Feature photo: Bundeshaus Bern | © Pixabay
We European federalists continue to commit ourselves unequivocally to a common Europe, which already today as the European Union has a significant influence on all of our lives and may in future determine the lives of our children even more under the name "United States of Europe" or "European Federation". will.
As federalists, we do not see this confederation of states and also a future federal state of Europe as an overpowering central state governed from Brussels, but primarily as a necessary association of responsible citizens who can develop their own basic ideas and values together with the citizens of the peoples of Europe character live and want to respect.
In addition, we would like to have our European values as a unifying basis for all peoples of this world, because as European federalists we are citizens of the world who see human rights, democracy and federalism as the right way for all human coexistence. We are firmly convinced that in the long term this will bring peace, freedom and also prosperity for all people on this earth.
With currently 500 million citizens of the Union organized in mostly outdated structures and organizations that are currently in transition, we are currently experiencing more lows than highs in European cooperation and it gives the impression, not only in Europe, that we Europeans are again working more against each other than with each other . However, the pure facts speak for themselves - nobody can avoid a common Europe anymore; the nation state as a solution was and is a dead end for all European states. Now more than ever it is important to continue building and shaping our common Europe; detected errors must finally be fixed. Now it is also important to push our political Europe forward, and we must oppose any form of centralism - federalism is the only right solution! Because Europe is being built from the bottom up and responsibility is only passed on to the top when it makes sense for everyone involved. There must be no leveling down; we must continue to stick to our motto – “Europe united in diversity”! It is not only due to our own values that we always act in solidarity with one another, but consequently also help the weaker; this always in the hope of ultimately helping all of us.
Here in Heilbronn - at the basis of European coexistence - we committed Europeans have been promoting our common Europe for decades and have also been organizing the "Treffpunkt Europa" in the heart of our city for 23 years. We want to show all fellow citizens that on the one hand you can live, work and celebrate well together and on the other hand that differences can be used to enrich life. In Heilbronn, more than 130 nationalities live together - contrary to all prophecies of doom - quite properly and also for the benefit of all. This could soon be the case throughout Europe and in the future our European idea will hopefully simplify the coexistence of all people and peoples across countries and continents, and I hardly dare say it, bring "eternal peace".
"The question of motives in politics usually leads to embarrassment anyway, either because those involved have not thought about it, or because they do not want to reveal what moves them."
Ralf Dahrendorf, Plea for the European Union (1973: 33)
