Year XXXVII, Number 2, July 2024

Michele Fiorillo and Nicola Vallinoto
Michele Fiorillo is Co-founder of the campaign We Europeans. He has conceived the idea of a UN World Citizens Initiative.
Former member of WFM Council and UEF-Italy Central Committee.
Nicola Vallinoto is Congress Vice-Chair of the World Federalist Movement. Editor of the International Democracy Newsletter

World Parliament Right Now’, ‘System Change, Not Climate Change’, ‘European Federation Right Now’ – these words resounded through the streets of Ventotene on 7 September 2023, in a procession that started with banners and flags from the federalist seminar at the Terracini auditorium and ended with a flash mob in Piazza Castello in front of the island's town hall.This public mobilization united federalist demands with those of climate justice brought forward by the young ecological activists of Fridays for Future, who were present with the banner “Siamo agli sgoccioli” (‘We are running out of time’). The common claim emphasised the need for common institutions and stronger European and global governance in the face of global emergencies.

The spokesperson of Fridays for Future Italy, Alessandro Marconi, had also taken part the day before in the preparatory public debate for the parade held in the outdoor spaces of the Bar Verde – formerly the "Rosselli canteen" of the “Giustizia e Libertà” group- in Ventotene’s piazza Castello. The debate, entitled 'European Constituent/Earth Constitution: between climate crisis, global challenges and a new transnational democracy', was co-organised by the Citizens Take Over Europe (CTOE) coalition – composed of more than 70 NGOs in collaboration with Natura Comune, Fridays for Future, MFE/UEF Italy, World Federalist Movement, GFE/JEF Italy, European Movement and Constitutional Circus. Along with Alessandro Marconi (FFF) the meeting featured among the speakers Paul Blokker (University of Bologna/CTOE), Virgilio Dastoli (President of the European Movement), Fernando Iglesias (President of the World Federalist Movement), Luisa Trumellini (MFE National Secretary), Antonio Argenziano (President JEF Europe) and, remotely, Susanna Cafaro (University of Salento) and Luigi Ferrajoli (University of Roma Tre), with an introduction by Michele Fiorillo (Scuola Normale Superiore/CTOE), promoter of the debate and, together with Nicola Vallinoto (WFM Executive Committee) and Gianluca Bonato (GFE/JEF Italy President) organizer of the demonstration and flash mob in front of the Ventotene Municipality.

Some of the themes that emerged from the round table, as well as the intent to continue the collaboration with Fridays for Future, were also taken up in the motion on world federalism for the MFE Congress in Pisa (27-29 October 2023), drafted by the WFM Congress Delegates (Cuozzo, Fiorillo, Levi, Montani, Moro, Vallinoto) and approved by a large majority. Here are some lines from the motion: “Going forward, further campaigns and initiatives related to the current situation should be promoted, such as: the continuation of joint action with Fridays For Future and environmental movements, promoted in Ventotene with a march and meeting during the Federalist Seminar (September 2023); the search for a common position for a Global Green Deal between UEF and WFM; the Earth Constitution to manage global public goods; a transnational deliberative democracy”.To strengthen the common mobilizations with Fridays for Future and other transnational climate movements, as Extinction Rebellion, here is now our proposal for the next steps for the World Federalist Movement: let’s start as soon as possible a new Transnational Working Group on Climate Crisis and Global Green New Deal. Such a space will serve as a free platform of exchange of ideas, production of policies, a pedagogic moment on federalism theory for the young movements and an accelerator of joint activities at the world scale, towards a more democratic global governance.