Vice-President

Below you can find the current published candidacies for the position of Vice-President of JEF Europe. Two persons can be elected for this position.

Xesc MAINZER CARDELL

Xesc MAINZER CARDELL

Contact Xesc

EMAIL: [e-mail]

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: linktr.ee/xmainzer

About Me

My name is Xesc, I am 30 years old, and even though I am originally from the sunny island of Mallorca, at the moment I live in the wonderfully weathered city of Brussels. I am also a Historian, and I am currently finishing my PhD thesis (by the time EUCO 2023 is here, I will more than likely have finished my first draft of the thesis, wish me luck!). On a more personal note, I am a big-time fan of vexillology, coins, and trains, so if you like any of those feel free to approach me for a chat.

I have been a member of JEF for over a decade, a time in which I have been involved at all levels of the organisation. On the local/regional level, I founded my own section in my region of the Balearic Islands, while also having been a treasurer in JEF Madrid. And for 5 years I was part of the board of JEF Spain, being its president during the first year of the COVID pandemic. For the past 2 years, I have been a co-chair of the Task Force on Empowerment and Diversity in my capacity as a member of the Federal Committee, while also helping establish a cross-border section (JEF Pyrenees-Mediterranean) alongside JEF Catalonia and JEF Toulouse. Last, but not least, last February I was nominated by JEF-Europe (and elected) as a member of the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe.

Motivation for the Position

JEF has given me a lot on a personal and human level. I owe most of my personal growth during the past decade to our organisation and the people I have encountered in it. In that sense, I feel I owe JEF back and I want to repay by contributing to the best of my ability. Besides that, my years of extensive experience and contact with the network have given me the expertise that I feel is needed to successfully undertake the responsibilities of a Vice-President of JEF-Europe.

What I would like to do if elected can be grouped in four different areas:

• A JEF that’s resilient:

  • Reinforce our non-strictly-political activities that help us fulfil our goals while also building community spirit such as the webzines and our civic education programmes.

  • Further support for section twinning and fostering the creation of cross-border sections on the model of current projects such as JEF Pyrenees-Mediterranean or JEF Oberrhein, while finding ways to involve them in our supranational structures.

  • Strengthen the communication between the EB, FC and the sections to work together on finding solutions to the networks’ problems that work for everyone.

  • Continue with the work done on the Federalist Academy by ensuring it becomes a permanent part of our annual schedule (similarly to the Ventotene Seminar or our statutory events) in which our members can better understand what the ‘F’ in JEF stands for and how they can be better Federalists. It would be desirable to expand the academy so that it can be replicated at national and regional levels by providing material, contents, and bibliographical recommendations.

• A JEF that’s safe and plural:

  • Strengthen our Code of Conduct (CofC) implementation by working with sections and TF Empowerment and Diversity to create a network-wide system of CofC enforcement and reporting to better protect our members and ensure all of JEF remains a safe space for everyone.

  • Include multilingualism in our external communications by creating a volunteer-based pool of translators in order to translate our contents to other languages than English and aim at the eventual transformation of jef.eu into a multilingual website.

• An outreaching JEF:

  • Stronger on-the-ground action, with new and out-of-the-box campaigns to promote our ideas beyond our usual target groups while also fostering a diversified membership growth.

    • Promote active youth council participation from our sections to bring our vision to the wider organised young civil society outside of our usual avenues such as the European Movement.

    • Involve other organisations which have a core topic of expertise in assisting in our policy adoption process, with a special view on involving our partners in the European Youth Forum.

    • Promote collaboration between our sections and local NGOs that share our goals and values.

• A JEF that remembers:

  • Work with the Historical Archives of the EU in Florence to digitalise the fonds of the organisation’s historical archive and turn them into an accessible online archive so that our members can better understand the historical trajectory that has shaped JEF and our current Federalist thinking.

  • Institute regular meetings between current and former members of statutory bodies of JEF to ensure an adequate transfer of knowledge and exchange of expertise so that we can better address the issues our network is going through without having to reinvent previously explored methods.

My vision of the future of JEF

An obvious priority for the next mandate is the upcoming European elections and bringing our federalist solutions to the forefront of the political debate. However, the EP elections should not be our single priority. After the polls close on June 9, we will be facing a different landscape where it is likely that reactionary and far-right forces, hostile to both civil society participation and our federalist ideas, will have a larger say in EU policy. In that regard, we as a network will need to prepare to resist under an institutional framework that may not be as open to our ideas as it has been in previous times.

Besides that, one of our priorities will continue to be pursuing a lobbying strategy vis-à the European institutions, while also coordinating joint action campaigns by our national sections on their governments. In this area, we should be stepping up our lobbying efforts at the local and regional levels. The governance levels closest to the citizen are essential as an ally to counterbalance national powers, but can also be proof that Federalism is not about ‘creating a European superstate’ but getting decision-making closest to the citizen.

Finally, we need to prioritise organisational presence and growth in non-EU countries. The perspective of enlargement in the upcoming years makes it essential that JEF becomes a reference point among the youth civil society in future or prospective EU member states.

