Brussels, 17/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Congress of the Union of European Federalists (UEF) re-elected SDP member Jo Leinen MEP as its President for a third mandate, as well as a strongly rejuvenated Bureau. On that occasion, Jo Leinen (who, with Mendez de Vigo, is the EP's co-rapporteur on the Nice Treaty and post-Nice) said in particular that the Convention that will prepare the next IGC will have to "draw up a real draft Constitution" and "present a coherent text, not a compilation of options, and (which) must be adopted on the basis of majority voting".
The Congress adopted a resolution entitled "A new drive towards a European Federation in 2004" calling for: - a European constitutional process; - a European federal government responsible to the European Parliament; - the formation of a "vanguard of countries willing to create a European Federation, if some Member States do not agree to proceed towards those aims".
In a message, Nicole Fontaine, European Parliament President, expressed regret that the majority of the time European political union was advancing "under the pressure of external events, instead of by a strong will, such as the one which drives the federalists".