The Union of European Federalists has thrown down a challenge to members  of the Convention when they meet on Friday morning to discuss subsidiarity. Anyone proposing a new institution or legislative procedure is challenged to answer the question: What  laws  have  been passed  that  violate  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  and  which  your proposed new institution or legislative procedure would have prevented?

Bruno Boissière, European Secretary-General of the UEF, said: “Simplicity is  a  virtue in the  European political  process.  The case for  more  complexity  or bureaucracy in Brussels has to be proven, not the opposite.”

Issue 5 of the Federalist Letter to the European Constitutional Convention, published by the UEF today, argues:

“Making a reality of the principle of subsidiarity is one of the most important tasks facing the Convention.  But that task cannot be undertaken in isolation.”

“A European federal constitution would set out the role of the European Union, the powers of its institutions, and the rights of its citizens.  A clear, simple statement is an essential step if the government of Europe is to be reconnected with the people of Europe.  Let us not forget: simplicity is a virtue.

Notes for editor

The Union of European Federalists (U.E.F.) is an independent, non-governmental, and supranational organisation dedicated to the promotion of a federal Europe.

The “Federalist Letter” is issued by the Union of European Federalists as part of the “Campaign for a European Federal Constitution.