As of 1 November, Greens/EFA MEP Daniel Freund will take over the presidency of the Spinelli Group from Social-Democrat (S&D) MEP Brando Benifei. The Spinelli Group is a network of 72 federalist-minded Members of the European Parliament aiming to reinvigorate the endeavour for strengthening and democratisation of the European Union.

Daniel Freund, new President of the Spinelli Group, comments:

“I would like to thank Brando Benifei for his great work as the president, pushing for a more federal Europe. As Spinelli Group we want to use the Conference on the Future of Europe to inoculate our continental democracy with strong reforms against overstretching in next crises. We want strong reforms for truly European elections, EU investments in a digital and climate friendly future, a Europe that speaks with one voice in the world. We invite all to join our campaign to make Europe stronger by making it more democratic!

The EU is being held back by antiquated decision making processes. We need to get rid of unanimity in the EU Council and we have to push for own initiative rights for the European Parliament. With a European second vote for transnational lists we could make sure citizens have a stronger say which lead candidate is the next Commission president in 2024. We have to make clear that more democracy is the answer to the current crises rocking the European Union.“

Follow our group: https://twitter.com/spinelligroup 

Read our manifesto of 2018:

https://thespinelligroup.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Manifesto_EN.pdf 

Read our manifesto for the Conference on the Future of Europe:

https://thespinelligroup.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SPINELLI-MANIFESTO_V_light.pdf 

• Strengthening democracy with a second vote in EU elections for transnational lists, a right of initiative for the EP
• Reforming the Economic and Monetary Union and investing in European common goods
• Protecting EU fundamental rights
• Increasing the European Union’s ability to act by ending national vetos
• Fostering European citizenship and a truly European public sphere
• Ensuring a proper follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe

Sign our appeal for a federal Europe:

https://www.federalists.eu/news-uef/view/uef-the-spinellii-group-appeal-our-federal-europe 

Background: history of the Spinelli group

Named after Altiero Spinelli (1907–1986), founder of the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and a founding father of the European integration, the Spinelli Group was founded on 15 September 2010 in the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels by former Belgium prime minister and current MEP Guy VERHOFSTADT, former co-chair of the Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) Group in the European Parliament  Daniel COHN-BENDIT, former MEP Sylvie GOULARD (ALDE) and former European Parliament Vice-President Isabelle DURANT (Greens/EFA).