Brussels, 8 May 1991

Dear colleague,

A new event has occurred in the process of the construction of Europe: the Italian Chamber of Deputies has formally warned its government stating it would not accept to ratify the conclusions of the intergovernmental Conferences on the political, economic and monetary Union of Europe unless they are previously passed by the European Parliament. The Belgian Parliament has, for its part, been submitted a similar draft resolution.

We the undersigned, deputies elected in different lists at the European Parliament and members of the transnational and transpartisan Radical Party, invite you to take a similar initiative in the Assembly you are part of.

The model illustrated by the Ministers gathered at the Intergovernmental Conferences as far as foreign and security policy is concerned is based on the supremacy of intergovernmental cooperation, and leaves the democratic deficit of the European Community practically intact, considering that the decisions would continue to be taken in the secrecy of the meetings by the governments; the European Parliament - as the national Parliaments - would continue to play a subordinate and fundamentally consultive role, if not cut out altogether from Europe's new decisional centres.

Such measures, as appropriately underlined by the European Parliament's Federalist Intergroup, would somehow consolidate the existence of three separate "Communities", each with its competences and its "ad hoc" procedures; an "economic" Community for the achievement of the great inner market, an economic and monetary Union, an intergovernmental cooperation enhanced in terms of foreign and security policies. Such evolution would mean an involution in the process of European integration, and would not be compatible with the project of the Founding Fathers of the European Community to create a true federal-type of European Union, without any guaranties for the solution of the major problems of effectiveness and transparency of the Community institutions, and without being adequate to the growing responsibilities of the European Community on the international scene.

We the undersigned, confident that only the federal Union of Europe, based on democratic institutions, can be capable of tackling the challenges of our time, address ourselves to you, dear colleague, to inform you of the initiatives of the Italian and Belgian parliaments, under the form of a proposal, and so that other, similar initiatives may arise in defence of the role of our respective parliaments, of the European Parliament and of its function as "guarantor" of the democratic legitimacy of the new treaties, of the democratic nature of Europe's new institutions.

As members of the radical Party, whose deputies elected in Italy have drafted the text passed by the Chamber, concerned about operating so that the maximum of information can circulate among us on such vital topics and can induce several colleagues, overcoming national borders or party divisions, to work together for this unifying purpose, we forward these texts to you as well as an excerpt of the European Parliament's latest resolution on the subject, so that you may judge the possibility of undertaking a similar attempt in your Assembly, and if possible prompt an initiative in this direction.

Hoping to have given you useful information and that you will take the time to read the enclosed texts,

Yours faithfully,

Adelaide AGLIETTA, member of the European Parliament

Virginio BETTINI, member of the European Parliament

Marco PANNELLA, member of the European Parliament

Marco TARADASH, member of the European Parliament

P.S. We are at your disposal for any additional information both concerning this initiative and on the nature of the Radical Party's activity; please refer to our address in Brussels.