Europe from below

GREENWASH AWARDS: NOMINEES REVEALED - VOTING OPENS

Nat Röfu — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:24:00 +0200

The most outrageous green claims made by big business are exposed today as voting opens in the Climate Greenwash Awards 2009. Six companies have been nominated for the award which will be decided by an online public vote at www.climategreenwash.org The winner will be announced at a special ceremony in Copenhagen on 23^rd May as some of the world’s biggest carbon emitters gather there for the World Business Summit on Climate Change. The Climate Greenwash Awards 2009 have been organised to highlight how companies are greenwashing their behaviour to claim they can be part of the solution to climate change, while continuing to pump out carbon emissions and exacerbate climate change.

The six nominees are:

ArcelorMittal *- nominated for profiting from the EU emission trading scheme (ETS) by lobbying governments to get surplus free emissions permits and failing to make real cuts in CO_2 emissions. The steel giant also promotes pseudo-solutions to climate change such as “lightweight steel cars”, nuclear plants and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
BP* - nominated for their enthusiastic lobbying for carbon trading as a false solution to climate change, for cutting their investment in renewable energy, for massive investment in fossil fuels and for, inspite of all this, claiming to be green.
DONG* - nominated for selling coal-based energy production as climate action
Repsol*- nominated for blatantly greenwashing their operations, presenting an image of corporate responsibility towards communities and the environment, while in reality exacerbating the climate crisis, endangering indigenous people and damaging the environment.
Shell* - nominated for making misleading claims about its action to tackle climate change while withdrawing investments from renewable energy supplies.
Vattenfall* - nominated for its green spin on climate change, portraying itself as a climate champion while lobbying to continue business as usual, using coal, nuclear power, and pseudo-solutions such as agrofuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The World Business Summit on Climate Change has been convened by business lobby groups with the support of the Danish Government, to put forward business solutions ahead of the crucial UN Climate talks in December this year. The Award organisers say that green spin from large corporations could threaten the climate talks by diverting attention from the real measures needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change. Controversial and environmentally damaging technologies including carbon capture and storage, nuclear power and agrofuels are being promoted by industry as solutions to climate change. Speaking for the organisers, Climate Greenwash Awards coordinator Kenneth Haar said: “The six nominees are all using greenwash to pretend they are part of the solution to climate change - but in reality, these companies are promoting business as usual, burning fossil fuels and continuing to emit huge quantities of carbon dioxide. These kinds of false solutions should have no place in the UN climate talks here in December. We need urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions - not promises of future technology that allow big business to carry on polluting today.” Voting in the awards runs from 13 - 22 May (12h CEST) online at www.climategreenwash.org and the results will be announced in Copenhagen on Saturday 23 May 2009. The Greenwash Award is organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Attac Denmark, The Climate Movement, ClimaX and NOAH (Friends of the Earth Denmark).

*Contact:*

Kenneth Haar - tel + 45 23 60 06 31 or email kenneth@corporateeurope.org

Erik Wesselius - tel: +31 - 30 - 236 44 22 or email erik@corporateeurope.org

Protest in Brussels: Visa?! No Way!!!

Nat Röfu — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:28:00 +0100

JEF JOINS MACEDONIAN STUDENTS TO PROTEST IN BRUSSELS FOR VISA LIBERALIZATION

A delegation of 50 students from (FYR) Macedonia will protest in front of the European Commission in Brussels on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd of January from 12.00 till 14.00, to demand from the European Union visa liberalization for their country.

The students representing the civil initiative 'Visa?! No Way!!!' will symbolically represent the visa regime in a theatrical manner, supported by other youth organizations that work in Brussels. Moreover, they have set up meetings with several Members of European Parliament, Slovenian MEPs Jelko Kacin and Alojz Peterle among others, to present their action and exchange opinions on the current state of affairs regarding this question.

JEF has organized a pan-European action against visas and has stayed committed in working towards a visa free continent. JEF-Europe President Samuele Pii stated:

'Europe is coming closer and closer to our dream of a united continent but still visa restrictions continue to prevent people from moving freely across Europe, often imposing costly and time consuming, even humiliating procedures.'

