Europe United has placed the need for more popular participation in EU decision-making at the core of its existence. We put the need for institutional reform to make the EU more democratic at the centre of our campaign. We strive for an EU that will be as inclusive as possible, an EU that will put popular participation at the centre of its institutional structure.We want a Europe of the people, by the people and for the people. Read more...
A Europe of Citizens
The battle of European integration will be won or lost in the hearts and minds of European citizens. The EU project is at a crossroads. For all the distance it has covered in the last 50 years, the EU has failed to capture the imagination and gain the trust of its people. Despite its paramount achievements, (the solidification of peace and prosperity on the European continent after the Second World War, the creation of common decision-making structures with supranational institutions independent of Member States, the creation of a Single Market, the adoption of single currency and the re-unification of Europe after the collapse of the Iron Curtain, to name only a few) the EU remains an elitist construction, detached from the very people it is supposed to exist for.
Europe United believes in European integration, believes in the historically unique model of state cooperation that the EU has produced. We feel, however, that the EU will never achieve its full potential unless it has its people as its engine, its citizens in the driver’s seat. We need to bring the people to the heart of the European integration process, and the best way to achieve that is by involving them as much as possible in the decision-making process. The EU needs citizens rather than subjects, active participants in policy-making rather than passive recipients of instructions. The EU itself, its legislative procedures and the quality and effectiveness of its policies stand to gain by involving the people as much as possible.
Institutional Reform
Europe United has placed the need for more popular participation at the core of its existence. Our movement has successfully incorporated all its members in its decision-making structures, and we are proud that our members are involved 100% in the drawing up, debate and adoption of our policy positions. In the same way, we strive for an EU that will be as inclusive as possible, an EU that will put popular participation at the centre of its institutional structure.
There are many ways to achieve that. To begin with, increasing the EU-related information supplied to citizens, incorporating EU-related subjects into the national education systems, setting up public forums, increasing consultation procedures with civil society, enhancing the role of national parliaments in EU decision-making, and making the European Parliament stronger, the Commission more accountable and the Council more transparent.
The general principles described above will be at the heart of our campaign for institutional reform, which forms the fundamental principle upon which our party is established. They will underly our continuous activity campaigning the EU institutions and Member State governments and they will form the base for our campaign in the European elections in 2009. In the meantime they are the motivation for Europe United’s 'Five Demands for Institutional Reform'.
Therefore Europe United calls for:
1. True European elections, contested by real, pan-European parties, running common campaigns across the EU.
The current framework according to which national parties run campaigns for European elections based on national agendas defies the whole idea of European election and a European Parliament. Political groupings in the parliament, such as the PES or the EPP, do not have a common political consciousness. Candidates should debate EU issues, such as the ways that the Parliament can help reform the Common Agricultural Policy, or tackle the issue of illegal immigration, climate change or security of energy supplies. Instead they are consumed, in most cases, by contests that take the form of referenda to measure national government popularity. This results in low understanding of what European elections are for and what the European Parliament does, leading, of course, to the indifference of the electorate and low participation rates. Europe United believes that by establishing common European parties (rather than umbrella organisations like the current groupings in the European Parliament today) which will run common campaigns across the EU and debate EU issues in a direct and informative way, the political value of European elections will be increased and voters made aware of the importance of the European Parliament.
2. Each EU party to nominate its candidates for Commission President and Commission members ahead of European elections. The Commission will then be composed of members of the winning party (or coalition of parties) in the directly elected EP.
A strong and representative European Parliament must, like national parliaments, be able to determine the policies and government of the Union. The most effective way to achieve that is by giving the European Parliament the power to choose the President and the members of the institution responsible for initiating EU legislation, in the EU’s case the European Commission. Such a move will make European elections relevant because it will give EU citizens the ability to determine, through their elected representatives, the people that are responsible for the drawing up of EU legislation. EU citizens will feel that their vote counts for something and will be inclined to participate in European elections in greater numbers, thus increasing the legitimacy of the electoral process itself and the institution that this process produces.
3. The European executive should be accountable to the European legislature. Greater European Parliamentary scrutiny of Commission and Council decision-making powers.
In every democracy the executive is accountable to the legislature. In the same way, the Commission and the Council of the EU must be more accountable to the European Parliament. Greater powers of scrutiny must be awarded to the directly elected European Parliament to ensure that the policies initiated by the technocrats in the Commission and adopted by diplomats and national civil servants in the Council have the approval of the people.
4. Decisions on Commission legislative proposals to be taken in common by the Council representing EU governments and the directly elected European Parliament representing the people, through a combination of qualified majority in the Council and simple majority in the European Parliament.
To have a truly representative EU, the Members States of the EU (represented in the Council) and the directly elected representatives of the people in the European Parliament must have an equal say in the process of EU decision-making. Therefore, we propose a system according to which decisions on EU legislation will be made through an enhanced co-decision procedure in which EU laws will be adopted by the Council, voting by qualified majority, and the European Parliament, voting by simple majority.
5. We want greater consultation of civil society and stakeholders when EU legislation is drafted, greater communication and constant open dialogue with EU citizens.
The Commission is already engaged in talks with stakeholders when drafting EU legislation. We would like to see this process institutionalised as much as possible, ensuring that all elements of civic society can have an input in a clearly established and inclusive consultation process before EU legislation is drafted. All those affected by draft legislation should have the opportunity to make an input and have a say in the drawing up of that piece of legislation. This will involve people directly in the making of EU law that is to affect their lives, and give them a share in the EU legislation process.
