Generation Self-Determination A call for a Europe of Peoples
European Free Alliance Youth Political Manifesto 2014
Created by the Bureau of the European Free Alliance Youth, in cooperation with its members, adopted by the General Assembly of 13 – 15 February 2014 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Foreword
Roccu Garoby, EFAy President
On 25 May 2014, the European people will elect their Members of the European Parliament. During this campaign, the European Free Alliance youth (EFAy) will defend, support and promote its manifesto, ideas and projects to radically change and profoundly reform the European Union (EU) towards a space based on solidarity between peoples and free citizens. The European people will have to make crucial choices for the EU in the near future to ensure that there will still be one. But the young generation will have to take part and be active in this process if it wants to have its future in its own hands. Our generation is regularly called the ‘‘Generation Europe’’ because we were born in a war-free zone, the European Union, with a free movement area, the Schengen area, with the possibility to have exchanges through the Erasmus programme. While it is true that we are the future of Europe, we are much more than that: we don’t want to be the future of Europe we want to make it! Our generation is also the ‘‘Lost Generation’’ because we are facing an unprecedented financial, economic, social, environmental and democratic crisis in Europe and it has even more dramatic impacts on youngsters: leaving them far from the educational system which becomes more and more expensive; leaving them far from the labour market through an unacceptable and unprecedented unemployment rate in the young generation, or by giving to them mainly short-term unstable and underpaid jobs. While we are suffering from the crisis and paying an unacceptable share of it, we don’t want to be passive about it: we want to change radically the European Union to make it fairer, better and safer for every single EU youngster, for every single citizen, for every single EU person. But above all, our generation is mainly the ‘‘Generation Self-determination’’ because we believe in the basic and fundamental human right which is the right of self-determination. And for the very first time in 2014 and beyond, European stateless nations, regions and minorities will have the right to express their democratic will on the democratic structures they want to live in. While the future of our peoples is in our hands, we don’t want to create a competition amongst European peoples, but we want to build a subsidiarity-based European Union, the ‘‘Europe of peoples’’. Because we are fundamentally pro-European, while contesting the current undemocratic and imbalanced structure of the EU, we believe and we fight for a simultaneous and massive transfer of competences from member states to both supra-state level (EU level) and sub-state level (stateless nations, regions and minorities) as the right answer to continue building a better, safer and fairer European Union while primarily respecting the democratic will of European peoples. Building the ‘‘Europe of peoples’’ is our project for the European elections 2014. Because we are deeply convinced that the diversity which unites us is our greatest source of strength! ‘‘Generation self-determination’’ stand up and fight for your people and your Europe! Fight for and vote for the ‘‘Europe of peoples’’!
Chapter 1: Self-Determination
Self-determination is a fundamental democratic right. The European Union must safeguard this right and provide its democratic implementation. New states resulting from internal enlargement processes should automatically become member of the European Union, unless they themselves choose not to be.
The right to the self-determination The main principles of the European Union are peace and democracy. Self-determination is just one dimension of democracy. If we can choose who is going to represent us for the next few years, we must be able to decide our collective future as a nation. This is the main principle of the positive liberty, defined by Isaiah Berlin during the 20th century. The first precedents of the right to the self-determination are the “Fourteen Points” of President Woodrow Wilson, which appeared in 1919 and were used as a base for the creation of the League of Nations. In the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the principle of self-determination as a fundamental right is established, both on the individual and the collective level. The right to the selfdetermination was initially used in order to allow colonies to become independent states, and to allow the independence of many republics from the USSR. However, after the first waves of independence and democratisation, the application of the right to the self-determination became more restrictive because of the interests of the powerful states. That's why the UN resolutions 1514–XV of 1960 and 2625–XXV of 1970 only allow for self-determination in case of colonial submission, military occupation, or integration in a non-democratic state. The right to decide Isaiah Berlin defined positive liberty with the sentence “I am my own master.” As our own masters, we have the right to decide what to do with our own life and this means that as a group, we are able to be our own masters and we are able to decide our collective future. We can find in Quebec the Clarity Act ruled by the Supreme Court of Canada, with regard to the sovereignty process going on at that time in Quebec. The new political status of the Basque Autonomous Community passed by the Basque Parliament in 2005, and denied afterwards by the Spanish Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament) without even opening a discussion over, also enclosed the right to decide. The 23rd January 2013 the Parliament of Catalonia passed the Sovereignty Declaration in which was stated the right to decide of the Catalan people. On November the 9th 2014 Catalonia will hold its referendum, and Scotland will do the same on the 18th September of the very same year. The right to decide is defined as the right of peoples and persons to be sovereign: just another way to say the right to the self-determination. Even if the right to decide does not have any legal effect, it has a big influence in society. Everyone has to decide many things during his life, that's why it's easier for people to understand the meaning of the right to decide, than the right to selfdetermination.