'In order to achieve our dream of a peaceful and united Europe we need to be able to meet, exchange and get-to-know each other and learn from each other. Having the right to move freely around the continent is a prerequisite and a starting point that must no longer be neglected nor negated to our friends in neighbouring countries of the EU.'

JEF-Macedonia president Admir Gjerlek explains what the initiative is all about:

'Visa?! No Way!!! is a group of youth non-governmental and university student organizations from Macedonia, united under the cause of expressing their disappointment with the current status of the visa liberalization process for (FYR) Macedonia. In the period from 2-12 December 2008 16.393 Macedonian students signed a petition against the visa regime, which was presented to several Ambassadors and representatives from European embassies in Macedonia on a roundtable, where the students and ambassadors discussed the issue.'

'We have come all the way from Skopje by bus in order to lobby European politicians, raise awareness about the fact that the current visa liberalisation for Macedonia is not working as promised therefore we demand to scarp them entirely and to create pressure in order to put the issue on the agenda of the next meeting of the European Council.'

Join us on Thursday and/or Friday from 12.00 to 14.00 at Schuman roundabout in front of the European Commission in Brussels.

Press contacts:

Admir Gjerlek | +389 75 203 345

President of JEF-Macedonia

Peter Matjašič | +32 495 501 383

Secretary-General of JEF-Europe

Berlin 09 Express yourself: apply latest January 15th, 2009.

Nat Röfu — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:23:00 +0100

Berlin, 27.2.-1.3.2009

Berlin 09 | Express yourself and vote for Europe!

One of the most important topics in 2009 will be the elections of the European Parliament. But like every year in Berlin, you will have the possibility to look at different topics linked to Europe also from different perspectivs. And, of course, you will have the chance to meet people from all over Europe and to both discuss and party together

There are always good reasons to come to Berlin. Still, we are absolutely convinced that meeting fellow Europeans, thinking about Europe and experiencing ways to spread a positive idea of Europe while having a great time are by are among the best reasons we can think of: And exactly for these reasons we invite you to JEF Germanys’ 10th International Berlin Seminar!

The seminar will continue the creative concept from 2008 and will offer several different ways to approach the overall subject. You can:

• prove your talent on stage! Communicating Europe isn’t just a matter of leaflets.

• improve your writing skills on press releases! How to get your message through.

• debate with European politicans about the elections and cizens’ rights

• learn the basic skills to film and cut a feature on the seminar.

• be creative and learn measures how to support creativity!

All workshops are held by professional trainers and experts, and we will make sure that you will have the right mixture between workshops and fun! Working language will be English!

Continue reading here.

Application form here.

Facebook group here.

South of Hebron: Being School Kid

Nat Röfu — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:15:00 +0100

I post a part of the report of two peace activists, Kristin Anderson and Piergiorgio Rosetti that describes the children’s daily journey to and from school in at-Tuwani. It highlights infringements on the children’s rights to safety and education. The data demonstrate the Israeli military’s negligence of its Knesset-affirmed mandate to ensure the children’s safe passage.

Data in this report were collected during the 2007-08 school year,

A Dangerous Journey: Settler Violence Against Palestinian Schoolchildren Under Israeli Military Escort

'Sometimes the soldiers push us and we fall down. Because of that, we drop our bags and run away. The soldiers use bad language. The soldiers who have a kippa make us run fast. When we get home we are really tired. Sometimes we have a good escort, good soldiers. They walk slowly with us.

There is a woman settler. She is a bad woman. One time she met us and she caught us and grabbed my hands and squeezed. I asked for help from the soldiers, and they never helped. The soldiers never care. They are just driving. The soldiers come late.'

M., girl from Maghaer al-Abeed

...

Nearly four years after the Israeli military’s agreement to provide an escort, and the affirmation of this agreement by the Knesset Committee for Children’s Rights, the situation of the children of Tuba and Maghaer al-Abeed has worsened. The children continue to be harassed and attacked by Israeli settlers and soldiers during their travel to and from school. The Israeli military, which was given a mandate to ensure the safety of the children, has consistently failed to do so.

Military and settler violence and police and military complacency all contribute to the violation of the rights of the children, including rights to security, safety, and education. In addition to missing school classes due to the tardiness of the Israeli military, the children also suffer from nightmares about violent attacks and often express fear about their safety. Moreover, despite ongoing settler attacks on the children, the Israeli police have failed to prosecute settlers who use violence against children.

