What is this about?
Today’s EU is profoundly undemocratic. It is not parliaments that set the course of European policy, but an unelected Brussels elite of neoliberal technocrats, bankers and economic oligarchs, along with thousands of lobbyists. Political decisions are taken behind closed doors and removed from the democratic process by being declared “apolitical”, “purely technical” or “without alternative”. The price of this depoliticisation is the growing disintegration of the EU and a democracy reduced to a mere façade. Only democratically elected institutions should hold legislative power.
Why does it matter?
Europe must be democratised, or it will disintegrate. All Europeans are equal in dignity and civil rights. We want to empower people to decide their own future and give them the tools they need to do so. How can this work? To exercise their rights, citizens need effective democratic control over all essential areas, such as monetary, financial, labour, migration and environmental policy. They can only exercise that control if there is full transparency over political and parliamentary processes.
Our key goals:
- Developing the European Union into a federal European Republic
- Direct election of further legislative bodies, including the EU President and EU Commissioners
- Citizens’ assemblies as a fourth branch at all levels
- Cities and regions as the future framework of governance
- A constituent assembly
- Democratising voting rights
- Tackling lobbying and corruption
Towards the European Republic
Europe must be democratised, or it will disintegrate. That is why we are committed to developing the European Union into a federal European Republic, built on the foundations of freedom as non-domination, legal equality, the separation of powers, and civil-society participation. Within it, Europe’s citizens would elect a common parliament as well as further legislative bodies. The framework of governance would no longer be nation states, but regions and cities. A constituent assembly would draw up and adopt a new social contract to establish the European Republic.
European citizenship
We want to expand EU citizenship into a genuine, inalienable European citizenship. It would be open to everyone who was born or grew up in the European Union, or who has lived on EU territory for more than three years and undertakes to respect and protect the rights and duties that come with European citizenship. Through European citizenship, Europe’s citizens would gain full social, civil and political rights, which the European Union, or a European Republic, must guarantee.
Establishing a new fourth branch: the Consultative
To bring democracy closer to citizens, we want to enshrine a new fourth branch, the Consultative, in a European constitution. Modelled on the Irish Citizens’ Assembly, the Consultative would be made up of citizens chosen by lot as a representative cross-section of society. It would be established at every political level, from the municipality up to the higher legislative bodies. In its legislative powers, it would be equal to the other branches.
Graphic: organisational chart of the institutions of a European Republic
Lowering the voting age to 16
Whether in climate, education or family policy, young people in particular are often affected by political decisions that they themselves cannot influence at the ballot box, because they are not yet of legal age. We see no reason to allow people to take part in elections only from the age of 18. We want to grant all citizens the right to vote from the age of 16 in every election, and to send them a polling card. Alongside this, we want to improve and expand civic education.
Democratic voting rights for all
We see no reason to exclude people from democratic elections because of where they come from. That is why we also want to send a polling card for all elections in Germany to people without German citizenship, provided they have been registered in Germany for more than a year.
Independent municipalities and regions
We want to strengthen the independence of municipalities and regions and protect their autonomy within a united Europe. To do so, we want to shift powers to the municipal and regional level. Municipalities should be able to regulate local businesses and companies even beyond national requirements. In particular, we are committed to allowing municipalities to impose stricter environmental and workplace-safety requirements. We also want to enable municipalities to decide for themselves on investments under the Green New Deal, and on taking in refugees beyond fixed quotas.
A European public service broadcaster
To create a European public sphere capable of scrutinising the European institutions and informing the people of Europe, we want to establish an independent European public service broadcaster. We want to expand existing European projects such as the Franco-German television channel ARTE.
Enforceable fundamental rights in the European Union
To protect the fundamental rights of European citizens, we are committed to a single Charter of Fundamental Rights, written by and for the broad European public, that protects people at every level of government and everywhere in Europe. We want to give financial support to all municipalities across Europe so they can carry out consultation processes. The Charter should apply everywhere on the continent, from the lowest local court up to the European Court of Justice. To this end, we want to delete Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.