July 1981

THE GREAT HOPE: EUROPEAN UNION

In July 1981, due to the initiative of Altiero Spinelli, the European Parliament decided to create a Commission for Institutional Affairs responsible for working out modifications to existing treaties with the aim of achieving complete political integration of the European Community: the European Union.

Marco Pannella, the leader of the Radicals, was elected Vice-President of the Commission

February 1984

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES

After a little less than three years' work, in February 1984 the European Parliament approved the project for the Treaty to institute European Union, proposed by the Commission for Institutional Affairs.

At the same moment, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved an initiative of the Radical members, a motion which adopted the project of the Treaty of European Union.

Thus the word passed to the governments of the member States of the European Community, united at the Council, within whose competence came every decision concerning the stipulation of new treaties.

March 1985

DEMONSTRATION IN BRUSSELS: THE COUNCIL DECIDES!

Radical demonstration in Brussels, on March 19th 1985, in front of the European Council, asking for a concrete decision with view to the construction of United Europe. Actually, a year after the EP's approval of the project, there had not been any discussion on the Dooge Committee report instituted at the Fountainebleau summit of June 1984 in order to prepare the modification-works of the treaties.

June 1985

THOUSANDS OF DEMONSTRATORS IN MILAN FOR EUROPEAN UNION

On the occasion of the European Summit on June 28 and 29, 1985 in Milan, a large-scale federalist demonstration was organised in the streets of the city to wind up in the Piazza del Duomo. Over a thousand Radicals took part, including the Euro MPs Pannella, Cicciomessere and Tortora. Respect was demanded for the decisions of the European Parliament concerning European Union.

The European Council decided, by 7 votes (France, Italy, Federal Germany, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Belgium), to 3 (United Kingdom, Denmark and Greece) to summon an intergovernmental conference to reinforce political integration and vouchsafe greater powers to the Community institutions.

September 1985

YUGOSLAVIA TO JOIN THE EEC

Demonstrations of Radical militants in various Yugoslavian cities and the distribution of pamphlets; Yugoslavia's entry to the Common Market was requested, as well as the abandonment of the "non-alignment" policy. The Radical Olivier Dupuis was arrested.

November 1985

The Radical Party Congress was held in Florence in November 1985, and engaged the Party "to ensure the greatest possible Federalist commitment in order to bring about the realisation of the new treaty for European Union as proposed by the Parliament, against the ditching of every project for the political union of the European Community as decreed by the national governments of member States, and against the wishes and hopes of their peoples, the interests and the urgent need of their countries and the reasons and aspirations of a new international equilibrium and order". Speaking at the Congress, Altiero Spinelli, President of the Commission for Institutional Affairs of the European Parliament, asked that the Radical Party should be established in the other European countries, to become a "missionary" to mobilise European public opinion on the objective of European Political Union.

December 1985

THE GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT. THE EUROPEAN SINGLE ACT

The intergovernmental Conference which met in Luxemburg in December 1985, approved the European Single Act. Only marginal revisions were made to the Treaties, totally abandoning the great hopes for institutional reforms capable of reorientating European Union as requested by the European Parliament. Only the decision to bring in the internal market by December 31, 1992 remained.

June 1986

THE HAGUE

DEMONSTRATIONS FOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL UNITY

Demonstrations of Radicals and Federalists in the Hague on the occasion of the Council of Europe, for European political unity. The Dutch police force prevented demonstrators from approaching the palace where the Heads of State and Government of the European Community were barricaded.

March 1987

EUROPE IS DEAD, LONG LIVE EUROPE

During the official demonstrations held in Rome on March 25, for the 30th anniversary of the signing of the EEC Treaties in the presence of the highest authority of the Community, the Radical Party's Euro MPs presented themselves at the official ceremony which took place at the Campidoglio, bearing a bier draped in the European flag. In this way they denounced the failure of federalist hopes and of the project for the political unification of Europe, which was veiled beneath the official ceremonies.

June 1987

ADVISORY REFERENDUM FOR THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE

Radical campaign in Belgium and in Italy for an advisory referendum for the United States of Europe. Demonstrations by Radicals and Federalists in Brussels, on the occasion of the European Summit, which as previously, did not foresee any discussion of the institutional reforms of the Community.