During the preparation of this report, the children’s 2008 summer camp was taking place. During the first ten days of summer camp, settlers attacked the children four times. On Sunday, 27 July, 2008, several settlers chased the children and threw rocks at them. One settler attacked a member of CPT, causing head injuries requiring hospital treatment. After this incident, one mother of the children said, “The beginning was worse, but after today it seems harder than the beginning. The settlers are still beating the kids.” This incident further demonstrates the fact that almost four years later, the involvement of the Israeli police, military and Knesset has not improved the children’s safety.

...

The whole report in is available in English or Italian from Humanity Together blog or below.

The picutres are taken from Kristin&Piergiorgio's Flickr page of those days.

Commission to NGOs: “big business rules OK”

Nat Röfu — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:03:00 +0100

Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation - ALTER-EU Press Release: Tuesday 16th December 2008

Campaigners today challenged the democratic legitimacy of the European Commission’s Expert Groups after the Commission said it was perfectly acceptable that some of them were dominated by big business.

The civil society coalition ALTER-EU has today written to the European Commission to question its position, which campaigners say allows business to exert control over significant areas of policy and decision making.

The Commission defended the fact that big business representatives dominate a number of Expert Groups in a letter to ALTER-EU, claiming that the quality of their expertise justifies their presence. But ALTER-EU believes this cannot justify that the Commission is giving a privileged position to business advice over other non-interested experts (as European universities and civil society) by allowing business to dominate some Expert Groups in a position to advice the Commission on new EU-legislation.

ALTER-EU campaigner Yiorgos Vassalos said:

“Even the Commission’s own guidelines are being violated as Expert Groups including the one on biotechnology and on coal are completely controlled by industry.”

ALTER-EU has again asked the Commission to clarify how such Expert Groups meet the Commission’s own codes of conduct on consultation and use of expertise, which state that “a diversity of viewpoints” should be taken into account. The Commission has so far refused to answer this point.

These codes say that “all relevant interests in society should have an opportunity to express their views” and that the risk “of vested interests distorting the advice’ in Expert Groups should be ‘minimised’ and ‘a diversity of viewpoints” resulting “from differences in scientific approach, different types of expertise, different institutional affiliations” should be collected.

In its letter, the Commission accepts that Expert Groups are the most widely used way of getting external advice. Although they are funded by the taxpayer and although they are an important source advice on public policies, the Expert Groups have been operating in obscurity for decades

ALTER-EU is calling for their decision making to be made accountable and transparent, and has asked the Commission to make the names of their advisors public. At the last count the Commission had not disclosed any names or organisations of the advisors in half of the expert groups while basic information was missing for two thirds of them (the register was checked between November 28 and December 3. 1022 groups were on it when checking started and 1020 when it finished. No names of persons or organisations were given for 506 groups. No names of persons for 186 groups and no names of organisations for 13 groups).

Details of names were promised by the end of this year, and if this deadline is to be met, there is very little time. Now the Commission is adding a further restriction to the dismay of ALTER-EU.

Yiorgos Vassalos added:

“The Commission has said it will publish details of who sits on Expert Groups, but this will not include the details of anyone who seeks anonymity. This is not acceptable. Some Expert Groups have a huge influence on highly controversial areas of policy, yet their members are not even known to the public, let alone held accountable.”

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) is a coalition of over 160 civil society groups, trade unions, academics and public affairs firms calling for: EU lobbying disclosure legislation; improved code of conduct for European Commission Officials; the European EU Commission to terminate cases of privileged access and undue influence granted to corporate lobbyists. The call for “Ending corporate privileges and secrecy around lobbying in the European Union”, the founding statement of the Alliance for Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) and a list of signatories are available on www.alter-eu.org.

ALTER-EU is registered in the European Commission’s Register of Interest Representatives.

80 EUROPEAN CITIES DEMAND CHANGE IN EUROPE

Nat Röfu — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:15:00 +0100

80 Street Actions across Europe are taking place simultaneously at 12:00 tomorrow (12th December 2008) in towns and cities across the continent to demand CHANGE in Europe.

The Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) have mobilised activists in over 80 European cities to demand a true Federal Government for the citizens of Europe able to exercise and implement ambitious European wide policies to address global ecological, financial and security matters.

In Brussels activists will demonstrate outside the European Parliament at Place Luxembourg @12:00 with masks of major political figures who will appear to be sleeping and awakened by a giant EU clock.

Central to the Federalist campaign is a European Manifesto to be supported by the candidates to the European Parliament. The Manifesto can be read in full on the campaign website, also to be launched on 12th December – itstimeforeurope.eu.

JEF Europe President Samuele Pii stated:

“Europe needs leadership! We can’t have a union incapable of deciding its own future”.

“Cowen, the Irish Prime Minister, has set out the conditions for Ireland to hold a second referendum. A sign of leadership would be to accept those conditions and allow Ireland to hold a second referendum and allow Lisbon to enter into force in advance of the EP elections”.

“The EP elections without the Lisbon Treaty; without candidates to the presidency of the European Commission nominated by the European political parties; and without cross border public debates will be a victory for the nationalist forces and a defeat for the general will of European citizens”.

“The time for national solutions to supranational challenges is over. It’s TIME for Europe!”

Commenting on the campaign, JEF Europe Vice President and Co-ordinator of the action stated:

“The message is clear; either CHANGE or die”.

“This Union, in its current shape and form is not built to last. We need solid institutions and a reformed Government with real power, accountable to European citizens”.

“If things don’t CHANGE, confidence will never be restored in these institutions, voter turnout in EP elections will continue to lower and the purpose and role of the EU will start to be questioned. In the current global financial crisis there has never been a better TIME to act.”

List of current participating cities:

Albania: Tirana

Austria: Graz, Klagenfurt

Belgium: Brussels, Ghent and Leuven

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sarajevo

Bulgaria: Sofia

Croatia: Zagreb

Czech Republic: Prague

Denmark: Copenhagen

England: London, Manchester and York

Finland: Oulu, Jyväskylä and Helsinki

France: Paris, Lille, Nîmes, Rennes, Caen, Strasbourg, Lyon, Nantes, Clermont-Ferrand, Le Havre, Bordeaux and Versailles

Germany: Bonn, Berlin, Bremen, Freiburg, Trier, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Münster

Greece: Athens, Pireas, Crete and Komotini

Hungary: Budapest

Italy: Milan, Gorizia, La Spezia, Bologna, Pescara, Pavia, Erba and Prato

Ireland: Dublin

Kosovo: Pristina

Latvia: Riga

Lithuania: Vilnius

Luxembourg: Luxembourg

Macedonia: Bitola

Malta: La Valletta

Moldova: Chisinau

Montenegro: Podgorica

Netherlands: Amsterdam

Norway: Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø, Stavanger and Trondheim

Poland: Warsaw

Scotland: Edinburgh and Glasgow

Serbia: Nis and Novi Sad

Slovakia: Bratislava

Slovenia: Ljubljana

Spain: Madrid

Sweden: Stockholm and Uppsala

Switzerland: Zurich and Geneva

Wales: Cardiff

United States: New York

Press Contact:

Toni Giugliano (Pan European Action) +44 (0)7756663312

Samuele Pii (Brussels Action) +32 487214010

Email: sg@jef.eu

www.itstimeforeurope.eu

Socialist candidate for president of the European commission is … Joao Manuel Durao Barroso!

Europe — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:38:00 +0100

PSE Congress de facto supports Christian Democrat Barroso for President of European Commission

Things didn’t look very promising when already before the PSE Congress two socialist prime ministers, MM. Zapatero and Socrates, declared that they would support the Christian Democrat Joao Manuel Durao Barroso for another term as President of the European Commission.

But the fact that the PSE Congress in Madrid has decided not to nominate a socialist candidate for President means that the socialists in fact accept the re-nomination of Mr Barroso.

“Considering the proximity of the European Parliament elections, the political parties send a mixed signal to the electorate if they effectively pre-empt the choice of Commission President before a single vote has been cast” said Andrew Duff, President of the Union of European Federalists.

