Doc. 8802
8 July 2000

Conceptions of a European Federation

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Gross and others

      During the last weeks the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, Joschka Fischer, the former Prime Minister of France, Alain Juppé, the former Chairman of the German CDU, Wolfgang Schäuble, the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, as well as other politicians, have tremendously stimulated the European debate concerning a constitution for Europe as a basis for future European integration and federation.

      This debate is also of great interest to the member states of the Council of Europe.

      However the notion of federalism creates many misunderstandings between European citizens and parliamentarians. Therefore the Assembly should:

i. compare the different conceptions of federalism, examine how they are used in the various projects for a European constitution;

ii. make an evaluation of the different experiences in European federal states which are members of the Council of Europe;

iii. see whether European federalism is compatible or not with the nation-state;

iv. examine how the federalism might strengthen democracy and the people’s will vis-à-vis globalisation and transnational markets, which the nation-states alone cannot face any longer;

v. contribute to a common understanding of European federalism and, in so doing, ease the debate about a European constitution as the basis of future European integration.

Signed 1 :

Gross, Switzerland, SOC

Auken, Denmark, UEL

Behrendt, Germany, SOC

Bindig, Germany, SOC

Clerfayt, Belgium, LDR

Dagys, Lithuania, SOC

de Puig, Spain, SOC

Dees, Netherlands, LDR

Demetriou, Cyprus, EPP/CD

Deryck, Belgium, SOC

Dhaille, France, SOC

Diana, Italy, EPP/CD

Err, Luxembourg, SOC

Fehr, Switzerland, LDR

Feric-Vac, Croatia, SOC

Frey, Switzerland, LDR

Frunda, Romania, EPP/CD

Gül, Turkey, EDG

Gülek, Turkey, SOC

Hegyi, Hungary, SOC

Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR

Hornhues, Germany, EPP/CD

Hörster, Germany, EPP/CD

Ivanenko, Russia, LDR

Iwinski, Poland, SOC

Jaskiernia, Poland, SOC

Judd, United Kingdom, SOC

Jurgens, Netherlands, SOC

Kautto, Finland, SOC

Korkeaoja, Finland, LDR

Kuzmickas, Lithuania, EDG

Lachat, Switzerland, EPP/CD

Liiv, Estonia, LDR

Lörcher, Germany, SOC

Loutfi, Bulgaria, LDR

Monfils, Belgium, LDR

Mota-Amaral, Portugal, EPP/CD

Müller, Germany, UEL

Mutman, Turkey, SOC

Nedelciuc, Moldova, LDR

Ojuland, Estonia, LDR

Plattner, Switzerland, SOC

Reimann, Switzerland, LDR

Santkin, Belgium, SOC

Schloten, Germany, SOC

Shishlov, Russia, LDR

Sinka, Latvia, EDG

Spindelegger, Austria, EPP/CD

Squarcialupi, Italy, SOC

Tallo, Estonia, SOC

Varela i Serra, Spain, LDR

Vella, Malta, EPP/CD

Wielowieyski, Poland, EPP/CD

_________________________

1       SOC: Socialist Group