Our proposal The European Union, as a guarantor of democracy and the guardian of the treaties, must ensure the right to self-determination. That means that the EU must mediate between a seceding member state and its former member state when this right is not foreseen, because if the right to the selfdetermination is banned, democracy is also banned. If a member state doesn't allow a part of it to decide its future through democratic methods, the principle of democracy must prevail in favour of the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of a state. If EU citizenship exists, the EU must safeguard the democratic rights of that citizenship. The current situation of EU internal enlargement The European Union has had many enlargements. In 1958, there were only 6 states in the European Community, but there are currently 28 states in the European Union. This means that 22 states have become members through different enlargement processes. Despite the existence of several rules and regulations that allow the mechanisms of enlargement of the EU, there is not any mechanism that explains how to proceed with an internal enlargement. The real problem is that there has not been any case of secession inside the European Union, so until now this has not been a problem. Our Proposal The European Union must define the procedure of an internal enlargement. This can include creating a new EU program aimed at preparing the integration of a new secessionist member state in the EU. We consider that new states created by a secession process must automatically become member states, if they decide it in a democratic way. In other words, the EU cannot withdraw the European citizenship from its citizens, unless they decide it. We also urge to the European Union institutions to change laws and treaties to protect territories which decide to develop a democratic process of self-determination.
Chapter 2: Human Rights
Self-determination is a basic human right, to be respected on the individual level, as well as the collective level. Each individual has the right to his or her own culture in order to be able to fully develop his personality. Citizens ought to be able to get all services necessary for their health and well-being in their own language when residing in the region or nation where this language originated. The EU must protect the privacy of its citizens. Challenges facing the youth of today mean that youth rights must be protected and developed.
The European Free Alliance Youth hereby wishes to explicitly state its full engagement towards the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the basis for democratic politics. EFAy stresses that this Declaration is to be respected in any situation, by each country, nation, political party or group, by each individual whether protesting of supporting any cause. No distinction whatsoever is to be made based on gender, race, religion, age, sexuality or any other parameter. Self-determination EFAy hereby wishes to emphasise the importance of the second article1 of the Declaration which defines the right to self determination as a human right. This includes the freedom of each individual to his own thought, religion and beliefs, without any exceptions based on ethnicity or race .Selfdetermination also means the freedom to decide over one’s own body. Therefore, EFAy wants to explicitly express its support for abortion rights for women, as well as equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, neither of whom should be treated differently in any way. EFAy also supports same-sex marriage as a fundamental right, and recognizes the right of same-sex couples to adopt. As the youth branch of a political party of stateless territories, however, we underline that for EFAy, the right to self-determination includes the right for every territory to define its own sovereignty. For EFAy, this is the core issue that unites all our members. This right is further imposed by article 21 which states that “the will of the people shall be the basis of government” and that “everyone has the right to take part in government, directly or through freely chosen representatives”. However, we wish to stress that all articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are to be respected by those who fight for self-determination as well as by their opponents. The right to liberty and security of person, the right not to be subjected to cruel treatment or punishment and the right to equal protection of the law, as stated in articles 5 to 11, are to be respected by all parties at all times.
