Thousands of people found friendship, sometimes even love, through their JEF membership. All found a place in the JEF Family. Part of being a JEFer is meeting old friends and making new ones. Friends of JEF’s socials are the place to do precisely that.
That’s why the members of the Friends of JEF Board are ready to organise café meet-ups with former and current JEFers.
For Brussels – Chris
For London – Drenusha, supported by Chris #2
For Paris & Lille – Pauline
For Berlin – Simon
For Geneva & Italy – Till
For Switzerland – Sven
If you would like to join a meeting in one of these cities or organise similar meetings in other cities, please contact us and we will put you in contact.
JEF is enriched by the diversity of its members. Friends of JEF needs the same richness to support JEF and to form a proper alumni network. That’s why we need you to broaden the network and to reconnect with former JEFers from all generations.
We have prepared a flyer and a membership form you can send to your fellow JEFers to invite them to join Friends of JEF. We count on you.
2020 started with a new Commission and a new European Parliament and is already facing many challenges, among others: Brexit, difficult adoption of a new budget for the EU, debate about immigration, now the coronavirus, and coming soon the launching of a conference on the future of Europe. As always JEF will debate, lobby and act as a generation ahead.
Because you want to remain part of a historic network, because you want to stay in contact with your past fellow JEFers, because you want to share your experiences with the new generation, we invite you to renewyour membership for 2020 or to join Friends of JEF if you are not a member yet.
On 25-27 October, JEF held its 25th European Congress in Paris, gathering 210 JEFers from 21 countries.
The European Congress elected a new Executive Board for the mandate of 2019 – 2021, with Leonie MARTIN (NL/DE) being elected as President. Sebastiano PUTOTO (BE/IT) and Emma FARRUGIA (MT) have been elected as Vice-Presidents; Christopher POWERS (UK) has been elected as Treasurer. Diletta ALESE (IT), Hanna KIVIMÄKI (FI), Moritz SCHLEICHER (DE) and Andreas HØSTGAARD POULSEN (DK) were elected as Executive Board members.
The new JEF Executive Board
The JEFers attending the Congress also had the opportunity to meet and discuss with former JEFers: David Grace, JEF Secretary General 1978-1980 and JEF President 1981-1983, Kim Gammelgaard, JEF FC member 1989-1995, Paolo Vacca, JEF President 1999-2001, now UEF SG.
4 JEF Presidents
David and Kim
The JEF Congress also voted unanimously in favour of giving the candidate section “DME – Društvo Mladi Evropejci (JEF Slovenia)” the status of a full member section
The Congress adopted resolutions on current political challenges, including on: improving the Spitzenkandidaten system, completing the Banking Union, on a sustainable Europe, on right-wing extremism and anti-semitism, on European defence and the security union, and on the EU-US relationship.
The European Congress thanked the outgoing Executive Board for its successful and dedicated work from 2017 – 2019 and in particular the outgoing President Christopher GLÜCK who, after six years on the board of JEF Europe (as Vice- and for the majority as President), bid his farewell to his active time in JEF but Chris has just joined Friends of JEF and will embody the motto “once a JEFer, always a JEFer”.
The Union of European Federalists launched the last stage of their campaign for the 2019 European elections by releasing a Manifesto for the European elections (For a Federal Europe : Sovereign, Democratic, Social), a pledge for candidates to the European Parliament, and a pledge for citizens to express their support to federalist proposals.
UEF sections all over Europe are organising street actions, debates, stands to mobilize citizens to go and vote for a Federal Europe.
All documents are available on the UEF website where visibility will be given to candidates to the European Parliament who sign the federalist pledge and where citizens have the possibility to sign directly on line to support the campaign.
Help UEF to spread federalist ideas by contacting candidates and asking them to sign the pledge, by discussing with your family, colleagues, neighbours… on the basis of our citizens’ pledge, by spreading the ideas of our manifesto on social media
There has been a lot of news and activities across the Federalist network as we approach the May European Elections. In our latest newsletter you can find some news of recent activities in both JEF and UEF and some dates for your diary.
We hope your 2019 got off to a great start and wish you a wonderful year for you and all your relatives. May this year bring you happiness, health, love, friendship and success.
2019 is a crucial year for Europe: Brexit, European elections, adoption of the multi-annual financial framework and much more.
As every new year starts with good resolutions, we would like to invite you to take a federalist good resolution and join Friends of JEF or renew your membership for 2019, and donate if you can. Also please tell your friends and fellow Federalists about us.
Friends of JEF exists primarily to support the work of JEF Europe through financially supporting its activities and lending experience where possible. That’s why your donation is important.
Friends of JEF is also a network to connect JEFers of all ages. That’s why we plan to organise a meeting of Friends of JEF Members aside the next JEF Congress in Paris. Save the dates (25-27 October), we will come back soon with more information.
As we keep saying “once a JEFer, always a JEFer”, so we think you would be interested in knowing the last JEF news. You will discover in our latest newsletter some of the various actions led by our successors and also the utility of your donation!
And if you want to be back in the federalist family and be active in this election time, don’t hesitate to have a look on UEF actions and join UEF!
We are looking forward to seeing you this year and once again we wish you an exciting and successful federalist 2019.
Pauline Gessant
President, Friends of JEF
President of JEF Europe 2011-15
For many years the high travel costs to attend JEF Europe’s statutory meetings created a barrier for attendance for members of our Eastern European sections and individual members from disadvantaged economical backgrounds. Thanks to the support from Friends of JEF we could introduce a solidarity fund for which delegates and guests can apply and receive a contribution to their expenses, enabling their participation. About ten members made use of that opportunity which enabled the high number of 24 out 30 sections present at our last FC meeting in Stockholm and Turku.
