All European citizens are invited to sign this appeal, already signed by more than 150 personalities from academia, civil society, business community and institutions across the EU and beyond.
A EU DEFENCE TO PROTECT ITS CITIZENS
European citizens are worried and shocked by the new international situation. US President Trump allies with Putin, ends his international isolation, does not condemn his aggression on Ukraine. Global politics is at a turning point. While the United States have other priorities, Europeans have finally to assume responsibility for their own security.
Citizens want the European Union to strengthen its defense identity and act with determination and coherence. Only united the EU can uphold international law, promote a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and a cooperative multilateral order. The EU is a peace project, and part of a European defence should be put at the disposal of the UN.
NATO approved a New Force Model providing Europeans to mobilise 300,000 troops within a month in case of an aggression, before US troops are called upon. A EU defence as a European pillar of NATO is thus indispensable to our security and to turn the Transatlantic relation into an equal partnership, with the EU joining the Atlantic Pact.
The 27 Member States together have the third world largest military expenditure: 33% of the US with a capacity of 10%, twice as much as Russia, with no deterrent capacity. A European defence would reduce the amount by which military expenditure will increase to guarantee our security, freedom, democracy and social system.
PTo complete the EU as a democratic Res Publica we call upon the European Commission to propose, and on the Parliament and the national governments to adopt, the following urgent measures, also using the passerelle clause and simplified Treaty revision provisions
- Make foreign, security and defence policy a shared competence of the EU, subject to the ordinary legislative procedure, and with a single EU representation in the international organizations guaranteed by the Commission;
- Swiftly implement the proposals of the Letta, Draghi and Niinisto Reports;
- Move fiscal policy to the ordinary legislative procedure and provide the EU with the power to harmonise corporate taxes, adopt new own resources, issue EU debt to finance the EU budget and EU public goods, including, but not limited to, a European defence;
- Activate the escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact only with regards to the national contributions to the European defence, like the European Defence Fund, the European Peace Facility, and the current and future projects and initiatives under the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence (PESCO) and a European Defence System;
- Enlarge the scope of the European Stability Mechanism and the European Investment Bank to finance the creation of a European Defence System;
- Accelerate the Iris2 implementation and abolish the national return rule from the European Space Agency work.
We call on willing Member states to immediately activate PESCO by qualified majority to set up the common defence and guarantee the mutual assistance clause by:
- Bringing under the EU all existing bilateral and multilateral military cooperations, including the Eurocorps, the Franco-German Brigade, the Baltic Naval Squadron, the Nordic Defence Cooperation, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the European Intervention Initiative, etc;
- Creating the 60.000 rapid reaction force decided in 1999 by the European Council in Helsinki and a European Defence System able to mobilise 300.000 troops in a month as provided in the NATO New Force Model;
- Building a European air shield against potential missiles attack, similar to the Iron Dome;
- Starting the Europeanization of the existing nuclear deterrence capacity of the Member States.
It is time for European unity, not for national divisions. Leaders must raise to the challenge with ambition and vision. This is the defining hour for the EU as a community of values with a shared destiny, able to protect its citizens and Member States in the face of a turbulent world. European citizens are determined to act together.
