10 Elections. A history of the European Parliament at the ballot box (1979-2024) June 2024 | Page 21

foreign policy and defence to economic policy and the budget – the elections should also be a test of the will to complete the process of building political unity and to give Parliament the powers that would allow it to effectively represent citizens and their political will , as laid down in the Treaties 3 .
In this regard , as already mentioned , during the legislative term ending in June 2024 , Parliament took up the baton of Altiero Spinelli when it drew up proposals and provided tools to reform the Treaties and to make concrete progress on the road to political union 4 . The decision to convene a Convention for the revision of the Treaties is now in the hands of the governments . They are trying to put the brakes on it , in an information vacuum and in an absence of public political debate , both of which are detrimental to the value of the parliamentary institution and undermine the importance of Parliament ’ s request to trigger the Treaty reform on which the future of our continent literally depends .
That is why we would like to conclude this preface to the Ten Elections volume with the wish that the 10th European elections may become a moment of European debate on the future of the European Union and on the achievements of the outgoing Parliament in this regard , so that we can embark on a new period of European unification that will provide a blueprint for supranational federal democracy throughout the world and constitute a model and a beacon on hope for the future of Europe and the world .
Finally , we would like to thank all the authors and the editor who conceived this book , under the direction of the European Observatory on Memories ( EUROM ) and the Jean Monnet House , with which the Federalist Movement and the Spinelli Institute will be honoured to continue collaborating on common European projects .
3 . Article 10 of the Treaty on European Union .
4 . European Parliament resolution of 22 November 2023 on proposals of the European Parliament for the amendment of the Treaties .
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