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Data: 03/06/2014
European Civic Forum - Newsletter May 2014
Editorial
We would have been better off with a remark like “a 43.09% electoral turnout in EU elections is slightly higher than in 2009, but still shows the distance between a large majority of citizens and European institutions”. But European elections are more than a participation check we go through every five years to learn a bit more about people’s perceptions on a distant Europe. And unfortunately this time, we witnessed the worrying raise of electoral forces whose political discourse is based on exclusion and retreat to nationalism. Here they are targeting migrants, there unemployed people or Roma’s right to mobility. They all seem to find in Europe the perfect scapegoat when appealing to victims of the economic crisis or, even more worrying, to those citizens of rather rich countries, and not hardest hit by the crisis, who fear being the next victims of exclusion.
Growing inequalities in the access to fundamental rights is the central issue in the present political scene. It poses some major questions to all those, still holding a very large majority, whose discourse on our society are grounded on human rights values claimed by the European project. Can the EU stick to the present policy framework and still count to reverse such a regressive trend? Or do we need to reshape together the entire institutional and political framework to insure a common future which includes all?
We hope the current right wing extremist and xenophobic breakthrough in voting turnout that many qualify as “earthquake”, will awaken all forces that claim the European project is about shared wealth, equality, access to fundamental rights. We hope they will understand we are entering a new stage in the European development when “business as usual” is not an option anymore.
As far as we are concerned, we ask for European policies that give real substance to collective objectives of solidarity, equality and democracy. For this to happen, Europe must rebalance finance and economy with social justice. Europe should make equality, solidarity and democracy rule over the market. Europe should reintroduce a virtuous circle linking cohesive policies and active citizenship.
News from the European Civic Forum
• “Equality, Solidarity, Democracy for Europe”, three words which are making their way around European circles. Since February, the Manifesto has travelled from France to Italy, via the UK and all the way to Bulgaria, and gained support from the associative as well as the political sphere. In Romania, it was presented to EU candidates for discussion prior to the elections; in France, it has been at the heart of La Ligue des droits de l’Homme’s daily actions all along this first term, in their monthly review as well as during conferences.
The Manifesto was also subject of debate with MEP’s Marie-Christine Vergiat, Catherine Trautmann and candidate Quintin Dickinson the European Civic Forum organised during the uropean Parliament’s Open Doors Day in Strasbourg, preceding the elections.
Tool for reflection and action, contributions are welcome: whether for or against, they will only enrich the debate on the fundamental values which must be at the core of any discussion on the future we are commonly engaging in. The Manifesto is now available in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan and Bulgarian. We welcome other spontaneous translations!
• Save the date for ECF Civic Days in Athens. The ECF will host its annual conference “European Civic Days” this year in Athens, from 25th to 27th of June. The destination was chosen according to the traditional approach of the civic days, in the country holding the Presidency of the EU Council. The Greek economic and social situation have contributed to knit a program of reflection with a starting point on civil society’s response to the failure of State action in insuring welfare and access to commons. See more info here and get registered!
News from the Network
• Netwerk Democratie / Counterpoint / We need to talk about Europe. The research led by London based think tank Counterpoint on innovative reaction to rising populism aimed at recapturing Europe’s reluctant radicals, coordinated in the Netherlands by ECF member Netwerk Democratie, recently released its short film “We need to talk about Europe”. Drawing consequences from the past, and lessons for the future.
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