Federalist action in Madrid

For more pictures, please click here

Today federalist activists have called for linking the result of the forthcoming European Parliament elections to the election of the president of the European Commission in an action in the European Socialist Party Congress and in a street action downtown Madrid.

In a colorful action Federalist activists have been asking citizens from the Spanish capital “Who is your candidate for president of the European Commission?”. The same question has been posed inside the venue of the Congress of the European Socialist Party.

"The European Union needs a legitimated figure that embodies the spirit of leadership of the Union and this leadership should come from the president of the European executive." said Samuele Pii President of the Young European Federalists.

"The European Political Parties should be major players in European Parliament elections and putting a face to their programs is important to motivate electors to vote" concluded Pii.

ENDS

Big Business Deflates EU's Climate and Energy Package

Nat Röfu — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0100

*Corporate Europe Observatory Press Release*

Supposed tough EU measures to tackle climate change have been dramatically weakened following a broad lobbying campaign by different sectors of industry, a new report from Corporate Europe Observatory released today (Monday 1^st December) reveals. The report is launched as international climate talks start in Poznań, Poland.

Ministers are expected to push for agreement on the Climate and Energy Package when they meet for a high level summit later this month, but analysis of the negotiations reveal that many of the original proposals put forward have been dramatically watered down in response to industry lobbying. The result is a weak and ineffective package, the campaign group says.

A separate report from Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) also reveals how the aviation sector lobbied to water down the terms under which they are included in the EU-wide Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), with the likely result that emissions from aviation are still expected to increase by 78% by 2020.

The aviation industry body IATA (International Air Traffic Association) has been nominated for a Worst EU Lobbying Award because of the misleading nature of its lobbying activity.

Corporate Europe Observatory spokesman Olivier Hoedeman said:

“The European Union wants to be seen to be showing global leadership in tackling climate change but in reality it is pandering to the demands of industry and allowing business as usual by promoting false solutions that meet the needs of vested interests but which do not guarantee a sustainable climate’’.

Crucially, key sectors of industry such as oil refineries will be once again allocated free emissions permits under the third phase of the ETS, allowing them to make yet more windfall profits. Business is also pushing for weaker targets for renewable energy trying to blur the 20% by 2020 target.

Responding to heavy lobbying by industry, the EU has embraced nuclear energy and controversial unproven technology such as carbon capture and storage. And despite widespread recognition of the problems caused by growing agrofuels in developing countries, the EU looks set to keep its controversial target to obtain 10% of transport fuel from crops by 2020.

A new directive controlling carbon dioxide emissions from cars is also expected to have been significantly weakened following extensive lobbying from the car industry.

Yiorgos Vassalos, a researcher with Corporate Europe Observatory added:

“The EU is approaching the UN climate talks from a weak position. It has failed to grasp the urgency of securing genuine emissions reductions in Europe to reform the unsustainable economy. Instead it is committing itself to a future of continued high carbon dependence, combined with promoting very harmful false solutions such as agrofuels and a massive re-launch of nuclear energy.”

The report also highlights how BusinessEurope, an influential business lobby group, is calling for the EU not to sign up to an international climate deal (to be discussed in Poznań) unless developing countries such as China and Brazil agree to consider targets as well.

Under the Kyoto Protocol developed nations agreed they must take the first steps in tackling climate change because of their historical responsibility for the build up of carbon in the atmosphere.

Contact:

CEO - Corporate Europe Observatory (Brussels Office) Residence Palace - Rue de la Loi 155 Bloc C - Bureau 02256 Brussels 1040 Tel: +32 2 2352213

Olivier Hoedeman, CEO spokesman: + 31-20-6127023 and mobile +31-645460007

Yiorgos Vassalos, CEO researcher: + 32 484 675162

COMMISSION URGED TO END DAMAGING CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH BIG BUSINESS

Nat Röfu — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:36:00 +0200

COMMISSION URGED TO END DAMAGING CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH BIG BUSINESS

Corporate Europe Observatory today (Friday 17th October) urged European Commission President José Manuel Barroso to intervene in the close relationship developed between DG Trade and representatives of big business, which the organisation says results in trade policies that are damaging the world’s poorest and the environment.

The call follows new research from Corporate Europe Observatory which reveals the close involvement of the European employers’ federation, BusinessEurope, in drawing up the Global Europe trade strategy, launched by former Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in late 2006.

