Appeal to pro-European Political Parties

Against Nationalism, United for Europe

The unity of Europe is in danger. Nationalist and populist forces are growing in too many of our countries. They are going to use the next European elections to ask European citizens a mandate to weaken European institutions, renationalise European policies, attack European solidarity and rules. Their growth is a threat to the survival of the European Union and to any project of a closer European unity, the only guarantee of peace and prosperity for all Europeans.
Political parties who believe in Europe must raise up and oppose the nationalist project. Defending the Europe we have is not enough. To regain citizens’ hearts and minds to the European project, pro-European political parties should unite around a project of a Europe that is more united, more democratic, more social
and more effective in the world.

Pro-European parties should agree on a set of principles for the future of the European Union and against the European project of the nationalists and include it in their political programmes. They should promote and rally around such principles before the European elections and then work together in the next
European Parliament for:

● stronger European Economic and Monetary Union with adequate fiscal and economic powers, including its own budget with own resources democratically controlled by the European Parliament;
● European social policies to balance national responsibility with European solidarity and strengthen the feeling of European citizens to belong to a single community;
● a single European foreign, security and defence policy to promote European interests in today’s unpredictable international framework;
● European policies to manage migration flows, including managing European borders through European forces and addressing together the challenge of welcoming and integrating migrants in the European Union;
● defending Schengen and opposing any restrictions to free movement of people within the European Union;
● finance European policies with an increased European budget based on true European resources, which could come from European taxes on financial transactions, digital transactions, carbon emissions or plastic waste;
● a stronger Single Market, by completing the capital markets union, the digital union, the energy union and the single market of services;
● a reform of the treaties of the European Union to reform its institutions, including making the European Commission, with reduced members, the only executive body of the Union; giving the European Council only a role of political leadership and ending its executive role in policy making; abolishing the veto right in the Council and the European Council on all matters; giving the European Parliament the right to co-decide in all EU competences;
● should this prove impossible because not all Member State agrees, preparing a project of a new Treaty for the Member States willing to go ahead

Pledge for candidates for the 2019 European Parliament elections

European elections 2019, a crucial date for Europe

As a candidate to the European Parliament, I believe citizens must have their say on the future of Europe. I commit to focus my electoral campaign on the promotion of a united, democratic, social and sovereign Europe. If elected, I commit to work for:

• a reform of the Economic and Monetary Union aimed at giving it adequate fiscal and economic powers, including an own sizeable budget financed by own resources, fully and democratically controlled by the European Parliament;
• European economic and social policies that can balance and complete national responsibilities with European solidarity, and strengthen the feeling of European citizens that they belong to a single political community;
• a single European foreign, security and defence policy to protect EU citizens and promote common European interests and values in today’s unpredictable and threatening global order;
• European policies to manage migration flows, including the management of external EU borders through European forces; the development of European legal migration channels; European measures to ensure together the integration of migrants;
• make Europe a global leader in combating climate change and promoting the transition to a fully environment-friendly economy through European measures aimed at phasing out fossil fuels, promoting investment in renewable energy, imposing binding emission reduction targets and minimising plastic waste;
• an increased European budget based on own resources, which could come from European taxes, e.g. on financial transactions, digital transactions, carbon emissions or plastic use;
• to strengthen European democracy by setting up a Europe-wide single electoral law for the election of Members of the European Parliament, including pan-European transnational lists by European political parties;
• to engage the European Parliament in reforming EU treaties, to make the European Union more politically united, democratic and effective:
  • (1) the European Commission, with reduced membership, should become the only executive body of the Union;
  • (2) the European Council should only keep a role of political leadership, ending its executive role in policy-making;
  • (3) the veto right in the Council and in the European Council should be abolished;
  • (4) the European Parliament should be granted the right to co-legislate with the Council in all EU competences;
• should not all Member States agree with the above reforms, and given the critical situation Europe is in, to support the project of a new Treaty for the Member States willing to go ahead together in the meantime;
• the creation of a cross-partisan intergroup in the European Parliament to promote these goals.