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The appeal promoted by Roberto Castaldi (Direttore del CesUE - Centro studi, formazione, comunicazione e progettazione sull’Unione europea e la Global Governance, Italia), Stefan Collignon (Professor of Political Economy at Chulalongkorn University, London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) and European Institute), Maria Danuta Hübner (Docente alla Warsaw School of Economics, già Commissaria europea e Parlamentare europea), Francisco Aldecoa Luzárraga (Jean Monnet Ad Personam Chair, Chair in International Relations, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, President European Movement Spain), Nuno Severiano Teixeira (Professor and Vice-rector at New University of Lisbon, director of the Portuguese Institute of International Relations (IPRI), several times minister in the Portuguese government, including Minister of defence), in just a few days of confidential circulation, gathered the support of more than 150 academics, rectors, cultural personalities, NGO leaders and political figures, including the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, many former ministers (such as Lorenzo Guerini, Marcin Święcicki), former commissioners (such as Elisa Ferreira) presidents of European institutions (such as Enrique Baron Crespo), former presidents of regions and mayors of capital cities (such as Mercedes Bresso and Carlos Moedas), presidents of European parties (such as Sandro Gozi), former trade union leaders (such as Marco Bentivogli), the president of the Union of European Federalists Domènec Ruiz Devesa, and many other MEPs and national parliamentarians. Among the first signatories are Franco Bassanini (former minister), Luca Jahier (former president of the European Economic and Social Committee), Tiziano Treu (former minister), Áugusto Santos Silva (former foreign minister and president of the Portuguese Parliament), Elsa Fornero (former minister), Guillaume Klossa (president of EuropaNova), Enzo Siviero (rector of the eCAMPUS University), Christophe Leclerq (president of Europe MédiaLab), Joxe Ramon Bengoetxea Caballero (Rector of the University of the Basque Country), Mario Renzo Deaglio (Professor emeritus), Łukasz Zamęcki (Representative of the Dean of the University of Warsaw), Jerónimo Maíllo González-Orus (Universidad CEU San Pablo), Giancotti Fernando (Air Force General), Fabio Masini (Secretary General of Robert Triffin International), Giuliano Cazzola (politician, journalist, former trade unionist) and many others.
The first to sign up:
Action Committee for the United States of Europe; JEF Europe - Young European Federalists; Franco Bassanini, Presidente della LUISS - Guido Carli; Helena Carreiras, former minister of Defense; Áugusto Santos Silva, Former foreign minister and President of the Portuguese Parliament; Marcin Święcicki, politician and economist, former minister for foreign economic relations (1989-91), former mayor of Warsaw (1994-99); Teresa Patrício de Gouveia, former minister of foreign affairs; Enrique Barón Crespo, Politico, avvocato ed economista già Presidente del Parlamento europeo (1989–1992) e vicepresidente dell’Internazionale socialista, attualmente è membro del Gruppo parlamentare del Partito socialista europeo (PSE); Carlos Moedas, former Commissioner and Mayor of Lisbon; Elsa Fornero, Professoressa Onoraria di Economia all'Università di Torino, ex ministra del goverrno italiano, Coordinatricee scientifica del CeRP - Collegio Carlo Alberto, membro dell'Academia Europaea; Claudio de Vincenti, Professore di economia politica presso l'Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", ex ministro del governo italiano; Tiziano Treu, Politico e giurista esperto di diritto del lavoro, più volte ministro del governo italiano; Graziano Del Rio, Politico italiano, ex Ministro delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti;Lorenzo Guerini, Presidente del COPASIR, ex ministro della difesa del governo italiano; Doménec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists, former MEP; Marco Bentivogli, Sindacalista italiano, ex Segretario Generale della Federazione Italiana Metalmeccanici Cisl; Giovanna Melandri, politica, economista ed ambientalista italiana, più volte ministro del governo italiano; Elisa Ferreira, former commissioner; Deaglio Mario Renzo, Professore emerito presso il Dipartimento di Scienze economico-sociali e matematico-statistiche dell'Università di Torino, giornalista