We are going through a special moment in almost everything, but also in the process of European construction. The tensions that arose last week in relation to the appointment of Teresa Ribera as vice president of the Commission have different interpretations, but they all come together in the same place: What Europe do we want? It is time to remember where we come from to understand that what is at stake is not the election of a position in the Commission, nor is it another skirmish between the Popular Party and the government of Pedro Sánchez. What is at stake is where Europe is going to go in the coming years.
Altiero Spinelli was an Italian politician and intellectual who played a fundamental role in the European federalist movement. His firm belief in the need for a united Europe arose from his experiences during World War II and his disappointment with nation states. Spinelli, along with Ernesto Rossi, co-authored the “Manifesto for a Free and United Europe,” also known as the “Ventotene Manifesto,” in 1941. This document was written while the two men were confined to the island of Ventotene (near of Naples) for his opposition to Mussolini’s fascist regime. The “Manifesto” was a key text in the history of European federalism and laid the foundations for the post-war European integration movement. Spinelli, after founding the European University Institute in Florence in 1965, was elected deputy to the European Parliament in 1979, where he promoted the creation of the Draft Treaty of European Union. Although the so-called “Spinelli Plan” was not approved, it had a significant impact on the debate on European integration and contributed to promoting the process of European unification.
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