ABSTRACT: Marco Pannella proposes a referendum in June to decide on the future of the European Community. Two questions: a summit on the creation of the European Union, and the proposed Treaty worked out by the Parliament of Strasbourg. Furthermore the Radical leader will ask the voters to elect a constituent European assembly in 1989. If the Old Continent does not truly become united, says Pannella, "the European peoples will be condemned to an ever faster downgrading of their future and of the importance of their countries and civilisations in the modern world". The popular vote ought to reverse the policies of the governments and "the bureaucracies that dominate the national administrations" and that brought about the "liquidation" of the proposed treaty at the hands of the European summit and the EEC's Council of Ministers.

(REPORTER, February 13, 1986)

The refusal of many governments and bureaucracies that dominate the national administrations of European countries to establish precise political deadlines for the establishment of the United States of Europe or the European Union condemns the European peoples to an ever faster downgrading of their future and the importance of their countries and their civilisations in the modern world.

There must be an immediate reaction - if it is not already too late - to this tendency which has been strengthened again by the liquidation of the Treaty for European Union at the hands of the European Summit and the EEC's Council of Ministers with the so-called Luxembourg Single Act.

It must be done with a sufficient commitment of historical importance and definitive political clarification to distinguish among those who call themselves Europeans only to remain the better in their national and nationalistic ghettos, and those who are true Europeans and federalists now and not when it will be too late.

Therefore I intend to propose a popular referendum in Italy called by the government, possibly on the request of the Parliament, not in order to deliberate on international treaties or pacts, which is prohibited by the Constitution, but to determine the will of the Italian people on two questions:

1) Are you in favour of the creation of a United States of Europe according to the proposed treaty worked out by the European Parliament?

2) Are you in favour of entrusting the European Parliament with formal constituent powers on the occasion of and coinciding with the next European elections in 1989?

Such a referendum could be called by June of this year and would in this way allow the governments and the Parliament to better and more decisively adopt a political and diplomatic initiative to propose and get affirmed the goal of the European Union, thus escaping from the present Communitarian swamp.