economico; Jerónimo Maíllo González-Orus, Full Professor of EU, Public International Law and International Relations, Jean Monnet Chair, Coordinator of the Centre for Competition Policy and Market Regulation Real Instituto Universitario de Estudios Europeos Universidad CEU San Pablo; Luca Jahier, Giornalista e politologo esperto del terzo settore, già Presidente del Comitato Economico e Sociale (CESE); Jo Leinen, Forme MEP, former President of the Union of European Federalists (UEF); Laurette Philippe, President of the Jean Monnet Association; Giorgio Massa, Cap. T. (Cpl) Associate Director - Southern Europe Manager@JANES - Rome; Otto Pfersmann, Prof. DDr. EHESS École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales Sandro Gozi, MEP gruppo Renew Europe, Segretario generale del Partito Democratico Europeo; Guillaume Klossa, president of the think tank EuropaNova; Enzo Siviero, Rettore eCampus University, Vice Presidente SEWC (Structural engineering world congress); Christophe Leclercq, Chairman of Europe MédiaLab, Think-and-do tank for the health of the media sector (former Fondation EURACTIV); Fabio Masini, Ordinario di Storia e teorie delle relazioni economiche internazionali e Cattedra Jean Monnet sulla Governance Economica Europea presso l'Università Roma Tre, Segretario Generale della Robert Triffin International, direttore del CesUE e di Euractiv Italia; Jose Maria Beneyto, Catedrático de Derecho Internacional Público, Derecho Europeo y Relaciones Internacionales y director del Real Instituto de Estudios Europeos de la Universidad San Pablo CEU, Cátedra Jean Monnet de la Unión Europea; Giuliano Cazzola, politico, giornalista, imprenditore ed ex sindacalista italiano, già deputato di +Europa; Miguel Del Val, Professor of Highway Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Jarle Trondall, Professor, University of Agder and University of Oslo, ARENA Centre for European Studies, Senior Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, Institute of European Studies; Martin Penov, Vice President of JEF Europe; Pietro Finelli, Direttore e coordinatore attività scientifica, didattica e di ricerca della Domus Mazziniana di Pisa; Stefano Passigli, Politologo e politico, membro del comitato scientifico della fondazione ASTRID; Christelle Savall, Senior Vice President of JEF Europe;Viviane de Beaufort, Professor and Researcher at ESSEC Business School; Marcello Messori, Università Luiss Guido Carli di Roma; Vivien A. Schmidt, Professor Emerita of International Relations and Political Science, Boston University, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration; Francisco Pereira Coutinho, Associate Professor with Aggregation, NOVA School of Law Patrizia Toia, Politica italiana, già ministra del governo italiano e MEP gruppo S&D; Jose L. Luis Curbelo, Chairman and CEO COFIDES; Zaki Laïdi, Professor at Sciences Po, former special advisor to the HRVP; Frédéric Allemand, Researcher in EU law University of Luxembourg; Dina Sebastião, Professor of European Studies University of Coimbra; Angelos Giannakopoulos, DAAD-Professor, National University of Kyiv - Mohyla Academy; Antonio Majocchi, Deputy Rector for Internationalization, Deloitte, Chair in International Management and Global Challenges, Luiss - Guido Carli; Gian Candido De Martin, Professore emerito di Istituzioni di diritto pubblico e Presidente del Centro di ricerca sulle amministrazioni pubbliche "Vittorio Bachelet" - Luiss Guido Carli; Martin Seeleib-Kaiser, Professor of Comparative Public Policy, Director of the Institute of Political Science Eberhard Karls Universität of Tübingen; Ross Debernardi, Humboldt Research Fellow Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich, Germany; Valentín Bou-Franch, Catedrático de Derecho Internacional Público y Relaciones Internacionales, Universidad de Valencia; Jean-Marc Trouille, Co-Chair - AfriquEurope Jean Monnet Network, Univ. of the Peloponnese, Greece, Director - Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence 'The EU and Regional Integration in the EAC', Bradford, UK; Ingrid Shikova, Professor in European Studies, Head of Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Sofia University "St.Kliment Ohridski"; Umberto Saccone, Professore presso la Luiss Business School dell'Executive Programme in Security Risk Managemen, già direttore della Security di ENI; Gabriele Caiati, Ordinario di Economia Facoltà di Agraria Università degli Studi di Milano; Matteo