Brussels, 12/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - Mercedes Bresson MEP (PES, Italy) was elected president of the European Union of Federalists (EUF) during a special congress of the organisation on 9-10 April in Brussels. She takes over from German Social Democrat Jo Leinen who was elected to the head of the EUF in 1997 in Vienna during the congress launching the federalist campaign for the European Constitution and who now wants to focus entirely on his role as president of the EP's Constitutional Committee and campaigns for referendums on ratification of the European Constitution. Mercedes Bresson was elected on the Unit nell'Ulivo list and will become president of the Piedmont region following the regional elections of 3-4 April in Italy. She confirmed in a press release that she wanted to fully commit herself to the campaign for the European Constitution and as president of the border region of Piedmont. She announced that the EUF would hold a European Citizens Convention at the beginning of December in Genoa, together with other organisations from civil society and political parties to prepare a platform of the future stages for European political union.