My name is Moritz Hergl, I’m 27 years old and originally from a small village near Heidelberg, Germany. Over the past years, I’ve lived, studied and worked across Europe — from Maastricht to Berlin, from Tallinn to Brussels — which has made me realise how different Europe can look depending on where you stand. With a background in European studies, I pursued a master’s in “Public Sector Innovation and E-Governance” as I am particularly interested in the twin transitions.

I joined JEF in 2020 after the far-right attacks in Halle and Hanau and became a writer and editor for treffpunkteuropa.de, the German version of TNF. Soon, I became its Co-Editor-in-Chief and led the editorial board for three years. In that time, I helped young journalists think in a European way and built cross-border media collaborations. I am particularly proud to have established the podcast “Europolitix” and to have coordinated several article series. Last summer, I joined the federal board of JEF Germany as Vice-President and IO. In this position, I am coordinating international projects, such as the International Berlin Seminar or the Federalist Peace Forum, various political campaigns such as “Don’t Touch My Schengen” and communicating between the multiple local sections.

Personally, I enjoy the city as much as I enjoy spending time in nature. I love to travel to get to know the culture and reality of life on the ground. As for my professional life, I worked in political communications for various NGOs and institutions. More recently, I have been a trainee in the EP’s press service. I also work as a freelance podcast producer, and I want to bring this experience of creative campaigning and strategic communication to JEF, to make our movement more impactful.

I am ready to serve JEF Europe as a full-time president, supporting the organisation in all areas, from political advocacy and fundraising to strengthening sections on the ground. I will take full accountability for my actions and decisions. My goal is a JEF Europe that works and argues together by day — and shares a toast together in the evening.

I’m running for President of JEF Europe because today’s Europe needs courage. I believe in a united, democratic and federal Europe that protects our freedoms and stands firm against rising nationalism and authoritarianism. Our democracies are under pressure 365 days a year, and we must voice our frustration with the short-sighted national frameworks that hold us back. We deserve policies that benefit all Europeans, not symbolic policies that divide us further.

The challenges ahead are global. Only a Europe that acts together can protect citizens’ freedoms in an increasingly unstable world. We as JEF, are uniquely positioned to be a voice of reason and resistance. At a time when free movement, democratic decision-making and diversity are being questioned, we need a JEF that is visionary, inclusive, and ready to reform itself to meet the challenges of the moment. I therefore propose measures, both politically and to strengthen our internal cohesion:

• Build a civil society alliance on “Don’t Touch My Schengen” to defend free movement as a cornerstone of European identity (beyond EU countries).
• Launch a monthly “Democracy Under Pressure” newsletter, giving sections a platform to report on threats to democracy in their countries.
• Establish a TF against the far right, connecting sections, experts and activists to monitor extremism, to stand up for democracy, and develop strategies on how to “fight back”.
• Focus on the development of Federalist Academies across Europe, beginning with a campaign on “Federalism for Dummies”.
• Reinstate and empower the International Officers Network, as a space for coordination and collective decision-making.
• Enhance internal transparency, with regular cross-level exchanges between the EB, FC and sections, particularly as regards the financial management.

You can find my full action catalogue here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E61UvXB1pZBFqjofkOdLMt8nyYvgMOre/view?usp=sharing

Over the next two years, I want JEF Europe to be both a political force for change and a reliable home for young Europeans with diverse backgrounds. As nationalism and authoritarianism is rising, we must speak up clearly and act strategically to match the urgency of the times.

I want JEF to advocate for a Common European Defence Union that is firmly rooted in democratic accountability and human security. This means addressing the needs of young people who may face conscription, and ensuring that any defence effort goes hand in hand with societal resilience. It’s time to connect our ideals with today’s realities. Not out of fear of an aggressor, but out of courage to defend our values.

JEF should continue to be a platform of hope and participation. Our campaigns, trainings and debates must remain open, creative and inclusive. We should dare to disagree politically — but stay united personally. My vision is a JEF Europe that is courageous: a movement that not only defends Europe’s freedoms but builds the institutions to secure them for the next generations.

For the next mandate, I want to ensure that our PCs and TFs are well-coordinated between EB and FC. Therefore, I propose to always invite one member of the FC Presidium to EB meetings.

As for the PCs, I want to stay with the traditional format and continue the work on institutional reforms in PC 1, especially in relation to treaty change, EU democracy, and rule of law. For PC 2, I see many transversal topics such as climate change, digitalisation, and social resilience as priorities across sectors. In PC 3, I would like to work on reconsidering Europe’s role globally and deepen our cooperation with other federalist movements.