Garavoglia, Prof. Tsinghua University Beijing and Senior Reseach Associate, University of Oxfor; Antonello De Oto, Ordinario di Diritto delle religioni e interculturale Università di Bologna;Alberto Pagani, Professore e advisor del settore della sicurezza Università di Bologna; Andrea Baravelli,associato di organizzazioni politiche e dei linguaggi Università di Ferrara; Gennaro Migliore, ex deputato ed ex sottosegretario di Stato; Joxe Ramon Bengoetxea Caballero, Rector of the University of the Basque Country; Piero Graglia, Ordinario di Storia delle Relazioni internazionali, Università degli Studi di Milano; Alessandro Cavalli, Professore emerito dell'Università di Pavia; Mario Libertini, Prof. emerito Sapienza Univ. di Roma, Comitato scientifico Fondazione Astrid; Carlo Gentili, già ordinario di Estetica Università di Bologna; Borzoni Gianluca, Associato di Storia delle relazioni internazionali Università di Cagliari; Massimo Pendenza, Direttore del Center for European Studies - CES; Claudia Acquistapace, Università di Bologna; Guido Montani, Professor of International Political Economy Università di Pavia, former President of the Movimento Federalista Europeo; Andrea Patroni-Griffi, Ordinario di Diritto costituzionale e pubblico, Direttore del Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca Bioetica – C.I.R.B., Presidente dell’Associazione Per l’Europa di Ventotene; Gurutz Jauregui, Emeritus professor University of the Basque Country; Marita Rampazi, Università di Pavia; Luigi Guiso, AXA Professor of Household Finance and Insurance, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance; Maria Romana Allegri, associata di Istituzioni di diritto pubblico Università La Sapienza di Roma; Giovanna Nicodano, Professor of Financial Economics, University of Torino; Fernando Giancotti, Generale di Squadra Aerea (in riserva), già sottocapo di Stato Maggiore Professore universitario; Stefano Campostrini, Professor of Social and Health Statistics, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia; Gianluigi Palombella, Professor of Applied Legal Theory, Scuola Sant'Anna, Pisa; Nicola Bonucci, associate Professor of international law, former legal director OECD; Filippo Maria Giordano, Professore associato di Storia contemporanea, Università Link Campus; Robert Belot, Dir consortium EMJMD-Dyclam+, Jean Monnet Module HistEuropa; Lukas Mandl, MEP Gruppo del Partito popolare europeo; Lieven Taillie, giornalista indipendente accreditato presso la Commissione europea, Presidente dell'Associazione dei giornalisti europei in Belgio; Kalman Dezseri, policy officer at European Commission; Marco Pagano, Professore di economia degli intermediari finanziari, Università Federico II di Napoli; Matteo Ferrazzi, PhD candidate, Master of Science, Management Engineering, Politecnico di Milano; Antonio Del Sole, Docente Università di Parma; Marco Marchetti, Prof. Associato di Scienze e Tecniche Dietetiche applicate UniCamillus International Medical; Salvatori Paolo, scrittore e docente di intelligence e sicurezza internazionale Università di Perugia; Peroni giulio, Professore Associato di Diritto Internazionale, Jean Monnet Chair - FutMoFin - The Future of Money and Finance, Università di Milano; Piergiorgio Grossi, Segretario regionale ligure MFE;Giorgio Gori, ex sindaco di Bergamo; Dina Sebastião, Professor of European Studies University of Coimbra; Nicola Bellini, Centro Interdisciplinare sulla Sostenibilità e il Clima - Istituto di Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa; Flavio Brugnoli, Direttore Centro Studi sul Federalismo, Torino; Franceesco Franco, docente Università di Torino; Carlo Bagnoli, Professor of Strategy Innovation, Ca' Foscari Università di Venezia; Mercedes Bresso, economista e politica italiana, Presidente del Coordinamento regionale Movimento Europeo-Piemonte, ex MEP e ex Presidente Regione Piemonte; Domenico Moro, Coordinatore Movimento Europeo-Piemonte; Nicola Vallinoto, Board of the World Federalist Movement; Massari Oreste, Ordinario di scienza politica, Università di Roma La Sapienza; Amedeo Lepore, Ordinario di Storia dell'economia, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"; Viesturs Bērziņš, Senior Expert on international development cooperation Centrālā finanšu un līgumu aģentūra (Central Finance and Contracts Agency); Costanza Hermanin, Research Fellow at Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute; David Rinaldi, Director of Studies and Policy at FEPS foundation; Monika