The New Federalist, webzine of the Young European Federalist

Taurillon: Could you present your ideas concerning a referendum for a citizens’ initiative?

Martin Bafoil: We, the association”Europe needs initiative“have already launched two pan-European citizens’ initiatives on its internet platform www.we-change-europe.eu, which is based on art. 11.4 Treaty of Lisbon. There, enthusiastic Europeans should be enabled to decide about the future of their Union via an initiative-framework.

Our first initiative (“we enlarge“) deals with the requirement of a pan-European referendum in the case of future EU-enlargements; i.e. it is not about a referendum for a citizens’ initiative, but first an initiative is launched and only if it achieves sufficient signatures, a referendum will be started consequently.

The procedure, enshrined in the Treaty of Lisbon, is the following: if the initiative collects sufficient signatures – i.e. one million, these are handed to the Commission, which will discuss the topic. This idea of a European citizens’ initiative is not a new one, but is already part of direct participatory democracy in many member states. It is new, that this instrument is also anchored in the European Union.

Unfortunately, the constitutional Treaty has to be regarded as failed; the Treaty of Lisbon’s fate seems uncertain too. Both treaties would have foreseen the “right on initiative”.

Taurillon: Should national referendums in the individual member states be abolished, in order to attain a real European democracy?

Martin Bafoil: If it is a referendum that is based on a common European interest we think, that these national referenda should be abolished in favour of a pan-European referendum. The French, Dutch and Irish examples have shown: an individual, small or big, can block the integration process at the occasion of every new treaty. European questions require European answers!

Knowing that the European project cannot be compared to any other, it is important to introduce more democratic elements on the European level, in order to contain the current democracy deficit.

Taurillon: What would you do, if the Treaty of Lisbon does not enter into force? Would you try to have European Parliament fbacking your ideas?

Martin Bafoil: Even when the Treaty of Lisbon did not enter into force, we would certainly continue our project. Even more: we would continue it in an even more committed way, in order to underline the urgency in diminishing the fissure or gap between the Europeans and the European project. We believe that the idea of citizens’ initiative deserves to be supported, as it depicts an opportunity to diminish the gap mentioned above.

Of course, we do need any kind of support from the European Parliament. As the European Parliament has the largest democratic legitimisation on the EU-level due to the direct election of its deputies, it would be our first contact point in case of a failure of the Lisbon Treaty.

Taurillon: What do you think of the Young European Federalists’ campaign, who deman, that the political parties present their candidates for the position of the President of the Commission at the next European elections and that their national member-parties present joint European-concerted programmes?

Martin Bafoil: We are in favour of that! The EU lacks faces. This suggestion aims at an increased transparency of the political system. The European Union is not visible enough for the citizens, as it lacks identifiable actors that would promote a real European dialogue.

If the European fractions had a common European programme, the citizens would be able to more easily orient themselves in the European jungle. The parties would be obliged to lead a trans-national campaign with a candidate and a programme, in which they would put topics of pan-European interest on the agenda. The candidates for the position of the future commission’s President would have to commit themselves to an electoral campaign and thus, the citizens would know which European ideals are represented by the individual candidate. This proposition would be a great progress for European democracy.