Radical Euro MPs Pannella and Ciccomessere and numerous militant Radicals staged a sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Council, blocking the cars of the Heads of government, including Mrs. Thatcher's, with bill boards and banners asking for citizens to be allowed to express themselves democratically by means of a referendum on the United States of Europe. They were roughly handled by the Belgian police and stopped.

August 1987

"RADICAL TROPHY IN EUROPE"

Radical demonstration and collection of signatures on a petition for the United States of Europe in Spain and France from August 8th till 26th, and in Greece from August 10th till 26th.

August 1987

PROPOSAL OF LAW TO ATTRIBUTE CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Italian Radical parliamentarians presented a proposal of law "for the announcement of an advisory referendum on the United States of Europe and on the attribution to the European Parliament elected in 1989, of a mandate for the provision of a project for a Treaty for the United States of Europe".

January 1988

THE RADICAL PARTY ASKS FOR THE CONVOCATION OF THE GENERAL EUROPEAN STATES

The Radical Party Congress, which met in January 1988 in Bologna, established that top priority be given to the commitment to initiatives likely to overcome the serious crises of Community institutions and the stalling of the Community's political integration process. The General Secretary Giovanni Negri proposed parliamentary initiatives for the convocation of the General States of Europe in June 1989, to elect a European President.

February 1988

APPROVAL OF THE ITALIAN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES: A PRESIDENT FOR EUROPE

On the initiative of the Italian Radical parliamentarians, a resolution was presented to the Italian Chamber of Deputies, asking for:

1) The attribution to the European Parliament which would be elected on universal suffrage in 1989, of constituent powers to update the treaty for Union

2) The election, in July 1989, of the Presidents of the Council and of the European Commission, by the European Parliament, and those elected to the Parliament by the twelve member countries, united in the General States of European Peoples.

The resolution, signed by over 260 members of Parliament from all except the Communist group, was unanimously approved by the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, with the abstention of one MSI (Neofascist) member and one Christian Democrat.

March 1988

PETITIONS FOR THE GENERAL STATES: 100.000 SIGNATURES

A hundred thousand signatures were collected by the Radical Party in Europe on a petition addressed to the institutions of the European Community and to the Parliaments and Governments of the member States, in which both the announcement of advisory referendums for the attribution of constituent powers to the European Parliament and the convocation of the General States of European Peoples were called for.

May 1988

SOLEMN DECLARATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADDRESSED TO THE HANNOVER SUMMIT

Initiatives of MPs enrolled in the Radical obtained the European Parliament's approval of a solemn declaration adopting the objectives of the resolution approved by the Italian Chamber on the convocation of the General States of European Peoples.

In another declaration, the European Parliament asked that advisory referendums should be held in the Community countries, to coincide with the 1989 elections, for the attribution, at the next Parliament, of constituent powers for the creation of European Union.

The European Parliament also approved a resolution with which it committed the European council, summoned in Hannover, to follow up its resolutions contained in the declarations approved by the absolute majority of its members.

June 1988

HANNOVER. OUTRAGE TO THE PARLIAMENT

The Heads of State and government, gathered in Hannover under a German President, did not even look at the proposal of the General Sates approved by the European Parliament. Radical Secretary, Sergio Stanzani, and the Radical MPs present in Hannover, denounced this absolute outrage to the Parliament by the European Council.

In a full page appeal published in "Le Monde" and the "Frankfurter Allgemeine", the Radical Party affirmed that the European Community's destiny and the very possibility of dealing with the economic and political consequences of the Great Internal Market planned for 1992, were closely linked to the capacity to overcome the "democratic deficit" of its institutions. In fact, the absence was denounced of any real government of the European Community which would be capable of overcoming national egotism and the resistance of state bureaucracies and a European Parliament to which effective legislative and executive powers might be attributed.

September 1988

RIGHT OF PASSIVE ELECTORATE FOR EEC CITIZENS IN ANY COMMUNITY COUNTRY

A New solemn Declaration was approved by the European Parliament on Radical initiative: the right to stand in the elections of the European Parliament for all citizens in any Community country. The declaration was signed by 303 out of 518 Euro MPs.