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Europa la lenta marcia verso una democrazia sovranazionale

[EPA-EFE KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / POOL]

Quando, dopo che nel 1984 il Parlamento di Strasburgo aveva approvato a larga maggioranza l’ambizioso “Trattato Spinelli” per una riforma in senso federale dell’Europa, nel 1986 il Consiglio Europeo approvò l’Atto Unico, Spinelli commentò: “La montagna ha partorito un topolino”. Il gigante Europa aveva dimostrato i piedi d’argilla di una costruzione fragile, affidata ai veti incrociati dei governi, ai risentimenti degli Stati nazionali, invece che agli interessi condivisi dei cittadini europei.

Qualunque risultato uscirà dal Consiglio si potranno dare due giudizi, opposti. Si potrà dire, con buona ragione, come ha fatto ieri dalle colonne del Corriere Mario Monti, che in ogni caso avremo raggiunto un risultato storico; perché per la prima volta l’Europa avrà accettato di ragionare in maniera collegiale e solidale, impegnandosi a sottoscrivere in comune degli impegni finanziari per una ripresa collettiva.

Ma si potrà, altrettanto a ragione, dire che si poteva fare di più. Perché, ad esempio, la Commissione e il Parlamento, che rappresentano collegialmente i cittadini europei, avevano assunto unitariamente la decisione di chiedere di più. Si potrà dire, insomma, che ancora una volta la montagna ha partorito un topolino.

Il punto è che la montagna non è affatto una montagna. Può sembrare, vista da lontano. In realtà è solo un insieme confuso di topolini, aggrappati l’uno sull’altro; costretti a stare aggrappati per cercare di illudere il resto del mondo di aver di fronte un gigante minaccioso e combattivo. Ma un insieme di topolini non può che partorire un topolino, più o meno grande che sia.

Per essere una montagna, un vero gigante, capace di assumersi le responsabilità che le competono di fronte alla Storia, agli altri attori nella competizione globale e di fronte ai propri cittadini, una montagna dovrebbe essere coesa, granitica. Un soggetto capace di scelte collettive, non un insieme di interessi di singoli governi nazionali, occasionalmente dotati del potere di mettere il veto sulle scelte di una maggioranza.

Dopo settant’anni d’integrazione e tre giorni di negoziati nell’unico organo decisionale che decide davvero in Europa, il Consiglio, credo sia ormai evidente a tutti che questa Europa, così com’è stata costruita, non può funzionare. Perché l’unanimità implica compromessi, calcoli ragionieristici su cosa scambiare per ottenere qualcosa; valori contro soldi, privilegi contro sussidi.

Certo, può emergere qualche risultato positivo, un segnale di speranza. Ma solo dopo un’emergenza pandemica globale; un crollo atteso del Pil del 10%; centinaia di migliaia di morti. Non è una buona premessa per lo stare insieme.

Comunque si voglia giudicare il risultato del Consiglio, quando emergerà un compromesso definitivo, la verità è che siamo ancora in mezzo al guado. Schiacciati fra ventisette democrazie nazionali che non sono in grado di affrontare e risolvere i problemi (né chiudendosi insieme in una stanza, né – ancora meno – singolarmente) ed una democrazia europea che potrebbe affrontarli ma che è ancora in cosruzione.

Questa è la sfida che ancora oggi ci sta di fronte: cancellare il diritto di veto da ogni decisione collettiva; spostare l’asse delle decisioni verso gli organi che rappresentano i cittadini, come Parlamento e Commissione, piuttosto che concentrarli sul Consiglio (dove si scontrano gli interessi dei singoli governi); creare un sistema di risorse proprie, in grado di sostenere nel tempo un maggior bilancio per produrre beni pubblici europei; dotare la Ue delle competenze per essere attore credibile sulla scena mondiale, con una propria difesa, una politica industriale decentrata ma strategicamente orientata, in un’ottica multilivello.

