CONCORD Europe, WWF, ETUC and the European Youth Forum drafted a common statement on the future of Europe, supported by EAPN among 177 European and national Civil Society Organisations and Trade Unions.
Europe is at a crossroads, and the future of European cooperation and the benefits it brings are at stake. This is about the future of our society and how we want to be viewed by the wider world. The future of our planet and the kind of Europe our children will grow up in. The current crisis highlights the urgent need to reflect on fundamental questions: how do we ensure that the European project reclaims its promise of peace, democracy and solidarity? How can we build a new Europe for people?
In order to ensure a fair, inclusive and prosperous Europe, we, civil society and trade union movements, call on EU leaders to urgently:
- Remember European shared values: inclusive, open, just, sustainable, fair, diverse, tolerant
- Tackle challenges together: inequalities, climate change, natural resource depletion, and a global economy that benefits the few and not the many are better tackled together than by countries individually, like poverty and unemployment
- Engage and listen to the younger generation: young people’s future is at stake here, so they need to be given a voice and heard in this debate
- Fight for a sustainable, social Europe for people and for our planet
Europe needs an overarching strategy to implement Sustainable Development Agenda 2030;
Economic policies need to go hand in hand with strong environmental and social policies;
Good examples of the implementation of EU laws shows nature protection and economy can work together
- Work for better Europe, not less Europe: deregulation is not the answer. Environmental and social protection shouldn’t be compromised for the sake of competitiveness and profits. We want a better Europe that benefits people (social justice, decent work) and planet (strong environmental protection, meaningful action on climate change…)
- Listen and engage: Dialogue is key for Europe’s future. Citizens must have a say and the leaders need to listen
Read the statement here.
Also available in Slovakian here and Finnish here.
Read also Jacques Delors’ support of the statement in his Opinion Piece in EurActiv: Restoring a Europe built on values for its youth. Jacques Delors is former President of the European Commission and Honorary Citizen of Europe.
The statement was also highlighted on the Politico news site here.