Manifesto

This election is a turning point for Europe. Its results will determine the future direction of a whole continent – for better or for worse. It is essential that everybody is involved in that decision.

But currently the EU only allows for a few voices to be heard. EFA has always believed that the European project must be based on the diversity of its peoples: it can no longer content itself as being a union of centralising states promoting their own interests. Certain voices – like those of nations and minorities that do not have their own state – are frozen out of this state-focused system. And ultimately, the EU is only as democratic as its member states – many of which are incapable or unwilling to grant proper representation to their citizens’ wishes.

We need a very different Europe: one that allows for new states, new structures, and new ways of involving minorities and voices which are currently excluded. We need the readiness and ambition to envision a new Europe.

Above all, that must involve the recognition of the democratic right to self-determination. That right, enshrined in international law, allows all peoples to choose their own future and an institutional framework that empowers them. That includes the recognition of their linguistic and cultural rights, respect for the principle of subsidiarity, increased autonomy or independence. We support all democratic and peaceful means to pursue those goals.

In those cases where achieving these rights within existing state frameworks turns out to be impossible due to state blockages, the EU should be able to take up a role in seeking a compromise. EFA Members of the European Parliament have been among those who have worked on and presented a legislative proposal for an EU regulation for exactly this. It provides a blueprint for how the EU can mediate to ensure the rights of peoples to decide their own future can be exercised, even when the state is opposed. It proves that it is possible within the current EU competences: no Treaty Change is necessary.

In the European Parliament, we seek the removal of all unfair barriers to electoral participation. Electoral thresholds are used in many European countries to deny representation to smaller parties – in some cases, a deliberate tactic to exclude national minorities or territorial movements. This must be ended, and European Parliament constituencies should reflect the regional diversity within states. It is absurd that large states like Spain or France are a single constituency when there is huge diversity within them, including stateless nations that are denied political representation. These European mega-constituencies must be broken down into smaller areas that are more in line with local interests and identities.

The European Parliament must also have the right to initiate legislation. Currently, only the European Commission has this right, with the result that many proposals are based on technocratic centralism rather than the needs and wishes of Europe’s regions and peoples.

As a counterweight to the influence of the member states, and to ensure that all parts of Europe have formal representation in the EU system, we seek reform for the European Committee of the Regions. Rather than being merely an advisory body without real power, it should be able to influence and amend European legislation.

The President of the European Commission must be democratically elected, on the basis of a proposal by the European Parliament.

The Qatargate scandal has demonstrated that we need more transparency in all the European institutions. There must be zero tolerance for corruption. Furthermore, the Pegasus revelations have shown that, in some member states, governments are illegitimately spying on opposition politicians, journalists and others. Surveillance in European democracies must only happen with judicial oversight, for legitimate reasons, and must always comply with fundamental rights.

There are already some instruments that citizens can use to address their concerns directly to the EU – but they are flawed. The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), for example, is a tool that allows citizens to submit a petition for a legislative proposal if they receive one million signatures. However, in many cases the Commission has failed to effectively follow up. For example, the refusal of the Commission to act upon the Minority SafePack Initiative, despite calls from 3/4 of the European Parliament, several national and regional parliaments and governments, is problematic from a democratic point of view. The ECI must be reformed to deliver on its promise, and the Commission should have to make a legislative proposal as a result.

Finally, the EU must step up and proactively involve young Europeans in the policy-making processes. The focus should be on increasing European youth’s access to the political system. Furthermore, the Union ought to integrate a youth perspective across all policies and levels of government. EFA supports the implementation of an ‘EU Youth Test’, as proposed by the European Youth Forum, to ensure young people’s concerns and needs are systematically considered throughout the EU legislative process.