On Tuesday 17 February 2026, the Young European Federalists of Luxembourg (Jeunes Européens Fédéralistes - JEF Luxembourg) and JEF Finlandissued a joint statement calling for treaty change and deeper European Union (EU) integration.
The joint statement, titled “European sovereignty is a European necessity”, follows the meeting of EU leaders at Alden Biesen castle in Belgium.
In this statement, the two JEF organisations addressed the limited implementation of the recommendations put forward in the recent reports on European competitiveness and the Single Market. They underlined that many of the proposals aimed at deeper European integration remain unimplemented, despite the growing geopolitical and economic pressures facing the EU.
According to the statement, by January 2026, authorities had implemented only 15.1% of Mario Draghi’s competitiveness recommendations, partially applying 23.8% and leaving 61.1% untouched. The implemented parts do not address the most concerning elements of the report, namely those aimed at deeper EU integration, the organisations argued.
JEF Luxembourg and JEF Finland added that Enrico Letta’s report “Much more than a market” had outlined how to update the single market to meet today’s challenges, yet authorities have made “no substantial progress” on its recommendations.
The organisations explained that Europe now stands “between an untrustworthy ally, a dangerous enemy at its door and another ruthless rival”, yet remains “structurally incapable of acting at the necessary scale”. In this context, national leaders met at Alden Biesen castle with the aim of delivering solutions to strengthen the single market, reduce dependencies on external actors in key sectors and increase EU competitiveness, according to the youth organisations.
JEF Luxembourg and JEF Finland welcomed the European Commission’s “One market for one Europe” proposal to set up an action plan to implement major reforms. However, they stressed that plans alone are not enough, noting: “Fragmentation is our greatest weakness. But we need real harmonisation and not just mere coordination.” The organisations added that European integration has always advanced through pioneers, as demonstrated by Schengen and the euro. They argued that a stronger Europe requires a stronger economy that can “operate at a continental scale”.
“We do not need more reports diagnosing the problem. The challenges are well known. What we need now are concrete decisions, clear timelines and structural reforms that remove fragmentation and enable Europe to act decisively,” underlined JEF Luxembourg and JEF Finland.
According to the organisations, the economic environment has “fundamentally changed” since many of the current rules were designed. They argued that, to enable European companies to scale up across the continent, the EU needs a 28th regime and EU-wide corporate law. They also spoke of the need to “meaningfully reduce” regulatory fragmentation and provide “legal certainty, simplicity and efficiency.”
The organisations also mentioned the Ukrainian army’s high reliance on private satellite and internet infrastructure providers such as Starlink, saying this shows how “sovereignty is strictly linked to technological sovereignty”. They called on European leaders to “accelerate the development of a European tech stack and strengthen strategic autonomy in digital infrastructure”.
To achieve everything outlined in the statement, JEF Luxembourg and JEF Finland suggested unleashing capital across the EU and breaking internal barriers. They notably advocated building up the Savings and Investment Union (SIU), adding: “A single capital market is essential for scale, innovation and European sovereignty.”
The organisations outlined that the EU budget stands at around 1% of GDP, calling this “tool small” compared with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 46.3%. They added that NextGenerationEU plan data showed that the EU can borrow collectively and invest strategically when necessary. According to the organisations: “This must not remain an exception.”
Moreover, JEF Luxembourg and JEF Finland called for the “integration and the completion of a real Energy Union”. They described the recent European Council at Alden Biesen as “a constructive meeting point between leaders” and welcomed the “shared sense of urgency”. However, they referred to the solutions discussed as “largely intergovernmental in nature”, while the EU’s challenges are “structural” and require institutional reform that “equips the Union with the capacity to act decisively and democratically.”
JEF Luxembourg and JEF Finland said that they believe progress can be achieved at the next European Council, whether by all 27 Member States or through enhanced cooperation among those “ready to move forward”, calling on leaders to “open the path toward treaty change”. They later added that a stronger Europe requires federal institutions capable of delivering the “ambitious reforms” discussed recently, for both the EU market and citizens.