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“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty”
Cultural and Educational Equality Along with the right to self-determination comes the right to culture and education. Each individual has the right to his or her own culture in order to be able to fully develop his personality. Therefore, each individual should be able to participate in the cultural life of his community as stated in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since language is often an indispensable aspect of this culture, we urge the European Union and its Member States to protect minority languages and respect the right to cultural diversity, in life as well as in education by organizing public education in their citizens the native Language. Social Equality “Everyone is to have equal access to public service�. In order to avoid poverty, social protection and government help should also be made available to each and every citizen of each and every region. Therefore, EFAy believes that citizens ought to be able to get all services necessary for their health and well-being in their own language when residing in the region or nation where this language originated. Privacy Referring to recent events and decisions in this area, EFAy wishes to emphasise the importance of the right to privacy that still applies and ought to forever apply to each individual. No personal data should be intercepted or used neither by individuals nor by firms nor by any government. We call upon the European Union to continue studying to what extent the privacy of its citizens is still protected and to take action to protect them from breaches of this right of any kind. Youth rights As the youth branch of a European political party, EFAy also wishes to stress the importance of youth rights. The situation of youth today in the EU presents us with unprecedented challenges associated with poverty and limited access to resources, education, healthcare and employment, along with social discrimination and the lack of participation in decision-making. These challenges are hindering youth development and the development of the society in a wider sense, while contributing to inequality and social exclusion. We urge governments to take effective action to further promote and guarantee full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms to all European citizens. We also call upon the European Member States and European Institutions to pay extra attention to Youth Rights in order to secure the positive development of the entire society. EFAy therefore asks to promote inclusive and participatory mechanisms and instruments for the effective protection of Youth Rights as well as Human Rights.
Chapter 3: Youth Issues 
The EU must triple its funding for Erasmus+ and the Youth Employment Initiative programmes in order to combat the serious adversities the youth in Europe are facing.
The critical situation of the European youth Nowadays, young people in Europe live in constant fear of being mistreated by local, regional, state or European governments. They suffer the most catastrophic unemployment figures of the last century and face different state governments continuously cutting in education and youth policies, especially in the social sector. The economic and financial crisis is affecting youth more than anyone and their voices are being stifled, for instance by trying to shut down several Youth Councils. At this moment the European youth faces the highest youth unemployment figures in the EU-era, while the European Commission keeps on spending more money on unattainable and backward looking programmes rather than in social and youth oriented projects to prepare for the future. In the field of education, we are still seeing how different governments raise university grants and other financial and/or technical barriers which increase the difficulty in accessing higher education and training, or how they rule against minority or unofficial languages, trying to put local cultures aside. The youth does not feel respected by governments that do not play their crucial role in assisting in youth emancipation and education, or that use the police, detentions and fines in order to harass our peoples’ youth organisations when involved in peaceful demonstrations against the reductions in social and national rights and freedoms. Access to housing, starter jobs and education is becoming more and more expensive and complicated, forcing the youth to seek for a better situation away from their families, friends and home countries. Emigration in the last five years has become a common story among the youth in Southern and Eastern Europe, where thousands of young people had to pack their luggage, buy a cheap ticket to the UK or Germany, and look for a job there. Salaries have been continuously falling to mid 80s levels, despite the cost of living ever increasing, making it unaffordable to live in their home countries. A u-turn in these policies is needed, and soon. The European Union has a crucial role to play in order to prevent the loss of a whole generation, because a society with a lost youth generation becomes a society without future, doomed to failure. Our proposal From EFAy we propose to re-engage the European Union with its youth by urgently tripling the EU funding for the Erasmus+ programme and for the Youth Employment Initiative in order to provide all young people leaving the school system with a job, an internship or at least training in their own home countries. It is a must to encourage the job creation for young people with social measures in this way, as well as to open the access to higher education to anyone: a well educated society is always a richer society.
