In view of the forthcoming 2009 European elections the Federalists see a historic opportunity for the European parties to regain the trust of the citizens by presenting their Candidate for President of the European Commission who would be in charge of implementing the program presented to the voters.

Mercedes Bresso, president of UEF said “If the Lisbon Treaty is ratified the European Council will elect its President, who will have specific responsibilities concerning common foreign and security policy. This is a step forward for the European construction, which must be combined with the reinforcement of the European Commission’s political role.”

“Without a strengthened Commission the European citizens would be voting for a European Parliament, whose powers would still be unclear. The real power of an elected assembly is to control the executive body in charge of carrying out a programme presented to the voters. Lacking a clear link between European vote, programme and the executive body, European elections are in danger of turning into a mere juxtaposition of national elections where national problems are at stake, not the future of Europe” concluded president Bresso.

Furthermore, UEF asks the European political parties:

• to include into the electoral programme the firm resolve to “put forward, after the 2009 elections, new proposals for a further constitutional settlement for the Union, in accordance with the clause on treaty revision”, as stated in the resolution of the European Parliament of 11^th July 2007;
• to put in place a system of cross-border party lists, including citizens from all over Europe;
• to reject the idea that the negotiations to choose the future President of the European Council and the High Representative for foreign and security policy encompass the choice of the President of the European Commission as well. If this was the case European citizens would be seriously deceived since all the highest authorities of the European governance would be already agreed upon at the moment of the elections. If the European Union is to become a real “supranational democracy”, European parties must not support obscure manoeuvres to designate the highest posts in the European institutions.