| Formation | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Type | Political Youth NGO |
| Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
| Location | |
Membership | 25,000 |
Official language | English |
President | Philippe Adriaenssens |
Key people | Pauline Gessant, Ingvil Nürnberg, Ruben Loodts, Till Burckhardt. |
Budget | EUR 250,000 |
Staff | 2 (at the European secretariat) |
| Website | jef.eu |
Les Jeunes Européens fédéralistes (JEF, English: "Young European Federalist") is a political youth organisation, registered as an International association without lucrative purpose (IVZW/AISBL) under Belgian law (the European Secretariat is based in Brussels). Active in 30 European Countries and with about 30.000 members[1], it seeks to promote European integration through the strengthening and democratisation of the European Union (EU), pursuing the aim of the European Federation. JEF has close ties to the European Movement and the Union of European Federalists and is a full member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ).
History
editJEF was founded on March, the 3rd 1950 by 15 representatives from different Countries of Europe. The first Congress of JEF was held in Strasbourg on November, the 17th and the 18th of that year.[2] Few days later, on November, the 24th, a huge street action involving more than 5000 young people demanding for the European Federation took place, with JEF active part of it.[3]
Several current and former influential members of the European Parliament (MEPs), including Richard Corbett and Jo Leinen (PES), Tom Spencer (Conservative) and Monica Frassoni (Greens), and its former Secretary General Sir Julian Priestley served as JEF officers in their teens and twenties. Former activists of JEF are organised in an association called "the Friends of JEF".
Ideology and aims
editJEF-Europe advocates the creation of a European Federation in order to keep peace among the European countries and strenghten the role of the EU in foreign politics, following the original idea of European Federalism expressed by Altiero Spinelli in the Ventotene Manifesto.[4]
Structure
editJEF is structured in widely autonomous national sections, which are coordinated by a European umbrella organisation, JEF-Europe. The headquarter of JEF-Europe is based in Brussels. The main organs are the Executive Bureau (EB) and the Federal Committee (FC), that are elected once every two years by the European Congress. The last Congress was held in Florence on the 1st and 2nd November 2009.[5]
The European Congress
editThe highest decision-making body of JEF is the European Congress, which meets every two years in a different city. The delegates are elected by the members of national sections or their representatives in proportion to the number of subscribers of each section.
The Congress elects the President and two Vice Presidents as well as 20 directly elected members of the Federal Committee.[6]
The Federal Committee
editThe Federal Committee (FC) meets twice a year and is composed by the President, the two Vice Presidents, the 20 members directly elected by the Congress, and a number of national representatives corresponding appointed by each of the national member sections. The Secretary General, the Treasurer, and additional co-opted members participate in the meeting without a voting right.
The Federal Committee is chaired by a presidium of three members and adopts the political and strategical guidelines and oversees the activity of the Executive Bureau. It elects four additional members of the Executive Bureau and ratifies the appointment of the Secretary General and the Treasurer.[6]
The Executive Bureau
editThe Executive Bureau (EB) is chaired by the President and includes the two Vice Presidents, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, and at least four elected Federal Committee members. It is responsible for the implementation of the external and internal policy resolutions adopted by the Congress and the Federal Committee and the management of the organisation. It meets at least four times every year.[6]
Since the 19th European Congress the Executive Bureau is made up of:
- President: Philippe Adriaenssens;
- Senior Vice President: Pauline Gessant;
- Junior Vice President: Ingvil Nürnberg;
- Secretary General: Ruben Loodts;
- Treasurer: Till Burckhardt;
- four elected members who coordinate JEF-Europe's projects and supervise the development of the various national JEF sections.
The Arbitration Board
editThe Arbitration Board (AB), composed by five members appointed by the Congress, is responsible for the resolution of statutory litigations between members.[6]
The Auditors Committee
editThe Auditors Committee, composed by three members appointed by the Congress, is responsible for auditing the annual accounts.[6]
National sections
editJEF national sections are present in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia/FYROM, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Short intro to JEF". jef.eu.
- ^ Daniela Preda, Le Jeunesses Fédéralistes Européennes (1948-1969).
- ^ L’azione della Gioventù Federalista, in «Europa Federata», 15/02/1951
- ^ "Home page". jef.eu.
- ^ "Successful XX European Congress in Florence". jef.eu.
- ^ a b c d e "Functioning". jef.eu.
- ^ "National sections". jef.eu.