[en] Burning issues

Today's EU decision-making system is not democratic, and we are now seeing where non-democratic systems can send a continent: to loss of independence, destabilization of foreign relations and war. With the crisis that has been hitting Europe since 2009, the EU is on the verge of collapse, left with the choice of being put under control of either foreign powers or extremist forces.
 
It is high time the Europeans seize the European ship for themselves, for the sake of the continent's return to peace, prosperity, independence and positive global influence.
The upcoming European elections provide an opportunity for us, citizens, and for you, campaigning political parties, to put Europe back on the right track. These are not just any elections. Europe is at a historic crossroads, and thus we have a historic responsibility. Under the current circumstances, the "not anti-Europe” and the “pro-democracy" political parties running for the election cannot just "purr" their usual topics: they must be clear on their positions regarding a certain number of burning issues, engage themselves to turn these positions into political fights, and find the means to increase their capacity of influence once elected. Thanks to clear political engagements on key issues, this coming election and the parties running for it can help European citizens to take control of the European ship at last!
 
In order to bring up the real questions concerning Europe's future in this campaign, Newropeans-Magazine with the support of Newropeans, Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri, LEAP, IRPA and FEFAP, has collected the most urgent topics for the necessary debate and formulated to each topic questions to the parties which campaign for these elections. Newropeans-Magazine will publish all answers as a tool for the European citizens, and invites all forces who share these concerns to fight together for this emergency program.
 
This project is dedicated to the memory of our founder Franck Biancheri, who has worked for thirty years to give a voice to the European citizens. He has invented the Democracy Marathon and participated in hundreds of conferences to raise the real questions for Europe's future. Newropeans-Magazine, the first trans-European political online magazine, has played a vital role in this and is using this work to initiate the “Real Debate about Europe's Future “to save the future of the Europeans.


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I. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Democracy in danger
 
The TTIP aims at eliminating our current system of governance and law. It’s not aimed at serving the interests of the European citizens, but those of the major global economic and financial players. It is pushed by Obama, who is also fighting to regain fast-track authority (i.e. congress can only say yes or no to the whole treaty)1, because his political support in his own country is very low and because of the desperate economic and financial situation in the US. It is pushed by the EU commission, which has become a machine for liberalization, against the interests of the Europeans.
TTIP is negotiated by people, who are not elected, who are not under any kind of political and democratic control and who enjoy lifelong immunity from acts done in office.2
 
The TTIP talks are done in secrecy, without any kind of control by the EU member-states (European Council), European Parliament or the European citizens.  The text of the treaty will be made public only after it is signed and is not reviewable.3
 
To a large extent TTIP will eliminate the sovereignty of Europe and the EU member states. It will allow private companies to sue European governments if their laws and regulations are a hindrance to the optimal profit of those companies. It is negotiated notwithstanding conflicting transatlantic relations in many areas: food security, GMO, NSA spying programs, agriculture, culture …4
 
In Europe the resistance against the TTIP is growing and getting organized.  If the TTIP is not accepted by the national parliaments or the European parliament, this will likely create strong diplomatic tensions between the EU member states and the US.5
 

• Will you take part in a European coalition against the TTIP if called?
   

 
II. Ukraine Crisis: Independence in danger
 
The European project was built as an alternative to the old world, in which the European national states fought against each other through diplomacy and wars. Now, 100 years after the beginning of the First World War, we have a situation in which this old world comes back into reality. The current EU does not have strong political leadership and is thus largely dominated by US interests.
 
LEAP has called the Ukraine crisis “US reaction for survival: trigger a cold war to make it easier to annex Europe“ and explains: “Our team believes that this operation's purpose is nothing less than an attempt to annex Europe ( thanks especially to the TTIP free-trade treaty, but more generally by the occupation of the immeasurable European political vacuum, and by the repositioning of US troops on European soil, which is currently taking place) to consolidate a Dollar zone which is in full collapse, knowing that if the Dollar ceases to be the principal currency for international trade, the US will collapse instantly. Thus, it really is survival that we are talking about."6
 
In this situation LEAP has formulated eight strategic recommendations and calls for a “Convention of the Eurozone Heads of State for European Peace and Independence”.7
 

•  Will you support a Convention of the Eurozone Heads of State for European Peace and Independence?