The report highlights how representatives from BusinessEurope were given privileged access in the preparations of the new strategy, with exclusive meetings with the former Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and top officials from DG Trade (1).

As a result the strategy focuses on many of BusinessEurope’s key demands, including a new, more aggressive push for bilateral trade deals to break open new markets in emerging economies and secure access to raw materials, all for the benefit of large EU-based corporations.

Corporate Europe Observatory campaigner Pia Eberhardt said:

“The Global Europe Strategy has BusinessEurope’s fingerprints all over it. It is a strategy which has been designed with big business, for big business, with devastating effects for the poorest and the world’s environment.”

“The Global Europe strategy and the excessive influence of big business lobbyists on EU trade policies are part of the flawed heritage of Peter Mandelson’s four years as Commissioner.”

Corporate Europe Observatory has written to Commission President Barroso to urge him to end the privileged access and big business capture of EU trade policy, which violates the Commission’s principles on consultation. They also point out that civil society organisations were denied access to much of the information discussed with BusinessEurope (2).

Corporate Europe Observatory is also challenging the close involvement of the Commission in a forthcoming BusinessEurope conference on the Global Europe strategy (3) . The supposedly “independent” event is being hosted in DG Trade’s Charlemagne Building, and a number of Commissioners are scheduled to speak. Corporate Europe Observatory says it is unacceptable for the event to be held in the Commision’s Trade headquarters and calls upon Barroso to scale down the Commission’s presence.

Pia Eberhardt continued: “DG Trade has clearly opened its doors and invited BusinessEurope in. This close relationship is undemocratic and unacceptable.It is time such practices came to an end.”

Contact: Olivier Hoedeman, + 31-20-6127023 and mobile +31-645460007

Notes:

(1) Global Europe: An Open Door Policy For Big Business Lobbyists At DG Trade, a research paper by Corporate Europe Observatory, published on 17 October 2008. See: http://www.corporateeurope.org/docs/GlobalEurope-OpenDoors.pdf

(2) The letters refers to how NGOs and trade union representatives were consulted on the Global Europe strategy at just one meeting in 2006, while business lobby groups, and in particular BusinessEurope had a series of meetings with officials at DG Trade right from the initial drafting stage through to the on-going implementation. The final text on the strategy closes reflects many of the demands made by business. See: http://www.corporateeurope.org/docs/letter-to-barroso-businesseurope-2008-10-17.pdf

(3) http://www.businesseurope.eu

European Parliament's tribute to Altiero Spinelli, father of United Europe

Europe — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:42:00 +0200

Altiero Spinelli

Author of the famous Manifesto of Ventotene and founder of European Federalist Movement, also Member of the European Parliament, who would have reached 100 years in 2007 and gave his name to one of the wings of the Brussels parliament building, was among the masterminds of a democratic and federal Europe.

The new TV of the European parliament dedicated a video to Altiero Spinelli, one the most famous Europeans. This is the link : http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/youngEurope.aspx?action=viewVideo&packageId=1921718f-4a8c-4422-b49b-8df94e21944c

G4: Merkel, Sarkozy, Berlusconi, Brown disagreed on a European common solution to world financial crisis

Europe — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:02:00 +0200

The leaders of Europe's four biggest economic powers were to hold crisis talks on the global financial meltdown on Saturday in Paris, despite disputes that killed off talk of a joint bailout package.

Sarkozy affirmed that a word problem needs global solution but the leaders didn't find any common solution at European level.

An emergency fund to underwrite institutions exposed to bad credit has been opposed by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy.

The meeting result is only a simple coordination of national policies.

A political leader shoud have a vision for the future and look forward.

The G4 leaders should stop to think with a national perspective and start to act with a cosmopolitan view. This is the reason why we are forced to give our new collective Carton rouge to Merkel, Sarkozy, Brown and Berlusconi.

We are ready to come back to our decision if they'll decide to act at European level with a true federal government in the economic field making European Union able to speak with a single voice.

Chiki - Chiki Precario, Euromayday 08

Europe — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:14:00 +0200

El baile del chiki chiki: the new cool promo of next Euromayday.

