Leaders of Europe, the ball is in your court

The Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe) highlight the vital importance of the European Council meeting starting tomorrow that will determine the future course of European integration.

"Europe's leaders have two options," explained Jon Worth, President of JEF-Europe.

"Either they allow the cancer of euroscepticism to continue to rise in Europe's midst, putting in peril 50 years of peace and prosperity, or they make a positive effort to make Europe more democratic, effective and responsive to the needs of its people."

"As a start, the text of the European Constitution must be agreed without changes in this European Council meeting. Europe deserves no more wrangling behind closed doors."

"Instead it urgently needs one comprehensive document that clearly lays out the functioning of the institutions and the objectives of European policies."

JEF-Europe advocates the creation of a truly federal system for the European Union, with the European Commission becoming a government held accountable to the European Parliament.

"Those leaders who say that the processes of European integration should stop here and is already democratic enough are deeply misguided," continued Jon Worth.

"Turning the clock back to a Europe of states, or basing Europe just on economic matters, are both unacceptable options."

"A political and democratic Europe is the solution to the disillusion that the European citizens have expressed. The ball is in the leaders' court to deliver this!"