EFP Newsletter: July 2012. Europe-wide flashmobs for Greece and new local sections!

European Federalist Party Newsletter: The EFP is working for you! New local sections, French and Dutch elections, reduced roaming charges, Europe-wide flashmobs and much more!

In this Newsletter:

  1. Roaming fees more than halved by European Parliament and Council.
  2. “We are all Europeans!” flashmob campaigns.
  3. The EFP successfully took part in the French National Elections.
  4. The Dutch section is preparing to run for the next election! We need you!
  5. Strengthening our local presence: Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Asia (China).
  6. Shop ’till you drop.
  7. RENEW Your Membership/Donate! Help us to help Europe!

1) Roaming fees more than halved by European Parliament and Council

Victory is ours on roaming! The campaign against high roaming charges (www.fairroaming.org) started by the European Federalist Party in 2010 has been a smashing success story and has managed to drive down prices for roaming across Europe in an unprecedented manner! Over the last two years, we built a European network of 20 organisations, 14 members of the European Parliament and more than 150.000 people demanding lower prices for roaming. On top of this, we were mentioned in the media all over Europe and the world, including the NY Times, Euronews, Euractiv, TheParliament, ZDNet etc.

On May 10th the European Parliament voted nearly unanimously in favor of legislation that will allow mobile phone, smart phone and tablet users to enjoy much lower costs when using their devices abroad. Prices for roaming have been lowered to 29ct/min for calls and 70ct/MB for internet access as of July 2012 and will keep going down to 19ct/min for calls and 20ct/MB for internet access by 2014. In addition, users will be enabled to choose a different operator for roaming which should bring about more competition.

Follow our campaign on Facebook.

2) “We are all Europeans” flashmob campaigns

In June the European Federalist Party led the organisation of several Europe-wide flashmobs and sit-ins to show that the European people are united in these hard times of economic crisis. Cities participating in the initiatives included Brussels, Paris, Milan, Dusseldorf, Florence, Bratislava, Genoa, Lyon, Bilbao, Tortona, Salzburg, Rome and many more! The initiatives were supported by several civil society organisations including some local sections of JEF, UEF, MFE, Sel, the European Green Party, Idv, European Alternatives, Partito Radicale and many more!

“We are all Greeks, We are all Europeans!”

On June 9th hundreds of Europeans in several European cities met to show their support and solidarity to the Greek people ahead of the June 17 elections by organising some Europe-wide picnics (with Greek food) and flashmobs while displaying the European and the Greek flags! The results of the past month’s elections reflect the wish of the Greek people to pursue further European integration, despite all of the sacrifices the country has been asked to make! In order to end the spiral of poor governance that has led Greece to its current state, the action called on European leaders to take a step further in the process of European integration and table a Growth Pact enabling a “Green New Deal” boosting economic growth, employment and competitiveness (You can read the detailed call and the signatories here.)

“We are all Europeans! We want a Federal Europe now!”

For round 2 we organised sit-ins and flashmobs on June 25, 27 and 28 in additional European cities as well as in front of the European Parliament, and together with other pro-European parties and organisations, we asked European leaders the creation of a “European Federation NOW!” ahead of the the European Summit of 28-29 June. The events gathered hundreds of citizens calling for a political union!

Yet the latest Council meeting once again failed to take those more comprehensive solutions needed to overcome the current crisis, which is first and foremost, a crisis of confidence on the future of Europe. Read our full statement on the outcome of the 28-29 June European Summit here and get ready for the next Europe-wide actions! Click here.

3) The EFP successfully took part in the French National Elections

Not only words! On June 10th 2012 the European Federalist Party presented 12 candidates for the French legislative elections. This is a very good result as the campaign carried out on the ground allowed us to get to know more of you and our constituencies ahead of the European Elections in 2014. In addition, we gathered significant media attention at the local level and we will continue working to bring Europe closer to its citizens. We are grateful to all the courageous candidates. Among them were Yves Gernigon,  co-President of the EFP and Clément Petit secretary-general of the French chapter. You can find a list of all our candidates here, and a detailed description of our results here.

4) The Dutch section is preparing to run for the next election! We need you!

The newly established Dutch chapter of the European Federalist Party is carrying out a fundraising event in order to be able to run for the Dutch elections this September, but there are only a few weeks left to collect the necessary financial resources. Your contribution is fundamental! To support this campaign, please donate here. You can follow the chapter’s activities on our Dutch Facebook page and on their webpage.

5) Strengthening our local presence: Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Asia (China)

a) Germany/Austria

Amidst the celebrations of Europe Day held in Brussels on May 12th, 2012, the EFP Germany/Austria chapter held a working meeting. Follow our chapter activities and German media discussions on Facebook.

b) Netherlands

We held a working meeting in Leiden on May 17th, 2012 in order to set up the new Dutch chapter of the EFP. The Chairman of the Dutch section is Felix Roscam Abbing. The chapter is now working to raise the financial resources in order to be able to run for Dutch elections this September – if you wish to support the campaign, please donate here. You can follow the chapter’s activities on our Dutch Facebook page as well as on the chapter’s webpage.

c) Italy

The Italian chapter of the European Federalist Party was officially established on July 1st, and registered two days later according to the requirements of Italian law. The Party aims to take part to the national election in Spring 2013 as well as to the European Elections in 2014. To do so, a national electoral programme is being developed in accordance with the objectives outlined in the European programme of the EFP. From now until the end of September (when a National Congress will be set up) the Partito Federalista Europeo will be presided by Enrico Cappelletti. You can get involved directly on all the current activities of the Italian chapter via our Italian Facebook page or our Italian website.

d) Asia

The Asian chapter of the EFP has also recently been created. It aims to be a platform headquartered in Shanghai for bringing together people of all nationalities, based in Asia, who support the ideals of a Federal Europe. In particular, the Asian Chapter aims to raise funds from Asia for the EFP, attract new members, and raise awareness of our ideals and goals at a global scale. Marco Marazzi is the current regional coordinator. If you live outside of Europe and would like to set up a similar venture, let us know!

6) Shop ’till you drop

The online shop of the EFP was updated with some cool products with our logo – shirts, cups, campaign material, and even a teddy bear. Show off your European spirit! You can order them directly online! And the best: for each product you buy, a part of the proceedings goes to the EFP and SUPPORTS OUR WORK!!

7) RENEW Your Membership & DONATE! Help us to help Europe!

Especially during tough economic times, your financial support is fundamental. We therefore invite you to consider showing your support for the federalist cause by becoming a Full Member of the European Federalist Party, by renewing your membership and by donating. Please remember that our organization continues to be fully run by volunteers. To bring forward this continental-scale project we need financial as well as human resources.

Payment can be made by bank transfer, by credit card or by Paypal. Please follow this link to make your payment.

If you wish to have a more active role in the EFP through national or local sections, please write an e-mail to Pietro De Matteis, EFP co-President (e-mail: pietro.dematteis@federalistparty.eu).