do it: on the basis of applied science and moral responsibility.

Note 10: in the week following 23 October we will organise a video call meeting. The aim is to exchange views on our process of strengthening the commitment to a federal Europe. Through a Progress Report, FAEF’s Secretary General, Mauro Casarotto, will announce the agenda of that online meeting in a timely manner.

On behalf of the Board of FAEF,

Dr. Leo Klinkers
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