ACED - Action Committee for European Democracy
The Action Committee for European Democracy is a private and independent initiative by European citizens aiming at overcoming the present stalemate in the EU after the two no-votes on the Constitutional Treaty.
Some of its members have been or are holding high offices. The group’s members wish to contribute to the emergence of a consensus on more efficient and legitimate institutional arrangements, which are necessary for Europe in the 21st century.
ACED mission 2007
The rejection of the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union by French and Dutch referenda in 2005 has put a hold on the gradual improvement of the governance of the European Union. Other events, like the foreign policy disagreement over Iraq or the difficulties of agreeing a financial framework for the EU budget and the slow progress on the Lisbon agenda have revealed the serious risk of Europe’s political paralysis and shown for some time the need for efficient institutions. Economically, Europe also has lost momentum. Despite the creation of the euro, which is protecting the single market from currency disorder, economic growth remains low, and reforms to make the EU “the most competitive economy in the world” are slow or not at all forthcoming. Over the medium term, stagnation may turn into disintegration, undoing the achievements of half a century of European integration.
The unification of Europe, one of the most exciting projects of our lifetime, has been completed by the accession of member states previously living under Soviet domination. But today, the European Union is politically divided and economically weak. Without proper means of governing a Union of 25 member states or more and nearly half a billion people, the European Union will not be able to meet citizens’ expectations in old or new member states; it will not be able to reignite its economic engines; it will not be able to speak with one voice and act with one will; it will be marginalized as a global player. Clearly, the EU of 25 is no longer capable of serving its mission effectively. After the failure of the Constitutional Treaty, a period of reflection was welcomed. However, little new thinking has taken place since then. A new initiative to relaunch the European project is needed.
The members of the Action Committee for European Democracy shall not let Europe slip away. They will not put up with the slow and apparently inevitable gridlock of Europe’s governance. They will not allow narrow nationalism destroy the European dream. They wish to contribute to the debate on Europe's political future, fostering a new consensus on how Europe can master its future.
Giuliano Amato
Stefan Collignon
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Page last updated on 18 August 2017