YES! to the European Constitution!
The European Constitution was adopted by the heads of the states on 19th of June 2004. This Constitution is a major milestone in the European integration, but also a challenge for European project. Ratification of the Constitution in all the 25 member states must succeed!
The YES Platform agreed on the YES Declaration and is actively campaigning in favour of the European Constitution. The coalition of different actors from civil society gives the YES Campaign credibility and legitimacy. In addition, it generates the momentum for a transnational series of events where citizens can get in touch with the European Constitution and learn about its importance.
 We are now faced with a challenge to get the popular support of the European citizens for the European project, a challenge that the pro European organisations have a duty and privilege to take up.In the forefront there is of course, JEF, that is with International European Movement and its component organisations playing an important role to promote the ratification process!
 Under this framework, JEF is encouraging all its sections to start actively campaigning for a YES vote if they are located in a country where a referendum is planned to be held, and to mobilise themselves to help their federalist colleagues abroad if their ratification has been already successful!
A group of convinced pro-Constitution Greeks has started the ball rolling and have travelled by bus on the European roads for a week from Athens to Barcelona to distribute special "Vota!" yoghurts to the Catalans on the eve of the Spanish referendum ...
 Next came the Campaigning in Germany from the 25-27th February where together with the national partners in Germany and with the assistance of volunteers from across Europe the YES Campaign provided citizens of Berlin with information about the Constitution through a large street manifestation and a weekend-long seminar on the Constitution.
The weekend of the 13th to the 15th of May saw the JEF campaign move on to Strasbourg and Paris to engage the French to vote on the 29th with a sound OUI!
The local groups of JEF in Strasbourg and Paris were joined by several activists from around Europe (Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland and the UK) in a public action on Place Kleber in Strasbourg on the 13th and on Place de la Bastille in Paris on the 14th. The YES Balloon was placed visibly on both squares, and in Strasbourg the action consisted of a big painting of "JE VOTE OUI" and "OUI" on the ground - a symbolic gesture which was visible for the whole day and was also an incentive for people to stop and talk to us.
In Paris, several groups of activists were mobilised and sent to different parts of Paris to distribute leaflets and the innovative "OUI seeds" and "OUI flowers". The event reached its peak on Place de la Bastille with the big YES balloon and more than 100 activists screaming "OUI a l'Europe" while letting the OUI message fly to the sky attached to several hundred balloons! After dinner, the campaigners split in groups and engaged in night campaigning around Paris! The OUI became soon visible on the most prominent places in Paris!
Exactly a week before the French referendum, our new target were the stations and airports in various European countries with trains and flights going to France and the Netherlands. Leaflets were distributed in both French and Dutch and the target group was the people traveling to and from these countries. More information and pictures can be found in the YES! Campaign website.
 On the 2nd of July the platform JONK organised a large public gathering in Luxembourg open to all those willing to discuss the Constitution.
The action took place on one of the most visible spots in Luxembourg and included music, dance and a lot of space for debating the Constitution and its implications for the future of Luxembourg and for the future of the European Union.
Everyone interested also got the chance to write his/her message for the European Union or his/her vision for its future in a book that will be passed on to the political leaders of Luxembourg. In this way the politicians will get a direct message from the citizens!
On Thursday 7 July, a group of Federalists mostly coming from the Italian JEF sections of Bergamo, Ferrara, Florence, Gallarate, Parma, Turin, Verbania and Verona met in Luxembourg to participate in a demonstration organized by UEF in collaboration with the Federalist Intergroup of the European Parliament. They were joined by young people intent on achieving a positive result in the Luxembourg referendum coming from the Grand Duchy itself and surrounding regions.
Joining the demonstration were also seven of Luxembourg's Members of Parliament and four Members of the European Parliament, among which the Vice-President of the European Parliament Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann.
 The aim behind this action was to inform the Luxembourg public on the improvements brought about by the European Constitution in terms of increased transparency and democracy in the European Union institutions as compared to the Treaties in effect at this point in time. The event was followed with great interest by the media and all four of Luxembourg’s newspapers gave ample coverage to this federalist initiative!
This action was coordinated by UEF Secretary General Bruno Boissiere.
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