Tino Bedin è tra i firmatari dell'appello per l'Europa politica assieme ad altri senatori tra i quali Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Nicola Mancino, Tana De Zulueta, Patrizia Toia, Lamberto Dini.

Europe has come to a crossroads. We have built a monetary union, we now need a political union. We must be strong and united in order to be heard. Strength comes from unity, and the capacity to honour a universal longing for justice.
For the first time an assembly representing European citizens has been appointed to draft the future constitution of the European Union. The European Convention has reached a critical stage: its task is almost completed; it will soon present the first draft of a Constitution to national governments, which will proceed to translate it into fundamental law. The future of Europe depends on the quality of the draft produced by the Convention and on the decisions reached by Europe's governments during the coming Intergovernmental Conference.
They choice before us is clear and simple: either we choose a union of peoples and states able to operate efficiently at the European level, when (and only when) problems cannot be solved at the national level; a political union based on the sovereignty of the people, on a balance between legislative, executive and judicial powers; on political, economic, cultural and scientific freedom; on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, nationally and globally; on the right to full citizenship; on the right to peace; on the international protection of human rights.
The key, however, is to go beyond declarations of intent and build an effective system of institutions for tomorrow's Europe. The difference between a fragile intergovernmental union and a true European political union lies in the union's ability to make decisions and to actually implement them, while guaranteeing democracy in the legislative and governing process.
In order to ensure good governance and the quality of democracy, and to increase the external credibility of the Union, a series of measures must be adopted. In particular:
§ The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union should be included in the text of the Constitution;
§ A legislative Council, conceived as a Chamber where the States are represented, should be instituted;
§ All legislative acts should be approved by the European Parliament and Council;
§ The President of the Commission should be elected by the European Parliament and confirmed in his/her functions by the European Council;
§ The President of the European Council should be elected, while his/her mandate should be limited to directing and preparing Council meetings, without altering the institutional balance, taking into account the role of a future Foreign Minister. Moreover, a deadline should be set to eventually merge the functions of the President of the European Council with those of the President of the Commission;
§ A post of Foreign Minister - also Vice-President of the Commission - should be instituted, along with a diplomatic service for the implementation of the Union's foreign policy;
§ A qualified majority system should be adopted within the Council, on the basis of a "double majority" of States and population (whereby a weighted vote reflects the size of the States in proportion to population);
§ Majority voting should be the rule within the European Council;
§ Economic policy should be coordinated, by reinforcing the powers of coordination of the Commission;
§ The Council should adopt foreign policy decisions by majority, with adequate safeguard mechanisms;
§ In the area of defense member states should be allowed to adopt mechanisms of "reinforced cooperation" thus enabling those states who wish to to adopt the principle of reciprocal guarantee. European defense policy should be based on the principles of collective security as stated in the United Nations Charter;
§ The European Parliament should be granted oversight over Foreign and defense policy;
§ Both the European Parliament and the Council should have the power to vote on the budget and on fiscal policy at the European level;
§ There should be a single Representative for the Union within international financial institutions, and a single voice at the United Nations, particularly within the Security Council.
If all this is to be achieved, the Convention will have to exercise its full authority - which stems from the democratic legitimacy of its members.
To maintain the power of veto would simply mean to reject a genuine Union.
Nobody can force any member State of the Union to accept the future European Constitution. On the other hand, nobody should prevent the member States that approve the Constitution to proceed with its adoption. The new Constitution should thus come into force, for those who have approved it, when a set number of ratifications has been reached. For the others the door will naturally remain open, in the hope they will join later.
History's opportunities must be seized when they present themselves. Today the European Union is presented with a genuine opportunity after half a century of hard work: from here there should be no turning back.
We must not miss this historical opportunity to forge a significant political union.

4 june 2003