Chiki-Chiki Precario,Euromayday'08

EUROMAYDAY 008 – PRESS RELEASE

Europe — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:46:00 +0200

EUROMAYDAY PRESS CONFERENCE: Monday, April 14, in Brussels/Bruxelles/Brussel

contacts: info@blablaexpress.org

EUROMAYDAY 008 – PRESS RELEASE

What's EuroMayDay?

A transnational demonstration of precarious and migrant people held the First of May in more than a dozen European cities. The first MayDay Parade was held in Milan in 2001 (it now gathers 100,000 people), and since 2004 the process has spread all over Europe (see the Middlesex Declaration). In 2006, the EuroMayDay was launched with pink actions in the EU Quarter of Brussels, and in 2007 a EuroMayDay superhero block joined the fray against the G8 in Rostock-Heiligendamm. EuroMayday is a process by which actions and demands are put forward to fight the widespread precarization of youth and the discrimination of migrants in Europe and beyond: no borders, no workfare, no precarity!

Who organizes EuroMayDay and what for?

The EuroMayDay network, a web of media activists, labor organizers, migrant collectives convening each year in a different European city. Last mayday assembly was in Berlin, where it was agreed that these would be the demands surrounding the protests for EuroMayDay 008:

• full legalization for all persecuted migrants • self-organizing and unionizing rights freed from state repression • unconditional basic income • a european living wage • free access to culture, knowledge, and skills • the right to cheap housing Where will EuroMayDay 008 occur?

In Aachen - Berlin - Copenhagen - Hanau - Hamburg - Helsinki - Lisboa - Madrid - Malaga - Maribor - Milano - Napoli - Palermo - Terrassa - Thessaloniki - Tokyo - Wien.

This year, there is a focal point for the whole network in Aachen/Aix-la-Chapelle (http://euromayday.karlspreis.info), where Nicolas Sarkozy will present Angela Merkel with the EU Oscar, the Prix Charlemagne. Irony of the calendar, in 2008 syndicalist MayDay coincides with catholic Ascension Day, when the Karlspreis is handed out. This year for MayDay in Aachen, two worlds will clash together:

Utopian Society vs Capitalist Market; the radical europe of multitudes vs the conservative Europe of elites, grassroots networks and squatted social centers vs the EU diarchy (www.radicaleurope.org/visuals/euromayday_aachen_008.jpg).

What kind of people participate in EuroMayDay Parades?

Activists, artists, hackers, unionists, migrant associations, precarious2precarious networks, queer collectives, critical cyclists, leftist radicals of all stripes: red, black, green, pink, purple, silver. They are coming to Aachen and other EuroMayDay Parades to join the fight against a EU dominated by police security and financial privilege, by Barroso's neoliberalism, Trichet's monetarism, Solana's militarism…

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! no borders, no precarity, let's defeat the new inequality!

INFO LINX http://www.euromayday.org

http://euromayday.karlspreis.info

http://www.euromayday.be

http://liege.indymedia.org

http://www.wombles.org.uk/article2008021538.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromayday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precarity

VIDEO LINX

http://www.euromayday.be/maydaytv.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caKYW8qHJyU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM9ysjJ-9iw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPd29fr0rEs

I want my flag back!

Europe — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:17:00 +0100

What? JEF Europe promotes the symbols of the EU while they have been left out of the Reform Treaty When? 13th December 2007, on the same day as the signing of the Reform Treaty Where? In almost 50 cities across Europe (see below for details)

On the 13th December the Young European Federalists will take to the streets in a pan European Action to coincide with the official signing of the Reform Treaty. 'Europe will not be united through legal treaties alone' is the message that JEF Europe sends to Heads of Government who will convene in Lisbon to sign the downsized version of the Constitution, stripped of any constitutional or political dimension.

The document, to be branded "Treaty of Lisbon" makes no reference to the symbols of Europe that were present in Article IV-1 of the failed Constitution.

"In almost 50 cities across Europe , youth is taking to the streets to protest against a black and white Europe " stated Samuele Pii, President of JEF Europe. "Europe has symbols and they must be acknowledged. They represent the values of Europe throughout the world – values of peace, unity, solidarity, democracy and respect for human rights " continued Pii.