Eigmüller, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for European Studies (ICES) at the European University of Flensburg; Susanna Cafaro, Ordinaria di Diritto dell'Unione europea e Titolare di una Cattedra Jean Monnet ad personam presso l'Università del Salento; Laura Leonardi, Direttrice del Centro di Eccellenza Jean Monnet, Università di Firenze, Vicepresidente WCSA; Graziano Pini, Università di Modena; Filippo Andreatta, Ordinario di Scienze Politiche e Sociali Università di Bologna; Florian Bieber, Professor of Southeast European History and Politics Centre for Southeast European Studies University of Graz; Piotr Sula, Vice-Dean for international cooperation Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor at Department of Political and Administrative Systems, Institute of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences Head Centre for Quantitative Research University of Wrocław; Łukasz Zamęcki, Dean's Representative for the discipline of Political Science and Administration Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw; Fossum John Eric, Professor at ARENA Centre of European Studies of the University of Oslo; Vittorio Cotesta, già ordinario di Sociologia presso l'Università degli Studi Roma Tre; Francesco Nicoli, assistant professor of European Political Economy at Politecnico Institute of Turin; Giovanna De Minico, Ordinaria di Diritto costituzionale Università Federico II di Napoli; Stefania Bariatti, Ordinaria di Diritto internazionale Università degli Studi di Milano, co-direttore della Rivista di Diritto Internazionale Privato e Processuale; Valeria Bello, Full Professor in Migration and Security University Ramón Llull, Barcelona, Spain; Isabel Camisão, Associate Professor in European Studies, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Milton Nektarios, Professor of risk management and insurance, University of Piraeus, Greece; Jan Stanisław Truszczyński, coordinator Team Europe Direct Polska, former chief negotiator of Poland's EU accession; Aldo Geuna, ordinario di politica economica Università di Torino; Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene, associate professor of political science at the University of Warsaw; Enrico Musso, Ordinario di economia applicata all'Università di Genova e Presidente dell'Aeroporto di Genova; Luca Guglielminetti, Former RAN Ambassador for Italy and Expert Pool at the Radicalisation Awareness Network; Juan Manuel de Faramiñán Gilbert, Catedrático (emeritus professor) de Derecho Internacional Publico y Titular de la Cátedra Jean Monnet (1997-2017), Profesor Honorario de la Universidad Internacional de Andalucía (UNIA) Investigador Senior Asociado del Real Instituto Elcano; Paulo Vila Major, Professor Auxiliar Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra; Paolo Ghirardato, Dean of the Faculty Council and Fellow Collegio Carlo Alberto, Professor of Mathematical Economics ESOMAS Università di Torino; Renzo Carriero, Associate Professor of Sociology Regio Collegio Carlo Alberto; Elena Vigna, Ordinaria di metodi matematici dell’economia e delle scienze attuariali e finanziarie, Università di Torino; Martina Heranová, Head of Department of Security studies CEVRO University; Marcello Pierini, Professore di Diritto dell'Unione Europea Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, Cattedra europea Jean Monnet ad Personam in Diritto dell’Unione Europea e Comunicazione; João Paulo Cabral de Almeida Avelãs Nunes, Professor Associado de Estudos Europeus, Arqueologia e Artes Universidade de Coimbra; Tommaso Visone, Professore associato di Storia del pensiero politico all'Università degli studi Link; Andrea Muratore, Analista geopolitico ed economico; Alessandro Orlandi, fondatore e direttore della casa editrice La Lepre Edizioni; Valeria Fargion, già associata di scienza politica e titolare di una Cattedra Jean Monnet presso l'Università di Firenze; Antonella Braga, docente di Filosofia e Storia, scrittrice, studiosa del pensiero antifascista e federalista europeo; Canzilla Andrea, esperto di intelligence e geopolitica; Annalisa Piras, Giornalista e regista, Direttrice The Wake Europe Project; Emanuele Errichiello, Doctoral Researcher Department of International Relations European Institute; Eugenio Montalti, tirocinante nell'unità Emerging Security Challenges del JRC della Commissione Europea;
For more information on this appeal and other Cesue initiatives send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..