Chapter 4: Socio-Economics
EU policies must be put in place to protect workers, ranging from tax reductions for employee retention to increasing redundancy pay, and supporting internal flexibility. A minimum wage policy at EU level must also be set. A policy must be put in place that allows workers to take over a collapsing firm as a cooperative organisation. To protect the environment and public health, the EU must pursue policies designed to implement an environmentally and socially sustainable economic and production model. Economic and fiscal powers, as well as legislative powers, should be extended to the EU level and sub-state level to enhance their democratisation.
The value of the economy as a tool lies within its ability to serve people, but today it seems that it is people that serve the economy. This unsustainable situation that we are experiencing, a result of the abuses of supranational economic powers and the interest of certain countries that have abandoned the idea of communitarian equality, needs to be drastically revised. As a result, EFAy’s socioeconomic proposal is based on two main principles: The economy for people and the economy for peoples. Economy for people In order to re-establish the people-economy hierarchy, certain modifications are needed when we act, all of them aimed at creating a real social justice. Firstly, the weight of the crisis must not fall on people, and as such, we call for a labour policy that does not abandon workers. We currently witness how states favour the power of big business through the flexibilisation of employment law and the fall in the minimum wage, which means that we face high rates of unemployment and a fall in the purchasing power of workers. In order to combat this tendency, we propose means of favouring job creation using policies such as tax reduction for firms that maintain their workers, raising the rate of redundancy pay, increasing the notification period for redundancy, and financing training programmes for workers in order to increase internal flexibility within firms. As regards to the minimum wage, we propose that a percentage rate is set for every state at an EU level. Secondly, we cannot permit that a firm's collapse leaves all of its workers in the street. We propose therefore that the workers have the option of taking over the firm to convert it into a cooperative organisation with the condition of assessment and the offer of economic assistance. Furthermore, promoting innovation, research, development and education is fundamental. Increasing financial initiatives to these sectors is necessary and could avoid the closure of firms, give work to a highly qualified sector of workers while increasing the number of jobs, and achieve advancements that could favour the creation of new firms with higher competitiveness in international trade. Therefore, the EU should increase its direct and indirect financial support as well as defining a common cooperative framework as the EU has a high leverage effect. It is important not to forget that the environment is a common good that we must preserve, thus tackling climate change should be one of the key EU policies as a global leader in the field. Such a policy should be implemented according to both the principles of multi-level governance and of subsidiarity. In order to guarantee the protection of the environment as part of our common heritage from which we all benefit, a more solid European policy must be protected from the
influence of lobbies and multinationals. Such a policy should focus on increasing investment in clean energy, phasing out nuclear power plants, supervising sustainable and local energy models, energy efficiency, and adopting a common policy in order to avoid environmental inequalities within each country, between countries, and between the EU and third countries. A stricter regulation of access is needed for multinationals and lobbies to European institutions. Lastly, but not in the slightest the least important factor, we must ensure that people are guaranteed efficient and high quality public services. We propose that investment in public healthcare is favoured in order to ensure universal access to the latest technological advancements and the most effective treatments, and that the construction of infrastructure within territories is regulated in order to avoid administrative duplication and to reduce unnecessary red tape. A public system must be set in place which is in contact with the personal realities of individuals that are in need of help, which guarantees basic rights such as adequate nutrition, housing and dignity, and which favours equality amongst European citizens. Thus, the EU should create an EU common cooperative framework in this sector in order to promote better and fairer health care systems as well as defining the minimum EU standards. Economy for Peoples In the European Union, which is currently a failing Union of States, the EU level as well as the stateless nations, regions and minorities have in their possession neither a fully fledged fiscal policy, nor fully fledged legislative powers. Thus, the real economic power is either in the hands of undemocratic bodies (financial banks, the European Central Bank) or in the hands of oligarchic centralised administrations in the member states. In the Europe of peoples we are calling for both levels, the supra-state level (EU level) and the substate (the stateless nations, regions, and minorities) to be granted fully fledged legislative and fiscal powers in order to rebalance the repartition of the economic power to make it serve the people, to bring it closer to the people and to make it more efficient. From a democratic and economic point of view, it is necessary, and urgently so, to provide all the peoples of Europe with economic and legislative powers. Moreover, the EU should be granted the same powers by pooling certain competences in order to define an EU-wide fiscal and legislative framework in which the member states and the sub-state authorities should be free to make their own policies according to the subsidiarity principle. The EU should not lead to an unfair social and fiscal dumping amongst European peoples but should rather help to improve and upgrade the economic social and environmental policies of the European peoples towards a sustainable inclusive and fair economic model, respecting the subsidiarity principle and based on an enhanced democratisation of its structure. Moreover, the EU should defend, support and promote this sustainable inclusive and fair economic model in all international forums as part of its share to the global answer for a better, safer and fairer world in which economics should serve people’s interests, respecting the limits of the planet, and not an oligarchy stealing the natural resources of peoples.