Insomma, l’Europa che noi cittadini vogliamo è ancora tutta da costruire. Oggi, comunque vada il negoziato, sarà stato compiuto un passo avanti. Ma sarà solo il primo di una serie, che ci auguriamo lunga e fruttuosa, verso una piena democrazia sovranazionale.

All citizens are invited to sign this Appeal, which was promoted by philosophers Roberto Castaldi and Daniel Innerarity and signed in 1 day by over 1500 personalities from academia, civil society, business community, institutions from all over the EU, and even from countries still outside it.

Among the signatories are some of the most prominent European academics of their fields, relevant figures from civil society, many of whom had relevant roles in institutions, including Romano Prodi, former President of the Commission and Italian Prime Minister; Enrico Letta, former Italian Prime Minister; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Spanish Prime Minister; Enrique Barón Crespo, former President of the European Parliament; Pascal Lamy, former Commissioner and Director-general of WTO; Anna Diamantopoulou, former Greek Minister and Commissioner; Hans Eichel, former German Minister; Edmond Alphandéry, former French Minister; Klich Bogdan, former Polish Minister and MEP; Diaconescu Cristian, former Romanian Minister and many other former ministers, members of the European and National Parliaments, etc.

A EUROPEAN ANSWER TO THE CORONAVIRUS THREAT
TO PROVE THAT THE EU IS A TRUE COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

We European citizens understand that Covid-19 is a common threat, that may hurt one country sooner than another, but will eventually hurt us all, and can impact our daily life and economy almost like a war.

We European citizens are worried and scared by this threat; and even more by the cacophony, selfishness and self-destructive short-sightedness of the different, un-coordinated national responses; by the lack of foresight of our national leaders, who pretend not to know that our interdependence requires a single European answer with strict containment measures of the pandemics, and an EU-wide plan to re-start the European economy afterwards.

We European citizens denounce the current EU as an incomplete Res Publica, thus ill-equipped to face this challenge, with little competences and powers to face the pandemics. We welcome the timely decision by the Commission to provide 25 billion euro and financial flexibility to cope with this threat. Maybe it is the most it can do, but it is not enough.

We call upon the European Commission and Parliament to propose, and on the national governments to adopt (starting with the Eurogroup meeting of March 16, and a following extraordinary European Council to be called soon after) the following urgent measures, also using the Lisbon Treaty passerelle clause and simplified Treaty revision provisions:

Make public health and the fight against epidemics a shared competence of the EU, subject to the ordinary legislative procedure, and provide the Commission with extraordinary powers to coordinate the response to the epidemics, as a federal government should do.
Enlarge the scope of the European Stability Mechanism to finance the immediate strengthening of the European and national health systems to cope with the pandemics, which threatens the lives of European citizens, and thus also the economic and financial stability of the EU.
Abolish the compulsory balanced budget provision for the EU and create a EU Safe Asset to be issued to finance an EU-wide plan to promote EU economic recovery and social cohesion during and after the emergency.
Move fiscal issues to the ordinary legislative procedure and provide the EU with fiscal powers to adopt new own resources – such as the carbon tax (and carbon tariffs), the digital tax, the financial transaction tax – to finance the EU budget (or the Euro-area Budgetary Instrument, if the decision could be reached only at the Euro-area level).
Immediately approve the next Multiannual Financial Framework increasing the budget to at least 1,3% of the EU GDP, as requested by the European Parliament, on the basis of the current structure of the budget financing; and with the provision to reach 2% with the new own resources, to ensure the provision of crucial EU-wide public goods.
Turn the planned Conference on the future of Europe into a fully-fledged European Convention to draft a new Constitutional Pact among the EU citizens and Member states.

We European citizens believe this is the defining hour for the EU. Social perception of the EU will be shaped for years by its response to this crisis. This is the time to prove the EU is a community of values with a shared destiny, a life-line for its citizens and member states in the face of a turbulent global world with political, economic and health threats. It is time for bold common steps to overcome fear. It is time for European unity, not for national division.

