2026 - 06 - A Case for a Wider EFA

Gandia, EFA General Assembly, 6 June 2026 (Italian version here)

The autonomy the representatives of these valleys have stated, applies to all  territories.  

(Émile Chanoux, anti-fascist martyr from the Aosta Valley and coauthor of the  Chivasso Charter of 1943)  

The Europeanism we have known is over, because of states’ incoherence,  technocratic resistance to change, and increasing menaces from outside the  Continent. We are forced to make wise decisions about our European political  family and the vision of Europe we believe in. EFA needs to reclaim the profound  reasons of her existence, to gain political autonomy, and independent visibility with  its own distinctive themes and proposals. It is a recognized acquis we have been  since our foundation in 1981 the advocate for linguistic and cultural diversity. We  have become in time a stronghold against old and new forms of authoritarian  centralism, and this is our potential to develop. Without independence and visibility,  we will be, at best, useless allies of other parties that will use us for purposes  unrelated to our goals, while putting in peril the diversities we are here to defend.  These are the reasons why, after acknowledging the epochal changes we are  experiencing and the need to boost our political formation, we believe it is useful to  express some operational proposals.

1. Our vision of a European confederation of cities, territories, regions, and peoples, is an ambitious project and a great challenge. To contribute to this project, we must step out of our comfort zone and communicate more effectively to achieve public visibility tailored to territorial diversities we wish  to protect. The political campaign to oppose the centralization of European  agricultural funds has been an example of an innovative and effective  operational method.  

2. We have a well-prepared, creative and productive communications working group. The next step should be to localize its outputs. We should promote communication skills, tailored to the specificities of each European region, with a special attention to local media. The diverse, and perhaps sometimes even divergent, socio-cultural positions of our members do not prevent us from consulting them, and give them concrete answers. 

3. Finally, a recommendation: remaining static endangers our very existence. We must have the courage to engage with new realities that, albeit with different nuances, are fighting for their own territorial self-government, within a confederal Europe. We must then courageously include new components both from hundred of European regions, where EFA is still unknown, and also from within our own territories, where other civic movements, independent groups, and autonomists exist. Enlarging is risky, but necessary to contrast centralism, populism, and extremism. Our strength will lie in our ability to engage with those who, with varying degrees of understanding, share our vision of a confederal Europe of cities, territories, regions and peoples.

Gandia, EFA General Assembly, 6 June 2026

Carried by unanimity

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