My opinion on the needed Political Commissions and Task Forces/ Working Groups

So far, the structure of our Political Commissions and Task Forces has been quite functional. My only recommendation on this area would be to reconvert TF European Elections into a TF Actions and Campaigns after the 2024 election is over. However, I believe that the debate on the structure of our PCs and TFs has to take place in the framework of the Federal Committee that takes place after our congress.

Martin BOGOMILOV PENOV

Martin BOGOMILOV PENOV

Contact Martin

EMAIL: [e-mail]

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn

About Me

Europe has been at the centre of my activism from the very start. I decided to go into politics around 2014 when both Bulgaria and Ukraine were facing massive protests. After seeing Russia annex Crimea and the parallels with my own country, I decided to get more involved in political activism. While that wasn’t possible in my hometown, European organisations like JEF gave me an avenue to learn more about the continent and why the European project matters, especially thanks to the Democracy under Pressure campaign which I found relatable as a Bulgarian.

In 2020, I moved to the UK to pursue a Bachelor’s in Politics and International Relations in Manchester. Despite the obvious challenges of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, I joined a group of JEFers and took part in reviving JEF’s UK section – the Young European Movement UK. This organisation and the amazing people in it would define the next three years of my life as we went from a group of dedicated Europhiles doing online events to a vibrant community of young activists who I will always consider dear friends. As Treasurer and later as Vice-President & International Officer, I’ve worked on events, social media presence, building partnerships, recruiting people and expanding YEM’s network. I also attended numerous JEF events throughout that time, including representing YEM UK at FC meetings. A big focus for me was of course DuP which won us the “Best Social Media” award during the 2022 Spring FC. During my time with YEM I faced many challenges, but I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and that YEM is now the main youth organisation linking Britain’s youth with Europe, as well as the European Parliament’s closest youth partner in the UK.

In 2022 I finally made it a reality and founded the local section of the UK’s second city. YEM Manchester quickly grew into an active and diverse section. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, I spent the entirety of the 24th working on mobilising the section and the UoM Students Union, the largest in the country. We launched a YEM-led campaign to raise funds for charity, collect supplies for refugees and support our local Ukrainian youth in organising their own community which is still active to this day. We ensured that JEF will always have a place in Manchester – the city where we hosted YEM UK’s Annual General Meeting in 2023. Thanks to our efforts, the section was featured in newspapers and won awards for its civic engagement.

Outside of my direct experience as a YEM board member, I’ve always made sure to represent JEF at all events I attend, from Council of Europe trainings to conferences linked to Eastern Europe, as well as promoting links with other initiatives I’m heavily involved in such as the Young European Ambassadors and The European Correspondent.

Motivation for the position

The situation in the east is what got me into activism and because of that I’d like to see JEF grow eastwards. I want to contribute to this by using my network in Eastern Europe and the Balkans to find and help motivated young people who can create new sections. I’d also like to support regional initiatives where already established sections can support smaller ones. Europe’s future is in the east where we see the biggest sacrifices being made today. Now is the first time in history that JEF has a chance to expand to these countries and I want to make sure we use it. Democracy under Pressure is also vital for this as it shines light on the challenges the region faces and I would like to take on the campaign and see it continue more ambitious than ever. Ukraine will remain a key issue for me and I hope to JEF can collaborate with youth in the country on projects like Lviv EYC 2025, as well as give a voice to young people from Belarus and Russia who want to see their countries free of tyranny.

Expanding JEF’s network is also a top priority. This includes engaging with other youth organisations, as well as with media. I have a background in journalism, having worked previously for Emerging Europe and currently writing for The European Correspondent and EU Neighbours East, and will use it to increase JEF’s visibility wherever possible.

The last key point is improving JEF’s visual identity and helping smaller sections hone their skills in design so that we have an attractive and professional organisation. This is something I committed a lot of time on in YEM UK and would like to continue to do so on the European level.

My vision of the future of JEF

My biggest motivation is to see a truly pan-European JEF. This organisation has undoubtedly been one of the most important things I’ve dedicated my time to and I want to see an inclusive JEF present in every corner of Europe. Civil society in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership has been pushing for a European future for these regions and JEF should be a part of this phenomenon. Federalist ideas should lead the way to EU membership for young people.

The European Elections are crucial as this is an opportunity for us to promote our federalist ideals among future policy makers. JEF should not be afraid to engage in politics, as long as we retain our non-partisan nature. Another key aspect to this is engaging with youth parties so that we can provide a federalist perspective across the political spectrum.

Most importantly, JEF has to be an organisation standing for unity. While enlargement is incredibly important, we also have to look at consolidation of what has been achieved thus far. Populism is rising again in Europe and we must fight these Eurosceptic narratives. As Orban’s Hungary vetoes EU aid to Ukraine and Austria blocks Bulgaria and Romania’s Schengen entry, we have to keep reminding people why being united is so important. This means not only combatting disinformation, but also fighting for reform.

My opinion on the needed Political Commissions and Task Forces/ Working Groups

To have an inclusive JEF, we need to create a working group on languages. JEF prides itself on its pan-European nature and making our website, particularly event statements and policies, accessible is crucial. Engagement with national and local sections is key to achieving this. Goals would include not only translation of future content, but ensuring JEF’s campaign materials are adaptable not only to Latin-based alphabets, but also Cyrillic, Greek, and hopefully one day Georgian and Armenian to ensure all our sections can campaign with a shared visual identity.