Ursula von der Leyen, Bundesministerin für Arbeit und Soziales
Wolfgang Schäuble, Bundesminister der Finanzen
Pierre Moscovici, Ministre de l'Economie et des Finances
Michel Sapin, Ministre du Travail, de l'Emploi, de la Formation professionnelle et du Dialogue social
May 15th 2013
Bundesministerin, Bundesminister and Ministres,
on behalf of the European federalists active in Italy, we would like to express our appreciation about your proposal to launch a "New Deal for Europe" in view of the next European summit.
Indeed, a common Franco-German initiative is urgently needed to give the European public opinion, and in particular to the young people, the hope for a better future.
This initiative, to be credible and effective, should however be linked to the project to establish an effective fiscal, banking, economic and democratic government in the area where several sovereign States have voluntarily decided to adopt a single currency, but not yet the indispensable common federal institutions.
Your proposal might be an important step to relaunch this goal. Because it implies: a) the creation of an autonomous supranational fiscal basis and the institutional framework which, indeed, are indispensable to promote development growth and employment in any monetary area; b) the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union into a deeper and effective union.
Fiscal basis, institutional framework and union that, in our opinion, can no longer be found without a revision of the existing Treaties that should include:
- an autonomous budget for the eurozone, financed with own resources, both fiscal – like the tax on financial transactions and the carbon tax –, and debt instruments – like the issuing of eurobonds;
- a democratic legitimation of the decisions, through the possibility, for eurozone MEPs, to vote on the eurozone budget;
- the entry into force of the new treaty following its ratification at least by the eurozone countries, along the lines of the entry into force of the fiscal compact;
- the signing, by the eurozone countries, of a "pre-constitutional agreement" that includes the same undertakings to be discussed by a European constituent assembly.
To oppose the “centrifugal forces that are pulling European public opinion apart, separating the French from the Germans and the Germans from everyone else”, as even the results of a recent opinion poll on EU has unfortunately confirmed. This is the main challenge to be won now.
MFE will do whatever possible to mobilize the Italian public opinion, its political parties and national and European MPs to contribute, together with Germany and France, to give Europe the chance to build an effective, democratic and able to act, federal union.
With the expressions of our highest esteem and best regards,
Lucio Levi, President MFE Italy
Franco Spoltore, Secretary General MFE Italy
