United in Solidarity! Let's celebrate Europe!
Dear JEF-sections,
Every year, 9 May is “Europe Day”! A very special day that JEF fully celebrates through many activities all over Europe. Last year's festivities were great but let's make Europe Day 2012 bigger!
This historic day has become a real European symbol which, along with the flag, the anthem, the motto and the single currency, identifies the political entity of the EU.
Therefore, Europe Day is the ideal occasion for JEF to carry out actions that bring Europe closer to its citizens and people closer together. This is a perfect way to come out on the streets and interact with a lot of people, getting the message across: “United in Diversity!”.
For more visibility of JEF actions all over Europe, we kindly invite you to:
- Register your activities in the form below, it will appear on the map!
- Use the common "United in Solidarity" slogan.
- Use this logo for your Facebook profile picture on 9 May.
- Use #9May on Twitter.
- Send your best pictures/videos to 9may(at)jef.eu.
- Check JEF Flickr account where all the pictures will be collected!
Political message for Europe Day 2012
Europe Day is not only a festive day. It is also a way for JEF to raise its voice for promoting a better Europe!
This year, a “political message for Europe Day” has been voted upon by the last Spring Federal Committee in Leuven:
Since the end of World War II, significant steps have been made towards the political unification of the Old Continent, originally sharing a common interest for internal security and economic recovery.
This process has evolved along the lines of further economic cooperation and integration. With the Treaty of Rome, we have reached the establishment of a free-tariff zone and a single economic market with the European Economic Community. This eventually led to a form of political integration along with deeper economic integration, with the creation of the European Union as set forth in the Maastricht Treaty.
European integration has proceeded in other paramount fields ever since: education, social security, defense, welfare, research and development. However, this process has failed yet to reach its most desirable acme and the current economic and social crisis is endangering the development and functioning, if not the mere existence, of the entire EU construction.
With this in mind, JEF-Europe feels the need to launch a pan-European initiative for the 9th of May in order to remind both the national governments and the citizens that the solution to the social and economic crisis lies in more and not less integration.
JEF-Europe demands therefore the establishment of a fully-fledged European Federation, with a European Government accountable in front of the European Parliament as a means not only to reach the complete political integration of the continent but also as a way of making the EU citizens aware of their being part of a single community who shares the same destiny.
In these times of profound distress and division amongst the EU citizens, JEF-Europe feels it is important to remember the words set forth in the Schuman Declaration of 9th of May 1950: “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”
JEF-Europe