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| More Europe | |
|---|---|
| Name | More Europe |
| Native name | Più Europa |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Emma Bonino; Marco Pannella; Benedetto Della Vedova |
| Headquarters | Rome |
| Political position | Centre to centre‑right; liberalism; pro‑Europeanism |
More Europe
More Europe is an Italian liberal, pro‑European political association and party formed in 2016 around a transnational, pro‑integration platform. It emerged from a coalition of activists, politicians, and civil society figures seeking to influence national and European politics through advocacy for European Union institutions, civil liberties, and market‑oriented reforms. The grouping attracted figures from classical liberal, social liberal, and federalist traditions, aligning with broader movements in the European Parliament and international organizations.
The movement traces roots to campaigns and organizations associated with Emma Bonino, Radical Party, and Italian Radicals activists who participated in referendums and electoral experiments such as 2013 Italian general election coalitions and the 2014 European Parliament election in Italy. Founding moments included alliances formed ahead of the 2016 Italian constitutional referendum and negotiations with centrist formations like Civic Choice (Italy), debates involving Forza Italia dissidents, and discussions with representatives from European Commission circles. Early institutionalization drew on networks connected to the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party legacy and interactions with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party as leaders sought affiliation at the European Parliament. Prominent leaders with histories in Radicali Italiani and ties to campaigns at Palazzo Madama and regional assemblies consolidated membership and launched electoral lists for the 2018 Italian general election. Subsequent cycles saw engagements with figures linked to Italia Viva and negotiations around coalition formations in governments influenced by votes in the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy and national ballots.
The association espouses a liberal, pro‑European ideology drawing on traditions associated with European federalism, classical liberalism, and social liberalism. Core tenets include deepening integration within the European Union, strengthening rights protected under instruments like the European Convention on Human Rights, and advocating market‑oriented reforms resonant with policy frameworks promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development and reformist wings of the European Commission. The platform emphasizes civil liberties championed historically by figures linked to the Radical Party and policy areas referenced in programmatic documents circulated in the wake of debates over the Lisbon Treaty and the Maastricht Treaty legacies. It also places priority on issues addressed by supranational institutions such as European Central Bank policies, Schengen Agreement freedoms, and transnational cooperation in justice matters linked to the European Court of Justice.
Leadership involved prominent activists and politicians with prior roles in institutions such as the European Parliament, national assemblies like the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), and senatorial offices at Senate of the Republic (Italy). Founders and leading personalities included figures who had served in ministerial posts and in international advocacy networks linked to the Open Society Foundations and federalist think tanks. Internal governance combined associative structures typical of Italian parties with statutory organs echoing models used by parties within the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. Local sections operated across regions including Lazio, Lombardy, Sicily, and Piedmont, coordinating electoral lists for municipal contests, regional councils, and national ballots.
Electoral participation included lists in the 2018 Italian general election, candidacies for the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy, and interventions in municipal and regional contests such as those in Milan, Rome (city), and Florence. Results often fell below thresholds for substantial parliamentary representation, prompting strategic alliances with centrist groupings including negotiations with leaders associated with Democratic Party (Italy) splinters and reformist paths akin to formations around Matteo Renzi. At European level, engagements sought affiliation with liberal family groups in the European Parliament to secure representation and committee assignments in dossiers related to civil liberties and single market legislation.
Policy priorities encompassed support for deeper European Union integration, advocacy for liberal migration policies consonant with rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, promotion of civil rights frameworks rooted in campaigns historically linked to the Italian Radicals, and economic reform proposals referencing guidelines from the European Commission and International Monetary Fund dialogues. On environmental matters, positions aligned with pan‑European regulatory approaches promoted by the European Green Deal architecture, while justice and institutional reform proposals intersected with debates involving the Constituent Assembly traditions and constitutional jurisprudence reflected in decisions by the Constitutional Court of Italy.
Internationally, the association sought ties with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and parliamentary groupings in the European Parliament sympathetic to liberal federalism. Domestically, it negotiated coalitions with centrist and progressive parties such as the Democratic Party (Italy), reformist currents around Italia Viva, and occasional cooperation with civil movements linked to NGOs like Emergency (NGO). Electoral strategies considered alignments with lists invoking leaders from the Radical Party tradition and coalition formulas used in Italian politics, including participation in joint lists during national ballots.
Critics accused the association of being insufficiently distinct from established centrist parties and of failing to clear electoral thresholds, echoing disputes that have involved personalities with previous controversies tied to debates over campaigns organized by the Radical Party and legal battles in Italian courts. Internal tensions arose over leadership choices and alliances with figures associated with Forza Italia dissidents and reformist splinters, prompting public disputes covered in national outlets during periods of coalition bargaining and government formation talks after elections.