 
III. NATO: Peace in danger
 
Europe is the result of a peace process, and so it is Europe's vocation and obligation to be a peaceful actor in the world. NATO is a relic of the old world which emerged after the Second World War and which does not exist on a global scale any longer. Now we are in a situation in which NATO forces are being brought into position against Russia on our European territory, a situation which could be solved on the continent through talks and negotiations, but instead threatens to bring war into the European space.
 
This also affects the principle of European integrity. In the EU every member state is insured to be defended by other member states, if it is under threat of any kind of external attack, but Europe has no common defense, so Newropeans has fought through its program for the building up of a European defense.
 
Now with the Ukrainian crisis we see member states negotiating with the US and NATO on a bilateral basis for the establishment of military bases.
 

• Do you support the removal of all non-European armed forces from European territory, and especially the removal of US nuclear weapons?

 
IV. Disable the EEAS (European External Action Service) or put it under political control
 
The EEAS and the high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ashton, are to a large degree responsible for starting the escalation in the Ukraine. Therefore LEAP writes in its second strategic recommendation: “To do this, it’s imperative to punish the European Commission’s External Action Service’s political irresponsibility and remind it of its duty to execute the decisions made by the member states. The External Action Service is a European diplomatic service that has no legitimacy to speak on the Europeans’ behalf, and even less to make strategic decisions whose consequences are the destruction of relations with our neighbors, the setting in motion of civil wars in neighboring countries and the  creation of risks of war or iron curtains. Both in substance and form there is nothing easier than reminding the EEAS of its duties and linking it to a more democratically legitimate political decision-making body.”8

• Do you support the call to disable the EEAS or put it under political control?

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V.  International politics of EU under democratic control
 
 
Newropeans believes that the European international politics can only be effective and legitimate when it is based on the pillars of democratic processes, which means:
 
- Transparent decision making in regard to the stipulations of European international politics, including international trading policies, and especially the European positions regarding the decision making bodies of the large multi-lateral institutions (UNO, WTO, International Monetary Funds, World bank,…);
 
- An annual debate in the parliament regarding practices of European Foreign Policy for the coming
years, and subsequent ballots with a qualified majority;
 
- Voting of the parliament on every mission of European troops. This measure can only be adopted
after a joint defense policy has been agreed upon, which defines the military structures of
European politics. In the meantime, Newropeans recommends votes of the European council with a simple majority concerning military missions within a multilateral framework (EU or NATO);
 
- A trans-European referendum with a double majority (majority of European citizens and
majority of the member states) to decide upon major changes of community treaties, and, in particular, enlargements.
 

• Do you support Newropeans' proposal that any major change of community treaties, especially any enlargement, can only be done through a trans-European referendum?

 
VI. Democratic Euroland governance
 
Newropeans has for years criticized the undemocratic EU system, and in its “16 proposals"9 and program10 has formulated an alternative. It employs a unique electoral law, trans-European parties and lists, having half the seats in the European Parliament elected through trans-European lists, and having the governing body elected by such a parliament, poly-centrism and multilingualism.
 
As we can see in the current campaign and through the probable outcome of the elections, the implementation of this proposal is essential for a European parliamentary body.
 
Today we are facing a profound political crisis and a lack of political leadership in the EU, which risks undermining the success of the integration. The EU has been largely dominated and blocked by the UK and through the UK by the US. Now as both are in disarray, this EU is collapsing. In order to go forward, Newropeans proposes not focusing on this collapsing EU framework, but rather on Euroland.
 
In recent years the Euro, which has been created without political integration, has been under attack. The UK has decided against the Euro and against Euroland and has been trying to prevent the establishment of a Euroland governance. In spite of this, the first institutions of a Euroland governance have developed. Thus, Euroland is emerging as a new sovereign entity, but is not democratic, rather it is a creation of the national European governments which are not responsible to the European citizens as a whole. Consequently, Newropeans is fighting for a democratization of Euroland.
 

•  Do you support Newropeans’ proposal to build up a democratic Euroland?