Chapter 5: Language and Culture
Education should be dealt with at a stateless nation, regional or sub-state level. Education should be available to young people in the language of their choice. Sub-state and minority languages should be supported in situations outside of the educational system, such as in dealings with public institutions. A new programme called “Lingua” must be created to support non-official EU languages, especially endangered ones. The EU should support youth participation in cultural events. The EU should support and promote broadcasting and press in sub-state and minority languages.
EFAy represents a broad range of youth organisations from stateless nations and regions throughout Europe which have their own culture, language or sense of identity. A different culture or language is often a defining factor for many of the territories that we represent, and are therefore an important area of action for our individual organisations as well as for EFAy as a collective movement. We also realise that some organisations are at a different stage in the struggle for equality; while some are consolidating a normalisation process, others are fighting for the mere recognition of their language by state authorities. The diversity of our languages and cultures shapes the identity of our continent, and is something to celebrate. Education Education is a key factor in the revival and safeguarding of our languages. EFAy believes that education should be dealt with at a stateless nation, regional or sub-state level. All young people have the right to be taught in their national language in a public, secular and a fairly funded schooling system. We condemn every state or regional government that withholds this right and we will fight to ensure the growth of minority and sub-state languages in education throughout the European Union. We believe that young people should be able to continue their education in the language of their choice after completing obligatory schooling. EFAy supports the introduction of sub-state and minority languages in universities and their use as a medium of teaching. Vocational studies should also be offered in sub-state and minority languages, reflecting the need for a vibrant young workforce with strong language skills and cultural awareness. Language opportunities Despite the importance of teaching sub-state and minority languages in the education system, it is also key to support initiatives that promote languages outside the classroom. EFAy encourages the growth and promotion of extra-curricular activities, be they cultural, sporting or leisure activities held in sub-state and minority languages, and suggests that both state and European institutions invest to safeguard these important initiatives. More often than enough, however, opportunities to use sub-state or minority languages outside of a school environment are hard to come by. EFAy advocates more financial and institutional support for youth organisations that use sub-state or minority languages, and believes that it is the responsibility of governments to ensure that a minimal extra-curricular service is provided to all those who study in minority or sub-state languages.
In many territories, it is almost impossible to use minority languages in everyday life, especially while dealing with public institutions. EFAy supports campaigns to push for language equality throughout Europe, and advocates all young people’s basic right to use their language while dealing with public administration.
