I. Identity and Symbols
Citizens must be protagonists of a united Europe. To this end, the common culture and the values that underpin it must be the real basis of a true European constitutional identity. The Union, with respect for diversity and in order to strengthen its integration, must ensure that citizens identify with the symbols that represent the people of Europe as a whole. The flag, the Ode to Joy, the currency, public holidays and true common personal identity documents unite us in the same community.
2. The Europe of Rights and Freedoms
Citizens must be protagonists of a united Europe. To this end, the language of rights is the true common language of Europe. There is no political or economic community without a community of rights. Individual is at the heart of integration because “We unite people, not States”. The revaluation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the unavoidable accession to the European Convention on Human Rights unite us in the same dignity.
3. Political participation, governance and institutional reforms
Citizens must be protagonists in a united Europe. To this end, political participation must be translated into institutions that are close, understandable and accessible to everyone. To this end, the reform of the institutions must pursue a more transparent and less bureaucratic administration. Only by building a real parliamentary form of government can the Union’s popular legitimacy be strengthened. Pan-European political parties, electoral programs of common interest and a truly decisive popular vote unite us in the same demos.
4. Inclusion and Equality in Dignity
Citizens must be protagonists in a united Europe. To this end, the dignity of the individual must be the essential driving force for equality. The open society must integrate both its citizens who move within it and immigrants from third countries; it must be inclusive of different groups and sensitivities; and it must be based on a parity between women and men. Furthermore, equality must ensure material cohesion by guaranteeing work, industry and trade, together with territorial cohesion to prevent the depopulation of rural areas. A single citizenship, social and political pluralism and our differences unite us in the same opportunities.
5. Welfare and Social Promotion
Citizens must be protagonists of a united Europe. To this end, the essential levels of benefits must be established in the European framework as a priority axis of social and economic policies. States must find in the Union the indispensable partner to guarantee welfare and social promotion through quality public services. Helping people out of situations of vulnerability, caring for dependent persons, cultivating education as all-round education for citizens and taking holistic care of both physical and mental health unite us in the same freedom.
6. University, Research and Innovation
Citizens must be protagonists in a united Europe. To this end, knowledge and curiosity must be the only frontiers for Europeans. The rights and freedoms of the people must guide innovation and scientific progress through academic dialogue in all fields of knowledge. Universities are the guardians and promoters of the best European spirit, the alma mater of our identity. Erasmus exchanges, the meeting of cultures and the quest for discovery unite us in the same family.
7. Environment, Energy and Combating Climate Change
Citizens must be protagonists in a united Europe. To this end, the green challenge is the oxygen of our survival. Our planet Earth, the only planet on which we can live, needs the Union to lead the global fight against climate change and to safeguard the environment. The promotion of clean energy, guaranteed to all people, is the only way to encourage a non-polluting lifestyle. Individual and collective efforts against climate change, in favor of the conservation of biodiversity and the balance between ecosystems, unite us with future generations.
8. Technology and Digital Society
Citizens must be protagonists of a united Europe. To this end, the rights of the individual must be the heart of the development of the digital society. The Union, aspiring to global leadership, must contribute to the shaping of a digital society based on full respect for human rights and pluralist democracy. Artificial intelligence creates a further opportunity to encourage the full development of the personality, but without limiting individual aspirations. Technological challenges unite us in the same hope.
9. Peace, Security and Defense
Citizens must be protagonists in a united Europe. To this end, the value of peace and the rejection of war must always inspire the European project, together with human security understood in accordance with the United Nations. The Union must have a single army to guarantee the security and defense of European territory and peoples. However, respect for rights cannot give in to security requirements. The maintenance of peace and its promotion in the world, the reception of refugees and international cooperation unite us in the same fraternity.
10. European Constituent Assembly
Citizens must be protagonists in a united Europe. To this end, reform of the Union’s constitutional architecture is an absolute necessity. The Convention envisaged in the Treaty on European Union must aspire to the classic formula of a constituent assembly in order to reinforce the popular legitimacy of its origin. In this sense, it must go beyond the idea of a community of states united by treaties to establish a federal constitution, while respecting diversity and seeking the common will of the peoples of Europe. Democratic values, multilingualism, local traditions, geographical and climatic diversity and a common constitutional culture unite us in a single Europe.
Written by
Antonio Pérez Miras y Giacomo Palombino
Translated by
Eloísa Pérez Conchillo
Academic Committee
Francisco Balaguer Callejón, Gregorio Cámara Villar, José Antonio Montilla Martos, Pablo Lucas Murillo de la Cueva, Juan Francisco de Asís Sánchez Barrilao, Germán M. Teruel Lozano, Joaquín Sarrión Esteve, Enrique Guillén López, Sabrina Ragone, Angelo Schillaci, Vasco Pereira Da Silva, Francisco M. Bombillar Sáenz, Leyre Burguera Ameave, Miguel Arjona Sánchez, Alessia Tomo, Eloísa Pérez Conchillo, Luis Fernando Martínez Quevedo, Belén Burgos Garrido, Carmen Montesinos Padilla, Sandra Lopes Luís, Miguel Azpitarte Sánchez, Baldomero Oliver León, Augusto Aguilar Calahorro, Adoración Galera Victoria, Caterina Drigo, Fernando Pérez Domínguez, Silvia Romboli, Rosa Iannaccone, Ángel Aday Jiménez Alemán
Napoli, 25 de mayo de 2023