[Press release from CONCORD, Brussels, 10 April 2014] The ‘#EuropeWeWant’ is a politically independent campaign that encourages a debate on achieving a fairer Europe at home and abroad at the upcoming European Parliament elections on 22-25 May 2014. The campaign was set up in April 2014 by a broad alliance of leading European civil society organisations and will hold a series of debates with European elections candidates over the coming weeks.
“With just over a month to go until the European elections it’s time to encourage a real debate on what kind of Europe citizens want and get election candidates taking about issues like the growing inequality between rich and poor, at home and abroad,” says Seamus Jeffreson, CONCORD Director
Debates
Catch up on the latest debates with Hannes Swoboda, President of the Socialist and Democratcs Group in the European Parliament and leading Green candidate Ska Keller.
Interview: Hannes Swoboda : http://en.europewewant.eu/uncategorized/video-interview-with-hannes-swoboda
Blog: Ska Keller: http://en.europewewant.eu/uncategorized/first-europewewant-debate-will-the-eu-elections-put-global-issues-on-the-agenda
Campaign calls
EuropeWeWant agreed that the three issues that matter most at the EU Parliament elections are:
• Putting people first
The newly elected MEPs need to strengthen participatory democracy and promote active citizenship through consultation and dialogue processes and the inclusion of mandatory provisions for the participation and consultation of civil society actors in all EU legislative text impacting on citizens’ rights and livelihoods inside and outside Europe.
• Inequality hurts us all
We need to tackle inequality at its root, both in Europe and beyond, and in accordance with the core values and principles of the EU. The new Parliament has to push for greater tax justice, the fair and sustainable use of natural resources, a fairer system of food production, and climate justice for all through greater EU climate action.
• A fairer Europe for a fairer world
In crisis, there is an opportunity to reinvent the European social model and put Europe on a stronger and fairer footing in the world. This means thinking about justice, human rights, poverty and inequality both inside and outside the EU. The new EP and the new EC have to demonstrate strong commitment to policy coherence for development.
Who’s behind the campaign?
CONCORD, representing over 1,800 European NGOs to the European institutions, is launching the campaign alongside other civil society organisations including the Climate Action Network, Fair Trade Advocacy Office, Action for Global Health, International Disability and Development Consortium, European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development & the European Foundation Centre.