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More than 11,000 european citizens signed the appeal, including:

Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission, former Italian Prime Minister; Enrico Letta, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, President of the Jacques Delors Institute, former Italian Prime Minister; Giuliano Amato, Judge of the Italian Constitutional Court, former Prime Minister; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Prime Minister of Spain; Mahmoud Gebril, former Prime Minister of Lybia; Enrique Barón Crespo, Chair Jean Monnet ad personam, former President of the European Parliament; Pascal Lamy, Honorary President Jacques Delors Institute, former European Commissioner, former Director-General of World Trade Organization; Anna Diamantopoulou, President To Diktio, former European Commissioner and Greek Minister; Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, President Istituto Affari Internazionali, former European Commissioner; Edmond Alphandéry, former French Minister; Laura Garavini, Presidente Commissione difesa del senato; Klich Bogdan, Polish Senator, former Minister of Defence, former MEP; Maria Chiara Carrozza, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, former Rector, former Italian Minister; Hans Eichel, former German Finance Minister; Piero Fassino, President Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale; Vice President Foreign Affairs Committe of the Chamber of Deputies in Italy, former Italian Minister; Elsa Fornero, University of Turin, Scientific Coordinator of CeRP - Collegio Carlo Alberto, Vice President of SHARE and Research Fellow of IZA and Netspar, former Italian Minister; Pier Carlo Padoan, former Italian Minister and former OECD; Franco BASSANINI, Chairman Astrid Foundation, former italian Minister; Corrado Clini, former italian Ministro dell'Ambiente; Juan F. Lopez Aguilar, MEP, Professor of Constitutional and European Law, former Minister of Justice; Yannis Maniatis, former Greek Minister of Energy and Environment, Ass. Prof. University of Piraeus; Dimitrij Rupel, Nova univerza Ljubljana; former Slovenian Foreign Minister; Diaconescu Cristian, former romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Margarida Marques, MEP, Vice-Chair Committee on Budgets, former Secretary of State Of European Affairs in Portugal; Kostadin Kostadinov, former bulgarian Deputy Minister of Education and Science; Nicos Christodoulakis, Professor, former Minister for Economy and Finance of Greece; Konstantinos Simitsis, Vice Governor of Development - Region of East Macedonia and Thrace; Michael Bloss, MEP; Cristina Comencini, scrittrice e regista; Gaetano Quagliarello, Luiss University, Senatore; Tatjana Rojc, Senatrice della Repubblica Italiana; Gianni Marilotti, Senatore della Repubblica Italiana; Lia Quartapelle, Research Fellow at ISPI, Deputata; Massimo Ungaro, Deputato; Jo Leinen, Former MEP, former President of the Spinelli Group, the European Movement International, the Union of European Federalists; Hans-Jürgen Zahorka, Chief editor, European Union Foreign Affairs Journal (EUFAJ), former MEP; Alessia Mosca, former MEP; Leperre-verrier Odile, former MEP; Sandro Gozi, President of the Union of European Federalists, Member of the European Parliament, former Italian Under-secretary of state; Gian Paolo Accardo, Founder of VoxEurope; Alberto Alemanno, École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) Paris; Founder and Director, the Good Lobby; Philippe C. Schmitter, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute; Stefano Micossi, College of Europe, General Director ASSONIME; Giorgio Anselmi, Presidente Movimento Federalista Europeo; Daniele Archibugi, Acting Director, IRPPS - Italian National Research Council; Giampiero Gramaglia, gionalista italiano, Consigliere Scientifico dello IAI, ex direttore ANSA, ex direttore IAI; Sylvie Guillaume, MEP; Brando Benifei, MEP, Head of the Italian delegation in the Socialist and Democrat Group, Board of the Spinelli Group; Domenec Ruiz Devesa, MEP; Vítor Bento, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas