Between 8 and 10 of November, the Federal Committee of JEF Europe convened in Budapest, Hungary. This body, composed of directly elected delegates, national delegates, and the executive board of JEF Europe, discussed policy, strategy, and the management of JEF’s Europe finances.
Join us for this short overview regarding how the Federal Committee went and what it means for the future of our network.
Day One
The meeting took place in an historical high school in central Budapest, and kicked off to a high-energy start, with a speech by Christelle Savall, JEF Europe’s president. She noted that the location of the FC, JEF Europe’s first ever statutory event in Hungary, is symbolic – as Hungary is in the midst of a fight for its democracy and European character, which JEF tries to highlight in its annual Democracy Under Pressure (DUP) campaign. Orban’s government currently hold the EU council presidency and uses it to cosy up to dictators. Trump’s incoming US presidency and the dire state of global democracy also show that we need JEF. We need to be loud and bold. She also noted that importance of the meeting for JEF’s long-term path, as the 4-years strategy will also be discussed, following online thematic discussions.
Next up, Hanna Velner, JEF Hungary co-president, gave welcoming remarks. She explained how being part of JEF is meaningful but also a challenging work. It is a movement, JEF members are investing their time into organising events, drafting proposals and more. This investment is worth it because at a young age we take the power to make meaningful contributions to the future of Europe.
This was followed by Rosa Szalay, a high schooler from the hosting school and a EU youth ambassador who gave an overview regarding the history of the school and the diverse curriculum and extracurricular activities. The school’s choice to host us was natural as it is active in EU and international relations affairs and 38 highschoolers volunteered to help with the event.
The evening ended with a presentation of the code of conduct, the gender watch regarding speaking time, and the draft political resolutions which will be discussed over the course of the FC.
Day Two
Following the conclusion of formalities and a roll call, which showed that the vast majority of FC members (48) were present or represented by proxies in the meeting, the agenda was adopted.
The FC approved Closure of Eurhope task force following the successful completion of the campaign the passing of the European elections, and the establishing of a new task force focused on advocacy, aimed at supporting advocacy in a focused manner.
Co-optations of two new members to the FC were also approved by large majorities, Nea Maria Törmänen from JEF Finland, who was also elected as co-chair of PC2 (Internal European Affairs), and Paula Schuster from JEF Germany, who was also elected as co-chair the new advocacy task force (together with Nikos from the Executive Board).
The Executive Board of JEF Europe then took the floor and presented all the work and actions which took place in the last six months, that included, among many other points, a summary of the Eurhope campaign, the various events which took place in the context of the elections, lobbying for treaty change, and the reestablishment of the committee for the United States of Europe on Ventotene. Also mentioned were activities on Enlargement and campaigns within countries that are not yet members of the EU, working together with national youth councils, actions against democratic backsliding, campaigns in various countries with anti-democratic legislation.
As part of the network updates, it was mentioned (and celebrated) JEF Ukraine became a registered legal entity as well as the renewed focus within the JEF on sections and potential sections within countries not yet members of the EU. Further, there has been an ongoing work on the four years strategy, with various thematic online meetings, and an in person session during the FC, before drafting the full document. The new strategy will be adopted in the Sofia FC.
Covering social media and public activities including numerous press statements, Instagram posts, the development of a new visual identity. JEF also spearheaded a protest in Schengen against border checks and the development of the don’t touch my Schengen campaign.
Regarding the potential enlargement of the network, the overview noted that there are two Candidate section – JEF Georgia and JEF Ukraine, there are interest groups in Cyprus, Lithuania, Moldova, Noridca and Baltics, Moldova, and there are also potential interest groups in Armenia, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Belarus and Russia.
Later, the discussion focused on the state of JEF Europe’s finances. Notably, JEF Europe is awaiting results of multiple funding applications, which could render JEF funding more stable.
Brigita Krasniqi, the new Secretary General of JEF Europe led much of the discussion and also presented her new team members.
After the end of the reporting, a Q&A session with members of the FC took place, with various comments, questions and suggestions being raised.
Day Three
The day began with JEF Moldova presenting its candidacy to become candidate section. It has 10 members and became a registered entity, working on mobilizing younger people as part of increased participation of young Moldovans and also them getting closer to the EU. Their request was approved unanimously.
Further, a review of the monitoring processes regarding JEF Montenegro (2020), JEF Poland (2021), JEF Austria (2024) were reviewed. The goal is to help the monitored sections to improve their activities and reintegrate into the network. A video message was played from Anja, the new president of JEF Montenegro, which has readopted democratic structures and reorganized its board, leading to the end of the monitoring process.
The FC has also approved JEF Europe’s planned 2025 budget.
Following these matters, the FC discussed policy by debating, amending, and ultimately approving by large majorities, the following resolutions:
PC1 (Institutional Affairs and Governance) – “From the lead candidate system to renewed European democracy”, “The Structure of the Federal Parliament of Europe”, “Towards genuine completion of the Banking Union”.
PC2 (Internal European Affairs) – “Promoting youth labour mobility and tackling youth unemployment in Europe”, “For an ethical and efficient EU policy and international framework on Artificial Intelligence”, “For a United Digital Europe”.
PC3 (External Affairs and Global Governance) – “Establishing a European Security and Defence Union”, “Reimagining the partnership with the US”, “For a Common European Space Policy”.
A notable debate ensured on amendments to the PC1 resolution on the Structure of the Federal Parliament of Europe, the FC accepted two amendments by president Christelle Savall, aimed to align the resolution with the political platform. There was a discussion on the need or lack thereof for alignment between the platform and JEF Europe’s resolutions. Many have noted the need for updating the platform, which was adopted in 2017.
Internal resolutions and reapproval of lapsing resolutions also took place.
The FC has also voted for a symbolic endorsement of the “Budapest Declaration”, a new short policy document created in response to Donald Trump’s election and the urgent need for further European integration. Initiated by Gergely Kozar, JEF Belgium’s policy officer and TNF board member.
As in all three days, a gender watch statistics were delivered to the FC, which were relatively balanced and also saw significant representation of non-binary speakers. Lastly, the FC has ended with all participants singing together “Europe United”, the unofficial JEF Anthem, finishing off 3 days of discussions, activities, and lots of JEF spirit.
It should also be noted that the FC was accompanied by a diverse social program, with two visits to Budapest’s infamous “Ruin Bars”, where participants could socialize over beer while singing Karaoke and enjoying all Hungary’s nightlife has to offer. Like always, volunteers, delegates and observers mingled together, providing much needed human connection to our international network, which was definitely worth coming to Budapest.
Following the conclusion of the FC, the presidium of the FC, comprised this time of Robin Mudry, Gergana Blazheva and Moritz Schleicher, commented to TNF: “At this Autumn FC in Budapest, a major repositioning of JEF Europe’s Federal Committee took place. The Task Force European Elections officially ended its work and a new Task Force Advocacy was created in order to continue developing a strategy for coordinated and effective advocacy throughout JEF Europe and its sections. For the purpose of co-chairing this new Task Force, JEF Germany’s Paula Schuster was co-opted to the FC. With Nea-Maria Törmänen from JEF Finland, a second person joined the FC ranks by co-optation. Nea-Maria will continue Sorcha Ní Chonghaile’s work as co-chair of JEF Europe’s Second Political Commission on Internal European Affairs. In reaction to Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, the FC sent a strong appeal to Europe’s leaders by means of its Budapest Declaration.”
Follow the comments:
|