As a new idea, I strongly support the idea of a “Taskforce against the Extreme Right” on the European level. I know this format already from JEF Germany, and I am convinced to lift this initiative to JEF Europe: It should connect members and sections already analysing the strategies of far-right parties and movements that threaten European unity. The TF shall gather experiences and best practices from sections, develop educational and activist tools for countering extremism, create a shared repository with resources and readings, and could potentially explore cooperation with experts in education, research, and protest methods.

Furthermore, I would like to set up a TF co-chaired by one EB member and one FC member that formalizes our work around the Federalist Peace Forum and strengthen our involvement in youth-led peacebuilding. The TF would formalise cooperation with federalist partners in the Middle East and potentially expand the format to other conflict regions.

Three existing TFs are crucial: The TF Capacity Building will support sections in training and upskilling members, continuing the capacity-building seminars. The TF Empowerment & Diversity should review our Code of Conduct and organise events that give minorities and underrepresented voices greater visibility and influence. For the TF Civic Education, I would like to expand its scope to coordinate the education components of the “Federalist Academies” (such as the Ventotene seminar, the Wachenburg and Louise Weiss academies), and to support the “Federalism 4 Dummies” campaign.

In addition, I propose launching a Cross-Section Group “Reform JEF” later in the mandate to review the statutes and prepare concrete reform proposals for the next Congress.

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I’m Debora Striani and I’ve been an active member of JEF since 2019. My journey began at 18, on a ferry to the Ventotene Seminar, where I discovered federalism not as theory but as a living project for a better Europe. Inspired by that experience, I founded a local section in my hometown, served as Secretary and regional Treasurer, and later joined the international office of JEF Italy. I worked on projects like Meet, Next Chapter Europe, COYV, and Next Generation JEF. I conceived and launched the European Benches campaign, which brought over 150 EU-themed benches across Italy and later abroad. Over the past two years, I’ve served on the national board of JEF Italy, coordinating campaigns, projects, and statutory and political events.

Outside of JEF, I work as a political consultant. I grew up near Monza and now live in Rome, but Europe has long been my home: I studied in Spain, France, and Germany and took part in JEF events across almost every EU country. These experiences taught me that federalism is not just an idea, but a daily act of commitment and courage.

I’m running for Vice President to fully serve JEF Europe and be a reliable presence for its members. We inherit a proud legacy of young federalists who shaped the European debate; I want to carry that legacy forward. At a time when the European project faces decisive tests from war and instability at our borders to democratic backsliding we must rise to the challenge. If elected, I will dedicate my energy to three priorities:

Training and federalist education: We cannot build a federal Europe without federalists. That’s why I will work to make our internal training stronger and more accessible. I will support sections in organizing seminars by integrating them into larger funded projects and making them more sustainable. I will relaunch the Federalist Academy as a hub of high-level training and reflection, enhancing accessibility through translations and hybrid formats, and introducing systems to collect and adapt feedback across sections.

We need to be politically impactful and true to what makes JEF unique. As VP, I want to coordinate JEF Europe’s political campaigns to make them more coherent, visible, and effectively implemented across the network. My goal is to ensure that our initiatives are both ambitious and concrete. By strengthening cooperation between sections and equipping activists with the right tools, I want JEF to build on one of its greatest strengths — its presence everywhere in Europe. Our campaigns should harness this presence, turning our local diversity into a shared European impact and making JEF an even stronger and more recognisable political voice.

1 turn Democracy Under Pressure into a permanent campaign: this means moving beyond a single week of action to sustained engagement throughout the year, supported by updated materials, flexible formats, and a yearly Democracy Report collecting inputs from national sections. This tool will allow us to assess democratic resilience across Europe and reinforce our identity as a federalist organisation committed to the rule of law and democratic standards, in both EU and non-EU countries.

2 we must reclaim Don’t Touch My Schengen as a bold political statement. The 10th anniversary in 2026 is a moment to visibly defend and promote the principle of free movement. Our campaign must show that Schengen is not only about borders, but about rights, trust, and the meaning of European unity. This includes actions, cross-border initiatives, and a narrative that highlights what is at stake.

3 we must prepare JEF to play an active role in key anniversaries and political moments. The 25 years of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the 85 years of the Ventotene Manifesto, and the 80th anniversary of the Hague Congress are not only commemorations. They are opportunities to reframe our federalist vision in today’s context and project it into the future. We must mobilise the full federalist galaxy to build public momentum around these events.

4 The recent loss of funding sources like the CERV grant requires us to rethink our financial governance. We need a clear and proactive financial strategy, including provisional budgets separated by function, contingency planning, regular liquidity monitoring, and a fundraising roadmap aligned with our political goals. Transparency is not optional — it is the foundation of internal trust and external credibility.