Universidade de Lisboa; former Director of the Foreign Department of the Portuguese Central Bank; former General Director of Treasury, President of Junta de Crédito Público and member of the European Monetary Committe; Martin Hojsik, MEP; Patrizia Toia, MEP; Olivier Chastel, MEP; Trillet-Lenoir Veronique, Medical Doctor and MEP; Katalin Cseh, MEP; Damian Boeselager, MEP, co-founder and former vicepresident of Volt Europe; Isabel Santos, MEP; Bütikofer Reinhard, MEP; Julije Domac, FEDARENE President, Special Adviser of Croatian President for Energy and Climate; Jürgen Klute, former MEP; Chara KEFALIDOU, member of the Greek Parliament, former Vice-Prefect of Athens; Patrick KAFKA, Ministry for Economics, Baden Wurttenberg, Germany; Andrea Biondi, Professor of European Union Law, Director Centre of European Law, Dickson Poon School of Law, Kings College London; Stefano Boeri, President Triennale di Milano; Full professor Urbanistica Politecnico di Milano; Adanela MUSARAJ, FAO High Level Expert on food safety and food security; Luca Bollito, CEO di Autec Service; Michele Bonello, CEO Europe di Principle AS; Pierre Brunet, Directeur du Département des Masters de Droit public de l'Ecole de droit de la Sorbonne; Laura Mirachian, Ambasciatrice; Nicola Gasperini, CEO Destination Italia; Riccardo Casale EC officer, AD SOGIN SpA; Susanna Cafaro, Università del Salento, Vice-President of the Italian Society of International and European Law (SIDI); Innocenzo Cipolletta, President Assonime, former director general of Confindustria; Carlos Closa, European University Institute, former Director of the European, Transnational and Global Governance research area; former Deputy Director at the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies (CEPC) in Madrid, and member of the Venice Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe; Stefan Collignon, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, former Harvard and London School of Economics, former Director Association for the Monetary Union of Europe; Roberto LIVI, Professore Universitario, Presidente Società Italiana di Fisica Statistica; Laura Ammannati, Professor of Economics Law, Jean Monnet Chair in EU Energy Regulation and Policy, founder of ADDE; Claudio Corbino, Chairman di Associazione Diplomatici; Ineta Dabašinskienė, Vytautas Magnus University Lithuania; Luigi Daniele, University of Rome "Tor Vergata"; Pier Virgilio Dastoli, President Italian Council of the European Movement; Gordana Djurovic, Jean Monnet professor – University of Montenegro, President Montenegrin Pan-European Union; Andrew Duff, President of the Spinelli Group, Visiting Fellow European Policy Centre, former Member of the European Parliament; Dimitrios Kairidis, Greek Member of Parliament, Professor of International Relations at Panteion/NN Director; Michel Dumoulin, Université catholique de Louvain, Member of the Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts de Belgique, Member of the Academia Portuguesa de Historia; Rafał Dymek, President Polska Fundacja Robert Schuman; Sergio Fabbrini, Director School of Government at Luiss University; Franco Bruni, senior professor Dept of Economics, Bocconi University; Cynthia Fleury philosophe et psychanalyste française; John Erik Fossum, Arena Center for European Studies, Oslo; Michele Valensise, President of German-Italian Center for the European Dialogue Villa Vigoni; Monica Pesce, Managing Director VVA Group; Flavio Brugnoli, Direttore del Centro Studi sul Federalismo, Torino; Pietro Gargiulo, University of Teramo; Paolo Garonna, Luiss G. Carli University; Marco Giovannini, CEO di Guala Closures; Ulrike Guerot, Danube University Krems, Founder of the European Democracy Lab in Berlin; István Hegedűs, Chairman Hungarian Europe Society; Aldo Kaslowski, Chairman of Organik holding, former Vice-President of Tusiad (Association of Turkish Business); Nico A. Heller, Democracy School; Guillaume Klossa, writer, founder of EuropaNova and Civico Europa, Sherpa to the reflection group on the future of Europe 2020-2030, former Director at the European Broadcasting Union; Paolo