After the European elections. What to do for a united, fair and democratic Europe

 

The Presidents of European Movements in Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland and Spain,

1. have discussed the results of the last European elections and have reached the following conclusions:

 

• The participation of the EU citizens has been grown up in quite all the 28 European countries showing the greater interest on the European dimension and on the future of European Union;

 

• After a long media campaign on the potential and growing influence of the nationalists, the pro-Europeans have maintained a large majority in the EP and anti-EU groups have only slightly increased their strenght. It seems very difficult that they could reach a common strategy and in any case their strenght will decrease considerably after Brexit;

 

• It should be acknowledged that the Renew Europe (former ALDE) and the Greens (EFA) have substantially improved their representativeness at the EP which is why – along the EPP and the S&D – they should be part of the broad majority that could express the vote of confidence to the new European Commission;

 

• Spitzenkandidaten have contributed to make candidates more known to the electorate. Adopting the Spitzenkandidaten method, the European political parties have however neglected their duty “to form the European political awareness and to express the will of European citizens” via true European political programs (art. 10.4 TEU). Still, the European Council has to accept the publically most known candidates and the majority of the European Parliament in its proposal of the next Commission President (art. 17 TEU) to be elected by Parliament. In future, transnational lists shall help to strengthen the Spitzenkandidaten process.

 

 

1. We have the following proposals:

 

• Are committed on the fact that the European system must strengthen its character of parliamentary democracy, interrupting the intergovernmental drift, in view to respect this principle of the treaty “the functioning of the Union is founded on the representative democracy” (art. 10.1 TEU);

 

• Emphasize the need for the European Parliament to be at the centre of parliamentary democratic legislation in a bicameral system; Accordinlgy, it needs to be given a full right of initiative while the Council must be more transparent in its decision-making and debates, grant access to relevant documents and publish dates, agendas as well as four-column documents of trilogues.

 

• Strongly support the democratic need that the new President of the Commission has to be chosen and elected by a majority in the EP respecting the content of the Declaration n° 11 of the Treaty of Lisbon related to the article 17.7 TEU “representatives of the EP and of the European Council consult each other, before the decision of the European Council, on the profile of the new President to take into account the European elections”;

 

• Are committed on the fact that, prior to the names, it’s important that a large majority of the EP reach an agreement on the main elements of a strategic agenda 2019-2024 including at least:

 

1. Concrete engagements on the Agenda 2030, the implementation of the SDGs and the respect of the Paris Agreements,
2. A revision of the economic governance instruments – starting from the Growth and Stability Pact of 1997 up to subsequent agreements adopted after 2011 (Six Pack, Two Pack, Fiscal Compact and European Semester) –in light of a rigorous, comprehensive analysis of their social costs together with the effects of public finance constraints regarding current and capital accounts ;

• The adoption of a Social Compact with a full implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights adopted in Goteborg creating the condition for a renewed social dialogue;

1. An increased quinquennial EU budget founded on an autonomous fiscal capacity to support a plan of public resources to assure an Ecological transition and long-term investments on research, technology, energy and social public goods as well as an extension of existing programs to hitherto less benefiting member states and segments of EU citizens;
2. The revision of the Dublin Agreement on migration and asylum – with mandatory resettlement programs, on the basis of the amendments proposed by the EP – and a change of course in the relationships with the third countries based on the respect of fundamental rights, human dignity and legal immigration channels ;
3. A revised Euro-Mediterranean policy that can guarantee peace, security and solidarity within the Region, renewing the idea of a “ring of friends”;

• An Eastern policy that will ensure a more effective assistance in the implementation of the Association Agreements as well as credible accession perspective for the countries of South-Eastern Europe to facilitate sustainable economic and social coherence in Europe
• A new juridical instrument on the respect of the Rule of Law including fiscal sanctions;

1. The qualified majority vote in particular on CFSP using the bridging clause,
2. A EU single voice in the international organizations and the respect of the article 36 TEU establishing that the position of the EP is taken in due consideration by the High Representative of the EU for CFSP in the execution of the European Council’s decisions; consequently the strengthen of EU role in a globalized world in the framework of a multilateral approach leaving from the trade policy as an EU exclusive competence –.

 

• Point out the fact that the composition of the new Commission must be coherent with the political majority expressed in the EP being one of the two elements for the vote of confidence (strategic agenda and composition). In this framework, support the idea that the Council should suggest a shortlist (respecting the gender balance) for each country leaving to the President the choice of the members of the Commission, in view of the hearings in front of the EP, and their “minister” portfolios. Finally, the implementation of the art. 17.5 TEU establishing a composition of the Commission with a number of members corresponding to 2/3 of the MSs on the basis of the rotation system could help the political coherence between the majority in the EP and the Commission.

 

1. In the current context, we also reiterate our demands on:

 

• A more integrated Eurozone, with fiscal instruments to support public investment and fight against unemployment and reforms in member states respecting parliamentarian control, transperancy and applicability to future MFF; and open for other member states.
• The opening of a constituent process on the initiative of the MEPs to achieve a large debate in order to reform the existing treaties, following the provisions of treaty reform (Art 48 TEU) additionally including a strong and sustainable dialogue with representative associations and civil society.