TEAM - The European Alliance of EU-Critical Movements

February 2010

Dear EU-critical organizations of TEAM

This is the first call for the TEAM AGM 2010, which will take place in Stockholm on May 7th-9th. Details will be forthcoming, but please reserve the weekend.

The year 2009 has been a dramatic one in the European Union, and after the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty there is more need for TEAM than ever.

The Yes to the Lisbon Treaty was a Pyrrhic victory for the EU elites. They gained the Lisbon Treaty but lost the hearts of the peoples because of the bullying that led to their victory.

With Lisbon the EU’s political centralization has reached new levels, making the struggle for democracy and true European cooperation more challenging than ever.

TEAM – our umbrella network of more than 40 EU-critical organizations in 18 countries – can challenge the new centralized EU. But only if the member organizations want to put it to use. And this is what the TEAM Board will aim to do. Four issues are high on the list of challenges to be met in the coming year:

1. Assistance to Iceland’s campaign to remain outside the EU
2. Assistance to Denmark’s campaign to keep the opt-outs from the euro, the EU military, the supranational EU justice policy and the EU citizenship.
3. Reaching out to groups that resist the adoption of the Euro in Eastern and central Europe.
4. Giving a close scrutiny to the ”citizens initiative” in the Lisbon Treaty. This institution is vaguely described as an opportunity for one million people from several countries to make a proposal to the EU Commission for a change of laws.

If your organization wants to assist TEAM in this work or has ideas for the TEAM’s Action Program 2010, please send us an e-mail to TEAM coordinator Luise Hemmer Pihl, (e-mail skrodhoj@mail.dk), or TEAM Secretary General (Blaž Babič, e-mail blaz.babic@amis.net).

Do not hesitate, we are looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,

TEAM Board members
Luise Hemmer Pihl, Lea Launokari, Eli van den Eynden, Patricia McKenna, Alain Bournazel, Stuart Coster and Urs Schürch