The idea

Volt Europa is like a "Mini-EU" - with all its strengths and weaknesses. We have a unique organization but we're not using it to our advantage. In our Moonshot Programme, we propose a political European Government, yet we're using our European Board only as administrative umbrella. We want to give legal initative to the European Parliament, but we removed our own equivalent - a delegate assembly - from our Statutes. Worse, we start to limit the powers of the General Assembly - who for example used to be able to decide on political alliances through the delegation of the Country Council after the EP2019 and EP2024 elections and now only can give a nonbindung opinion (we voted for this in the last Statutes reform in Frankfurt). Finally, we have the Country Council, which could be our second chamber and a better version of the European Council, but we also stripped it from its competences.

We are far away from being the best practice for a functioning European democracy. Yes, we want a EUtopia as defined in our Shein29 strategy, but can we really expect that shouting "Abolish the Council" will convince any head of state sitting in that Council to do so? It's very difficult to build leverage on this basis.

I propose a different approach and would like us to make our internal organization a better version of the European Union of today. Why? Because if our Country Council would be an improved version of the EU Council for example, we can ask heads of state to copy us, every time they call for a stronger Europe. And we can pitch to the public that we've figured out Europe and if our current governments do not open treaties to go in this direction, vote us in and we will do it.

This way, we begin using our organization as leverage to push for change.

What does it mean concretely?

Compared to the Frankfurt General Assembly, for which the Statutes and Internal Regulations were rewritten by the Board and EUR legal team, I would prefer a more co-constructive process, and give the equivalent of "legal initiative" to members, which means a the DreamCom Community moderating a Consillium supported by the EUR legal team in which chapter representatives could develop a first draft for adopting our Statutes and Internal Regulations to make Volt's structure resemble the European Union we want.

The Country Council and EUR Board would then adopt this initial version - similar to a Trilogue between the European Institutions. The final version would be put up to a vote in the General Assembly.

Timeline

Ideally, this project launches after the Bratislava General Assembly with a first Milestone being the vote on the updated version of Statutes and Internal Regulation during the 2027 General Assembly.

After this, we would begin communicating about Volt Europa being the better and more democratic EU and that it's time to either reform treaties or vote Volt into National Parliaments and responsibility, so we can do so.

How do you measure success?

Internally, we will have achieved a lot, if:

  1. the role of Country Council evolved into a second chamber that improves where the actual European Council today fails,
  2. a delegate assembly was installed for representation based on actual membership and legitimate decision making,
  3. the European Board is capable to communicate swiftly and coordinated with all chapters through established processes.

And externally, by:

  1. the number of publications in medias across Europe discussing our organizational model as a blueprint for the European Union,
  2. (Panini Goal) the number of heads of state met to discuss how Volt Europa could be an example for a reform of the EU Council.
  3. (Stretch Goal) a meeting with the Commission (President) to present Volt's way of a working European democracy.