Magagnotti, President, European Journalists Association-The Communication Network; Gemma Carbó Ribugent, Directora Museu de la Vida Rural- Fundació Carulla Presidenta ConArte Internacional; Anna Krasteva, New Bulgarian University and CERMES, editor-in-chief of Journal Southeastern Europe; Paul Jaeger, Former Chairman Association Jean Monnet – Paris; Peter Jambrek, President of the New University, Slovenia; Cristophe Leclerque, Founder of Euractiv Network, President of Euractiv Foundation; Francesca Longo, University of Catania, President Società Italiana di Scienza Politica; Alice Stollmeyer, Executive Director of Defending Democracy; Felipe Criado-Boado, Professor of Archaeology in Spanish CSIC, President of the European Association of Archaeologists; Quentin Peel, British Journalist/commentator; Paolo Magri, Director Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionali (ISPI); Sylwia Majkowska-Szulc, University of Gdańsk, Secretary Polish Association of European Law; Hansen Barbara, Interreg Programme Manager; Fabio Masini, Roma Tre University, Jean Monnet Chair, Co-director International Centre for European and Global Governance (CesUE); Ľubor Matejko, Head Russian and East European Studies Department Comenius University of Bratislava; Myrta Merlino, TV journalist; Karel Schwarz, President of the European Anti-Poverty Network Czech Republic; Giovanni Moro, Chairman of Cittadinanza Attiva; Andrea Bairati, Presidente AIRI - Associazione Ricerca Industriale Italiana; Attilio Navarra, Ceo Italiana Costruzioni; Kalypso Nicolaidis, University of Oxford; Ignacy Niemczycki, President of the Geremek Foundation; Claus Offe, Hertie School of Governance in Berlin; Gianfranco Pasquino, University of Bologna, Johns Hopkins Bologna Center and Fellow of the Accademia dei Lincei; Vladimiro Zagrebelski, Carlo Alberto College in Turin, former Judge of the European Court of Human Rights; Fabienne Péraldi Leneuf, Sorbonne Law School; Piero Tortola professor University of Groningen, the Netherlands; Otto Pfersfmann, Directeur d’Etudes Ecoles des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales / Lier-FYT Paris; Mikolaj Pietrzak, Dean of the Warsaw Bar Association of Advocates; Geneviève Pons, Director General of Europe Jacques Delors Institute; Vesselin Popovski, Professor and Vice Dean Jindal Global Law School, Haryana, India; Valerie Sternberg, Co-President of Volt Europe;Francesca Ratti, coprésident of Civico Europa; Gianpaolo Maria Ruotolo, Università di Foggia; Massimo Santomauro, CFO di Tecnocap; Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University; Roberto Saviano, scrittore, giornalista e sceneggiatore italiano; Peter Schiffauer, Deputy Director Dimitris-Tsatsos-Institut for European Constitutional Sciences, Fernuniversität in Hagen; Giuseppe Scognamiglio, Chairman East-West European Institute; Richard Sennett, OBE FBA; Visiting Professor, The Senseable Cities Lab, MIT, Chair, Council on Urban Initiatives, United Nations Habitat; Chair, Theatrum Mundi; Ingrid Shikova, Head of Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence European Studies Department, Sofia University "St.Kliment Ohridski"; Mario Telò, Professor at LUISS-Guido Carli University, member of the Royal Academy of sciences, Bruxelles; former advisor to the European Commission; Umberto Morelli, professore ordinario Università di Torino, titolare cattedra Jean Monnet, responsabile Centro di Eccellenza Jean Monnet; Anna Mastromarino, Professore Associato di Diritto Pubblico Comparato, Università di Torino, co-Direttore dell'Osservatorio dell’Associazione dei costituzionalisti italiani; Enzo Siviero, Rector eCampus University, Architect; Christoph Strecker, Judge, Founder of MEDEL (Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés); Allain Terrenoire, Président de l'Union Paneuropéenne Internationale; Arnaud Thysen, Director European Business Summit; Nathalie Tocci, Director Istituto Affari Internazionali, former Advisor to VP/HR Federica Mogherini; Luisa Trumellini, Segretario generale Movimento Federalista Europeo; Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University, editorialist La