I support maintaining the current PCs and TFs while strengthening their link to campaigns and ensuring more regular and visible political output.
I propose adding a Project Working Group, with one representative per section acting as project officer. Its goal would be to align project proposals with local needs, promote mutual learning, and ensure coherent and efficient use of resources across the network.
I also propose creating a Task Force on External Federalist Relations to deepen cooperation with pro-democracy and federalist actors beyond Europe, coordinating initiatives such as the Federalist Peace Forum.

+39 3402160918 , https://www.instagram.com/debora.striani/ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xV71J29u4TG98hSQaQW7MAGBSYy9ju0-/view?usp=sharing

I am Anna, 27, Franco-Dutch and raised on a dairy farm in rural France. Growing up among people who often felt left behind by politics made me realise how urgent it is to reconnect European ideals with everyday realities, especially for youth drawn to far-right populism. Long before joining JEF, I was already a federalist. As a binational, I never felt defined by one nation or flag and believed our belonging should transcend borders. Nation-states, products of the 19th century, rely on fear of the unknown. Our generation must grow beyond that and build a political order rooted in cooperation, subsidiarity and peace. I hold a Master’s in European Studies from Maastricht University and have lived in France, Estonia, the Netherlands and now Brussels, where I work as a Project Manager at the European Council of Young Farmers.

I first discovered JEF while researching youth movements for a university paper. I wanted to see how convincing they could be. Instead, I found myself convinced and hooked on the JEF spirit.

My JEF journey began in Lille during the 2019 European elections. After Erasmus in Estonia, I joined JEF Maastricht, later serving as International Officer and then President of JEF Netherlands during the pandemic, rebuilding the section and ensuring a generational transition. I later served as Treasurer and stayed active in European activities. Since 2023, as Co-Chair of the Task Force on Capacity Building, I have co-led seminars, launched a Twinning Marathon, etc. These initiatives strengthened cooperation across sections and contributed to JEF staying on track in capacity building.

I am running for Treasurer of JEF Europe to strengthen our organisation both financially and politically, ensuring our structures reflect our federalist ambitions.

I will:
• Strengthen transparency and communication around finances.
• Build direct exchanges between treasurers at all levels.
• Diversify income sources for stability and independence.
• Link financial decisions to political priorities so our budget serves our resolutions.
The next Executive Board will also need to close the debate on membership fees with method and care. This must lead to a fair, transparent and sustainable model reflecting solidarity between sections while ensuring a safety net for JEF Europe. The solution must be one that everyone can live with and take ownership of.
I will work closely with the President and Secretary General to empower the Secretariat, ensuring staff are supported, valued and equipped to deliver on our mission.

Our network is only as strong as its sections. I want to give each one the resources and confidence to grow. My approach:
• Launch a Young CSO Leaders Programme with youth NGO partners and private donors.
• Multiply subgranting opportunities to empower local sections.
• Create TF Project Accelerator to mentor sections in project writing and funding access.
Financial structures must empower, not exclude. They should bridge divides between social backgrounds, rural and urban areas and include young people from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries facing unequal access to opportunities.

In the next two years, JEF must live federalism through subsidiarity, solidarity and shared responsibility. We should defend democracy, peace and the rule of law and fight far-right populism with instruction and hope.

Our advocacy should focus on the EU budget, rule of law, inclusion, cohesion and the alignment of economic and social priorities with youth needs. Strengthening federalist awareness, improving financial sustainability and supporting volunteers must remain central.

A federal JEF must be politically bold, structurally solid and socially inclusive, turning conviction into action and showing that federalism works in practice.

JEF’s structure combines reflection and action. We should keep it while improving coherence, visibility and continuity.
Political Commissions
• PC1: Constitutional and Institutional Affairs – treaty reform, rule of law and federal governance.
• PC2: Domestic Policy – cohesion, digitalisation, sustainability, youth and social policy.
• PC3: External Policy, World Federalism and Peace-Building – reform of international institutions and the Federalist Peace Forum.
I am in favour of a rationalisation process, grouping resolutions into thematic frameworks for stronger advocacy and linking PCs to the Federalist Academies.
Permanent Working Groups
• PWG Capacity Building: trainings, Young NGO Leaders Programme, Accessibility Strategy.
• PWG Project Accelerator: project design, fundraising and twinning.
• PWG Awareness-Raising against Nationalism and Far-Right Populism: civic education, campaigns and Federalist Academies.
Task Forces
• TF Empowerment, Diversity and Accessibility: ensure inclusion and accessibility, review the Code of Conduct, raise awareness on sexist violence and support the Feminism × Federalism open-platform.
• TF Statutes Revision: prepare the next Statutory reform.

+33636820942, @anna4jeftreasurer on instagram