Cultural activities Culture enriches the lives of young people across the continent, but is often the first victim of budget cuts at the time of economic crisis. We defend a sustainable model that provides due recognition to the importance of culture throughout Europe and that encourages young people to participate in cultural activities. Young people are often barred from participating in cultural activities, such as the theatre, cinema and concerts due to economic problems. EFAy suggests that the European Union provides funding to offer reduced rates to students and unemployed youth in every member state. We condemn all so-called cultural activities that involve the mistreatment of animals, such as bullfighting, bear-baiting and fox hunting, and call for a Europe-wide moratorium of such cruel activities. We demand the creation of a new EU programme, ‘‘Lingua’’ aiming at supporting all non-official EU languages, especially those which are endangered. Broadcasting and the press Broadcasting and the press in minority languages should be supported and promoted by European institutions. We condemn the fact that the EU subsidises brutal sports such as bullfighting, without giving due attention to supporting broadcasting and the printed press in sub-state and minority languages. We defend the creation of a new EU programme supporting all TV, radio and newspapers throughout Europe. Many territories throughout Europe share a language with another member state, especially in border regions. Stringent laws on broadcasting often mean that minorities in other states are unable to receive television or radio signal from the neighbouring state, making it difficult for minority language speakers to practise and live through the medium of their mother tongue. This also applies to the internet, a medium that the majority of young people use to view television programmes. EFAy calls for cooperation between member states to ensure that national minorities in neighbouring states are able to view public television channels from the states with which they share a language. We call for European laws to be relaxed on the broadcasting of programmes on the internet, providing young people with access to television or radio in their language.
Chapter 6: Europe
EFAy calls for a more devolved but integrated European Union, where competences are clearly and rationally distributed, with a focus on self-determination and subsidiarity, a supporting internal enlargement. EFAy calls for more democratic EU institutions. The European Parliament should be stronger and must have full legislative powers, and the Commission should be democratically elected. The Council should also represent peoples democratically. Competences should be more evenly and rationally divided between the EU, state, and sub-state or national/regional levels, respecting the national sovereignty of the peoples. EFAy calls for more integration on the economic level in Europe, including a support of Eurozone integration. Freedom of movement in the EU must be protected and supported.
EU Institutions EFAy calls for a ‘‘Europe of Peoples’’ and defends an open, subsidiarity-based, stronger, more democratic and more inclusive European Union. A different Union We desire a more devolved European Union. In accordance with the nations' right to selfdetermination, we defend the concept of internal enlargement. The peoples of Europe do themselves have the right to choose their political structures and should not be limited by boundaries which were arbitrarily set in the wars and tyrannies that ravaged our continent in the previous centuries of our history. If a stateless nation or a region within the European Union desires to hold a referendum on independence, we always support their right to do so. Nonetheless, we do not as an organisation support either side of such a referendum. The will of the people is the only possible source of legitimacy for the existence of a state. We will thus always be on the side of the peoples, and their voice as expressed in free and fair referendums or democratic processes. We desire a more integrated European Union – preferably a federal political union. We do nevertheless reject the concept of a centralised federation. We desire a lean political union where the competences are clearly and rationally distributed among the different political levels. Central to this is the democratic weight, which holds the decisions as near to the people as possible. We reject violence as a political tool, top-down or bottom-up. The European peoples should not be forced to accept a treaty and self-determination movements should be led through a non-violent process. A more democratic European Union We desire a stronger European Parliament which is the only directly elected body of the EU. The election process should furthermore be democratised and made easier to understand for lay people, with a pan-European election system that ensures proportional representation of nation-states, stateless nations and electoral lists, and the presence of representatives from all regions and nations of the Union. We desire a democratic election of the European Commission including its president. This could take place through the election of the president through the European Parliament or by direct popular