Do you agree? Sign the petition!
The battle of European integration will be won or lost in the hearts and minds of European citizens. The EU project is at a crossroads. For all the distance it has covered in the last 50 years, the EU has failed to capture the imagination and gain the trust of its people. Despite its paramount achievements, (the solidification of peace and prosperity on the European continent after the Second World War, the creation of common decision-making structures with supranational institutions independent of Member States, the creation of a Single Market, the adoption of single currency and the re-unification of Europe after the collapse of the Iron Curtain, to name only a few) the EU remains an elitist construction, detached from the very people it is supposed to exist for.
Europe United believes in European integration, believes in the historically unique model of state cooperation that the EU has produced. We feel, however, that the EU will never achieve its full potential unless it has its people as its engine, its citizens in the driver’s seat. We need to bring the people to the heart of the European integration process, and the best way to achieve that is by involving them as much as possible in the decision-making process. The EU needs citizens rather than subjects, active participants in policy-making rather than passive recipients of instructions. The EU itself, its legislative procedures and the quality and effectiveness of its policies stand to gain by involving the people as much as possible.
Institutional Reform
Europe United has placed the need for more popular participation at the core of its existence. Our movement has successfully incorporated all its members in its decision-making structures, and we are proud that our members are involved 100% in the drawing up, debate and adoption of our policy positions. In the same way, we strive for an EU that will be as inclusive as possible, an EU that will put popular participation at the centre of its institutional structure.
There are many ways to achieve that. To begin with, increasing the EU-related information supplied to citizens, incorporating EU-related subjects into the national education systems, setting up public forums, increasing consultation procedures with civil society, enhancing the role of national parliaments in EU decision-making, and making the European Parliament stronger, the Commission more accountable and the Council more transparent.
The general principles described above will be at the heart of our campaign for institutional reform, which forms the fundamental principle upon which our party is established. They will underly our continuous activity campaigning the EU institutions and Member State governments and they will form the base for our campaign in the European elections in 2009. In the meantime they are the motivation for Europe United’s 'Five Demands for Institutional Reform'.
Therefore Europe United calls for:
1. True European elections, contested by real, pan-European parties, running common campaigns across the EU.
The current framework according to which national parties run campaigns for European elections based on national agendas defies the whole idea of European election and a European Parliament. Political groupings in the parliament, such as the PES or the EPP, do not have a common political consciousness. Candidates should debate EU issues, such as the ways that the Parliament can help reform the Common Agricultural Policy, or tackle the issue of illegal immigration, climate change or security of energy supplies. Instead they are consumed, in most cases, by contests that take the form of referenda to measure national government popularity. This results in low understanding of what European elections are for and what the European Parliament does, leading, of course, to the indifference of the electorate and low participation rates. Europe United believes that by establishing common European parties (rather than umbrella organisations like the current groupings in the European Parliament today) which will run common campaigns across the EU and debate EU issues in a direct and informative way, the political value of European elections will be increased and voters made aware of the importance of the European Parliament.
2. Each EU party to nominate its candidates for Commission President and Commission members ahead of European elections. The Commission will then be composed of members of the winning party (or coalition of parties) in the directly elected EP.
A strong and representative European Parliament must, like national parliaments, be able to determine the policies and government of the Union. The most effective way to achieve that is by giving the European Parliament the power to choose the President and the members of the institution responsible for initiating EU legislation, in the EU’s case the European Commission. Such a move will make European elections relevant because it will give EU citizens the ability to determine, through their elected representatives, the people that are responsible for the drawing up of EU legislation. EU citizens will feel that their vote counts for something and will be inclined to participate in European elections in greater numbers, thus increasing the legitimacy of the electoral process itself and the institution that this process produces.
3. The European executive should be accountable to the European legislature. Greater European Parliamentary scrutiny of Commission and Council decision-making powers.
In every democracy the executive is accountable to the legislature. In the same way, the Commission and the Council of the EU must be more accountable to the European Parliament. Greater powers of scrutiny must be awarded to the directly elected European Parliament to ensure that the policies initiated by the technocrats in the Commission and adopted by diplomats and national civil servants in the Council have the approval of the people.
4. Decisions on Commission legislative proposals to be taken in common by the Council representing EU governments and the directly elected European Parliament representing the people, through a combination of qualified majority in the Council and simple majority in the European Parliament.
To have a truly representative EU, the Members States of the EU (represented in the Council) and the directly elected representatives of the people in the European Parliament must have an equal say in the process of EU decision-making. Therefore, we propose a system according to which decisions on EU legislation will be made through an enhanced co-decision procedure in which EU laws will be adopted by the Council, voting by qualified majority, and the European Parliament, voting by simple majority.
5. We want greater consultation of civil society and stakeholders when EU legislation is drafted, greater communication and constant open dialogue with EU citizens.
The Commission is already engaged in talks with stakeholders when drafting EU legislation. We would like to see this process institutionalised as much as possible, ensuring that all elements of civic society can have an input in a clearly established and inclusive consultation process before EU legislation is drafted. All those affected by draft legislation should have the opportunity to make an input and have a say in the drawing up of that piece of legislation. This will involve people directly in the making of EU law that is to affect their lives, and give them a share in the EU legislation process.
Do you agree? Sign the petition!