Repubblica; Edoardo Greppi, ordinario di Diritto internazionale Università di Torino; Paolo Vacca, Secretary general Union of European Federalists; Elisa Baroncini, Università di Bologna; Livio Vanghetti, Executive Vice President of Philip Morris; Mario Di Napoli, Segreteria Generale della Camera dei Deputati; Annamaria Viterbo, University of Turin; Anna Wessely, ELTE University of Budapest, President of the Hungarian Sociological Association, Editor-in-chief of BUKSZ - The Budapest Review of Books; Fabio R. Zucca, Sindaco comune di Belgioioso (Pavia - Italia), Ricercatore Cattedra Jean Monnet Università degli Studi dell'Insubria; Stefano Zamagni, Università di Bologna; Cesare Fregola, Presidente CNCP - Coordinamento Nazionale Counsellor Professionisti; Bénédicte Zimmermann, Directrice d'études at the EHESS Paris; Roger Casale, Secretary General, New Europeans; Francesco Gui, professore straordinario in Storia dell’Europa orientale Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia Università "La Sapienza" di Roma; Antonella Braga, Professoressa e scrittrice, ricercatrice all'Istituto storico della Resistenza di Novara "Piero Fornara"; Angela Villani, Full Professor, History of International Relations, University of Messina; Claudio Cressati, professor at Department of Law University of Udine, Director of Studies, Erasmus Mundus Master of Arts EUROCULTURE; Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic, Secretary General EUROPA NOSTRA; Tegovski Jovan, Macedonian Ambassador; Renate Reiter, scientist, University of Freiburg; Bujon Anne-Lorraine, Chercheur associée de l'Ifri, french editor; Fodor Sylvie, Executive Director CEPIC; Marco Mugnaini, professore Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza Università di Pavia; Daniela Irrera, University of Catania, President of the European Research Association, Chair of the ECPR Standing Group on International Relations; Giuliana Laschi, University of Bologna, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, President of Jean Monnet Center of Excellence; Renate Müller-Wolf, Europa-Union Aschaffenburg, Herrn Dieter Schornick; Theodora Avgolidou, Chair Hellas Press Media; Piet STEEL, Honoray Ambassador of Belgium; DELOIRE Eric, Maire adjoint commune d'Etampes; Daniela Boccadoro Ameri, Presidente Americommunications - vice presidente piccola confindustria Genova - comitato scientifico Silver Economy Forum - giornalista direttore testata; Anita Natascia Bernacchia, Communication officer for Più Europa, Brussels; Elisabeth Tourneix Pallme, Président Pulse of Europe Toulouse; Cédric Van Styvendael, Président Housing Europe; Raymond VanholderActing Chairman of the European Chronic Disease Alliance; Professor Emeritus at Ghent University, Founding President of the Belgian Society of Nephrology; Jorge Chaminé, Musician, President founder of Centre Européen de Musique; Ambassador for Peace of the UN 2030NOW goals; David Wouters, lawyer at DeLoitte Legal; Joachim ROTH, EU Officer; Pedro Nuno Kettmann de Carvalho; Friederike Schier, President Volt Germany; Kathrine RICHTER, Country Lead of Volt Danmark; Riccardo Casale EC officer, AD SOGIN SpA;Anne Chamayou, Vice-President Volt France; Stanka PARAĆ DAMJANOVIĆ, Director Alda; Barabas Miklos, director European House Hungary; Valentina Sommella, ricercatrice di Storia delle Relazioni internazionali, professore aggregato di Storia e culture dell'Asia orientale, Università di Perugia; Tomás Molina, Coordinator for Latin America to the UNPA Campaign; Jean-Bernard Bros, Adjoint à la Maire de Paris; Manservisi Stefano, Senior Advisor EU Think Tanks and Foundations; Jürgen Grote, former Marie Curie Chair in Political Science, Charles University, Prague; Eszter Nagy, former diplomat, secretary gen. of UEF Hungary; Potito Genova, Generale dell'Esercito Italiano; Victor Viñuales, executive Director Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo; Luigi de Vecchi, Banker; Giuseppe Cucchi, former Generale di Corpo d’Armata dell'Esercito Italiano; Jelka Stergel, director of Festival of European and Mediterranean Film;

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