Dear friends,
This is the end of a geopolitically tumultuous year. A year that has seen a succession of wars in Ukraine, Israel, the Caucasus… and a resurgence of violence, including citizen violence (in France, the Czech Republic…). It’s a year that we kicked off by wondering whether inflation, the energy crisis, border wars… were not unfortunately signalling the end of Europe (see our meeting in Menton last March: The end of Europe? Inflation, energy crisis, border war…).
We can only hope that 2024 will see European citizens take back control of their future. They will still have their say in national elections, but above all in European ones. At this level, unfortunately, we can only observe the failure of the democratisation process, the European democratisation that has been the great struggle of Franck’s life.
The European institutions, including the European Parliament, seem to think that citizens cannot be trusted – that they are only European when it suits them – that they are dangerous, ignorant and incompetent, and that they alone can define and decide the future of our community. This was already the case in 1998 when we defined Vision Europe 2020. This way the institutions are fuelling resentment, rejection and inward-looking attitudes throughout Europe, but not only.
If we do not want to lose our place in the world alongside the other players, we must abandon our instincts to conquer and accept the new multipolar paradigm, accept that those who were still emerging countries last century are now players in their own right, We must also accept the end of the world as we drew it on our maps at the end of the two world wars of the last century (and therefore revisit the treaties and borders), and if there is to be a retreat, refocus on what is at the heart of the European system by giving citizens the tools of democratisation they need to take back control of their future.
This is the work we have been pursuing with LEAP2040, Anticipolis and of course the GEAB (our main source of income), which we invite you to read absolutely every month (Subscribe! We’ll give you a special AAFB price! Contact Geta: getagramamoldovan@leap2040.eu).
In February 2024, Marie-Hélène and I were invited by the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe to a video interview to initiate what we call the “living memories” that will complement the archives already held by the Foundation.
We will also take the opportunity to organise a meeting with UNIL, the University of Lausanne, whose rector opened Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the FJME archives by talking about the importance that the Erasmus programme had for him. A meeting with AEGEE-Europe is also on the agenda. And then, of course, we will be moving forward throughout the year, focusing on the European elections in June 2024.
2024 is going to be another challenging year. The heroes may be tired, but we still need them, especially to pass on the torch. The journalist who is due to interview us was more than enthusiastic about our first contact. At least on this point we’ll be able to pay tribute to Franck as we should, and that will be the AAFB’s mission once again.
We hope you enjoy your families this Christmas, stay in good health and make the transition to 2024 a success!
Best wishes,
Marianne Ranke-Cormier
President AAFB
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Postscriptum: A little personal inclusion. I would like to inform you that I have joined the only trans-European party in the running for these elections, Volt Europa, which, with a common programme, is campaigning and standing in around ten European countries for the 2024 European elections. In particular, I’m helping to organise the campaign in France (as a candidate alongside our heads of list Sven Frank (German) and Rayna Stamboliyska (Franco-Bulgarian), as well as being a non-executive member of the France chapter office responsible for the campaign). Of course, it’s not perfect and it defends a federal Europe (it takes a lot of thought to understand what they mean by that), but the most important thing is to be able to bring tools of democratisation to citizens and to have a real European election by changing the electoral process.
As soon as in France we no longer have the million-euro barrier of printing ballot papers and professions of faith, and when in Europe we can present real trans-European lists without going through the national level, I believe that one of my battles will have been won.
But that’s not going to happen any time soon, because after being gently sidelined for the last five years by the all-powerful European powers, we’re going to see a nationalist and sovereignist retreat with the next European legislature. Make no mistake, the most extreme (right/left) are not necessarily the most sovereignist (see Franck’s letter: How the European Union could end up in the hands of the post modern great grand sons of Hitler, Franco, Mussolini and Pétain (1998)). No head of state or government today defends the Community cause. All the innovative proposals (notably the ones in Macron’s programme) have been nipped in the bud, and it is the very socialist Scholz who is leading the nationalist campaign.
So if you want to help us win at least this bet, that of a trans-European citizens’ political Europe, support VOLT. We need your help and we need you to hang eurostars on our Christmas tree! -> Support VOLT
