Europe at a crossroad: time to complete the European political unity

Congreso de los Diputados, Sala Clara Campoamor, Carrera de San Jerónimo, 36, E-28071, Madrid

The Spinelli Group is promoting a cycle of debates in national capitals to discuss proposals on the main issues facing the European Union and emphasise the need to complete the European political project. After events in Brussels, Rome, Berlin and Warsaw, events are now planned in Madrid, Vienna, Budapest and Paris.

On 16 June 2017 the Spinelli Group will be visiting Madrid. On this occasion, the Spinelli Group will partner up with Elcano Royal Institute to invite Spanish political personalities to a public debate to discuss ideas on the transformations the EU will undergo in the coming years in order to meet current challenges and citizens’ expectations, and in particular the perspective of closer political integration. The meeting will offer the occasion to examine and debate concrete proposals for the future of Europe from the recent White Paper of the European Commission, major resolutions adopted by the European Parliament this year and the road-map for the recasting of the Eurozone put forward by the Spanish Government.

The debates will be in Spanish and English, with interpretation.

Register here

Programme

Opening (17:00)

Welcome greetings by (17:30)

EUGENIO NASARRE, Member of the Spanish Parliament, President of the Spanish Council of the European Movement

PABLO FAURA, President of the Unión de Europeístas y Federalistas Europeos

ALEJANDRO PEINADO GARCÍA, President of Jóvenes Europeos Federalistas (JEF) Spain 

Key-note speech (17:45)  Europe at a crossroad: Time to complete the European political unity

ÍÑIGO MÉNDEZ DE VIGO, Minister for Education, Culture and Sports, Spokesman of the Spanish Government

Economic growth, security, migration: which European solutions? (18:00 - 19:15)

Speakers:

JOAQUÍN ALMUNIA, Former Vice-President of the European Commission

LUIS GARICANO, Vice-President of ALDE Party, responsible for Economy and Jobs at Ciudadanos

ELMAR BROK, Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chair of the Spinelli Group and President of the Union of European Federalists (UEF)

BRANDO BENIFEI, Member of the European Parliament, Board of The Spinelli Group

ENRIQUE CALVET CHAMBÓN, Member of the European Parliament, member of the Federal Committee of the Union of European Federalists

PAULA SCHMID, International officer, JEF España

Debate moderated by

CARMEN ENRÍQUEZ, periodista y escritora, Televisión Española

Topics for discussion

• How to resume plans towards fiscal and economic integration to make the monetary union stronger, more competitive and bring European economy back to grow?
• How to develop European security capabilities to face growing cross-border terrorist threats
• How to face the migration challenge with European solutions?
• How to make Europe secure in today’s more instable world?

Europe's future as political project: towards a federal union? (19:15-20:30)

Speakers:

DANUTA HÜBNER, Chair of the European Parliament Constitutional Affairs Committee, Board of The Spinelli Group

JOSEP BORRELL, former President of the European Parliament

ANA BOTELLA GÓMEZ, Member of the Spanish Parliament, Socialist Parliamentary Group, member of the Committees on Economy, Home Affairs and Defense

FERNANDO MAURA, Member of the Spanish Parliament, Spokesperson of Ciudadanos Parliamentary Group for European and Foreign Affairs

FRANCISCO ALDECOA, Professor of International Relations, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

IGNACIO MOLINA, Senior Researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute and Professor of Politics and International Relations, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Debate moderated by

ANNA BOSCH, International Editor, Televisión Española

 Topics for discussion

• How to relaunch the European political project to consolidate the European Union following Brexit?
• How can diverging views among member states on the future direction of the European Union’s integration be reconciled?
• Reforms within the EU treaties or reform of the EU Treaties?

PDF Programme in English

Programa en PDF en español