Europe is home to a unique heritage. Europe is a place where nations nurture and protect their cultures and traditions; a place where freedom, sovereignty and independence are defended; a place where individuals, families and communities thrive. Our common European home is our past and our future.

These shared values gave us the strength to overcome totalitarian regimes and foreign oppression. These values gave birth to our thriving national democracies.

Shortly after the Second World War, the dream of protecting these common values and our national democracies in a family of cooperating European nations was finally brought to life.

Europeans came together to build a community of European nations – a partnership of national democracies to promote peace and prosperity.

Following the overthrow of communism and foreign interference by the end of the century, most of Europe could join in this historic endeavour.

But this noble vision – of a community of sovereign states working in cooperation – is being gradually betrayed.

The so-called ‘European project’ is spinning out of control.

No longer seen by them as partnership of national democracies, the federalists see the European Union as the beginning of a new super-state, exercising a new dominance over its Member States. The European Union is becoming ever more centralised and ever more remote from the peoples of Europe. And yet, despite its constant demands for more power and more control, the European Union has repeatedly failed to address the major economic, social and security crises of our time.

The future of Europe hangs in the balance.

The peoples of Europe want their national democracies to co-operate together in a community of sovereign states; they do not want their countries replaced by a country called Europe.

We are facing a crucial moment in European history.

The ultimatum presented by the federalists to those of us who believe in national democracy is unacceptable. They tells us it is ‘more Europe or no Europe’. But there is a middle way.

It is time to restore the ideal of a Europe that respects the sovereignty of our national democracies.

It is time to rebuild our community of European states – a Europe of mutual respect, cooperation and solidarity.

It is time for a new hope for Europe.