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PRESENTATION
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and Russia are both part of Europe, and any confrontation between them
could destabilize the entire continent. Therefore, a negotiated political
solution that takes the strategic interests of all parties involved must be
found. Wars between major states have always been sparked by stand-offs
involving “intermediaries”, which is to say, smaller states with strong allies.
Chapter IX provides a thorough analysis of the origins and evolution of the
current crisis in the region and possible paths to a negotiated resolution.
Last, but no less importantly, this report addresses the question of po-
litical union and examines the recent high and low watermarks of the
Union’s democratic legitimacy from two key perspectives: the new con-
figuration of community institutions, namely the European Parliament and
the European Commission and the current status of ongoing Europeanist
aspirations to forge a federal Europe and Treaty reform.
The futures of the Union and every one of its citizens rest upon how
successfully these challenges are approached and dealt with. As European
citizens, we must never forget that road towards a fairer and more demo-
cratic society lies squarely within Europe and the framework of Union.
Public passivity cannot be allowed to become a stumbling block; citizen
participation is the key to all further progress On a final note, in the name
of our respective organisations, we would like to thank the authors who
contributed to this report for their fine work and dedication. Thanks is also
due to the director, coordinator and advisory committee of Fundación Al-
ternativas (CAE-FA) for their invaluable advice and guidance and the Span-
ish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC), which has sup-
ported the preparation of this report via its “Hablamos de Europa” (Let’s
Talk About Europe) initiative.
Nicolás Sartorius
Michael Ehrke
Vice President
Director
Fundación Alternativas
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung