The Union of European Federalists has opened a next stage in its promotion of a European constitution by launching a campaign for a European referendum on the European Constitution to be held at the occasion of the European elections in 2009. Campaigners from all over Europe came together at the Bavarian Parliament in Munich for the launch of the campaign that has the objective of collecting 1 million signatures from citizens all over Europe. Signatures will be collected through street actions, but mainly with the help of a new and interactive website that was launched officially on 16 March 2007 in Berlin: www.europeanreferendum.eu  The UEF welcomes the success of the launch event. Prominent representatives of the German political world, such as Claudia ROTH, head of the German Greens and Michael LINK, member of the parliamentary group of the German Liberal party spoke in favor of the UEF campaign. A new survey led by the German opinion poll EMNID and commissioned by the UEF’s German section, the Europa Union Deutschland, showed that 75 per cent of the German citizens want a European referendum on the constitution. > UEF Secretary General, Dr. Friedhelm Frischenschlager said "We need a European referendum to bridge the gap between citizens and European politics and to break the logjam in the constitutional process" Notes to editors 1. The campaign has been launched jointly by two international organisations, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and the Young European Federalists (JEF). 2. The aim of the campaign is to show that there is widespread public support for the idea of a European referendum. In the text of the European constitution, there is a clause that sets a target of one million signatures for a new principle of direct democracy. While this clause is not of course in force, because the constitution itself is not yet in force, one million has become recognised as the appropriate number to demonstrate popular support. 3. The poll was conducted by EMNID on 18 April 2007 4. The European referendum should be judged positive if there is the support of a majority of European citizens, with all the votes in every member states added together, and also if there is a positive result in a majority of member states. The EU is a union of states and citizens, so it is fitting that a double majority should be required in support of the constitution. The constitution would only come into force in those countries that have voted Yes