election. The Commission should subsequently be nominated by the president and confirmed by parliament. We desire a more democratic Council. This body should no longer be a chamber of the governments. Where the Parliament is the chamber of the people, the Council should be the chamber of the peoples, whose members should be democratically elected, with each state having equally many representatives. Moreover, the votes and debates within the Council of Minister should be made public and transparent. EFAy calls for a more powerful Committee of Regions which should be granted legislative powers concerning the European Cohesion policy-related legislative texts. The possibility should be open to hold Union-wide referendums concerning matters of the Union, when – for example – a million signatures for such a referendum have been collected and delivered to the Commission. EU Competences EFAy calls for a simultaneous transfer of competences from Member states to both supra-state level (the Union) and sub-state level (stateless national or regional level). The guiding principle should be that the Union should be responsible for external affairs, global issues (climate change, peace, human rights, people’s rights, etc.) and economic fields (in order to fight against internal and external unfair social and fiscal dumping, for example by setting the framework in which the member states and regional authorities could have the freedom to fix details according to the EU common framework); the states shall be responsible for all affairs concerning the redistribution of wealth; and the regions shall be responsible for the direct contact to the peoples, and for all affairs relative to local culture, nature, language and identity, and development and strength of the region. Overall distribution of competences In accordance with the above-mentioned guiding principle, we desire for the Union to be responsible for foreign affairs, developmental aid, international trade, defence, climate, competition, consumer protection, transport affairs of European importance, economic affairs, cross-border law enforcement and the enforcement of fundamental human and minority rights. We desire for the states to be responsible for collection of income taxes, social security, labour market affairs, law enforcement and transport affairs of greater importance. We desire for the regions to be responsible for internal affairs, education at all levels, health, culture, integration of foreigners, ethical matters, environmental protection, transport affairs of regional importance, local law enforcement, the application of fundamental human and minority rights; but also energy, agriculture and fisheries, research and innovation while defined in an EU-wide framework. Global Affairs We desire for the Union to be responsible for foreign affairs, developmental aid, international trade and defence. Politically, diplomatically, it makes more sense to move toward a more integrated Europe in the field of Global Affairs. This would allow the EU to be more independent from other powers by strengthening both soft and hard power. We want human rights to be the core goal of the European external action. The EU should defend first and primarily the human rights across the world, especially the nations' right to self-
determination, the rights of minorities, the rights of women and children and the rights of all humans to a life in dignity. We desire for the European Union to relentlessly push for a reduction of both the global greenhouse gasses emission and nuclear arsenal in all relevant international forums. Economic framework We desire for the Union to have the overall responsibility for economic stability and sustainable economic growth. The instrument of monetary policy is partially in European hands, but reforms are required to make the European Central Bank a fully fledged Central Bank (no conditionality between supporting economic development and fighting against inflation, and the possibility to be the lender of last resort). Moreover, the other tools of economic policy (fiscal power for instance) should be added to this one. We desire a stronger integration within the EU on the economic fields with additional economic, social and fiscal coordination. The EU level should define the European common framework in which the Member states or regional authorities should have the freedom to fix details and rate such as the VAT. We desire a harmonisation of the European Corporate Tax base, to avoid unfair competition among member states on this component of the taxation system while member state or regional authorities should be able to fix the rate. EFAy asks for a stronger European Budget finance by genuine own resources as the Financial Transaction Tax, a centralised European Corporate Tax and/or pigovian taxes. This would provide the Union with the central macro-economical tool of fiscal policy to recover from this and prevent other crises Eurozone integration We support the Euro and on the long term, we desire for all member states to join the common currency. We desire a stronger integration within the member states of the Eurozone area, with where appropriate additional economic, social regulations and coordination and fiscal capacity. We desire a better coordination between Member states of the Eurozone area and those who should join it in the future. Toward new internal and external enlargements: We defend the principle of internal enlargement: all stateless nations which want to become an independent member state of the EU should be able to become a new Member state after a democratic process. We defend the principle of external enlargement: states which respect and accept both the legal construct of the European Union and the Copenhagen Criteria shall be able to join the Union if they democratically decide it. Freedom of Movement in Schengen Area We defend freedom of movement within the Schengen area which is a key policy for minorities, peoples and stateless nations split due to Member states’ borders.
We plead for stricter controls at the common external borders, possibly strengthening current rule, establishing a longer and more efficient phasing-in period for new Member states to enter into the Schengen area. This includes better coordination between Member states, responsible for controlling at their borders, and the EU, responsible for setting the rules and for managing the system, as well as better coordination between EU members states within the Schengen area and those outside to limit the negative borders effects within the EU especially in the application of the freedom of movement.