In both EU and non EU member states, activists will fly the flag up high on December 13th while holding the banner 'I want my flag back'. " As Margaret Thatcher demanded her money back in 1979, we now demand our symbols back" commented Toni Giugliano, Action co-ordinator and Vice President JEF Europe. "Europe will not be united by force but by conviction. Without a sense of belonging and attachment, a union of citizens will not advance" Giugliano expressed.

In a recent declaration – initiated by the German Government – 16 Member States have expressed their support for the inclusion of the symbols of Europe in the Reform Treaty. " JEF Europe fully supports this initiative and calls on all other Heads of Government, including France, to add their name to the declaration" concluded Samuele Pii.

The purpose of the action will be to promote the European symbols among civil society across the European continent and to give a strong message to national leaders – 'The symbols of the EU are central to the construction of a true political and united Europe'.

Belgium – Bruges, Brussels

Bulgaria – Sofia Croatia – Zagreb

Denmark – Copenhagen France - Paris, Nancy, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon, Cabourg, Nimes

Germany – Berlin, Augsburg, Bonn, Jena, Bremen Greece – Komotini, Heraklion, Athens Hungary –Budapest Italy – Rome, Milan, Verona, Prato, Padova, Pescara, Genoa Latvia – Riga

Lithuania – Vilnius Macedonia – Bitola, Skopje

Malta – Valletta Norway – Oslo

Portugal – Lisbon Serbia – Nis

Slovakia – Bratislava Slovenia – Ljubljana

Spain – Tarragona, Barcelona Sweden – Uppsala

Turkey – Istanbul UK – London Edinburgh, Durham, York, Cardiff, Aberystwyth

Press contact:

For an updated list of participating cities and local contacts: JEF-Europe Vice-President and action co-ordinator Toni Giugliano: toni.giugliano@jef.eu +44 (0)7756663312.))

Citizens' agora on the future of Europe

Europe — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:33:00 +0100

To step up the participation of civil society in European integration, the European Parliament is proposing a new way to involve citizens in a permanent dialogue on the EU's future.

And follow the debate live the 8th and the 9th on the following web page: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/wps-europarl-internet/faces/live/live-video.jsp?language=en

Sarkozy: "The future of Europe in the hands of 12 wise people"

Europe — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:44:00 +0200

After the French referendum and before the bad compromise on the Reform Treaty will be reached in Lisbon in next days the French president Nicolas Sarkozy proposed (*) to convoke a "wise people's committee" to reflect on the future of the E.U. in 2020 and to report back in the first half of 2009. This proposal is not democratic and shows us the new Reform Treaty is not able to solve the structural problems of the Union.

After having adopted a more democratic method to write a Constitution with the European Convention the French president is choosing a closing method to discuss about the future of Europe not open to the citizens, neither to the representatives of citizens.

The future of Europe is too important to be left to a little group of 12 wise men.

This proposal underlines very clear which type of democracy is in the head of French president. An elitist democracy that Europefrombelow doesn't like. This is the reason to give our second 'carton rouge' to Nicolas Sarkozy.

European Constitution versus New Treaty : The name changes but not the content

Europe — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:27:00 +0200

Declaration by the Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly following the European summit on 21st and 22nd June in Brussels. Paris - Berlin - Amsterdam - Brussels - Helsinki - Luxembourg - Madrid - Rome, 26th June 2007

Discussions behind the people's backs

The text under discussion by the European Council has been kept secret and was drawn up by "sherpas" behind closed doors and without the knowledge of the European citizens and their parliamentary representatives.

A return to the intergovernmental method, both undemocratic and inefficient

The draft text which the European Council is discussing is not the "slimmed-down" treaty initially announced. It is in fact a mandate to be given to an Intergovernmental Conference to draw up a new treaty.

Therefore, the European people still have no say in the content of the new text. Furthermore, there is a return to the intergovernmental method which has paralysed the European construction process for several years. This method, already difficult with 15 EU Member States and increasingly so with 25, will be even more complicated with 27. By allowing the discussions to emphasise national antagonisms rather than the general interest of the European people, this IGC method can only exacerbate nationalistic sentiment and lead to minimalist compromises. Instead of this, we call for Europe-wide election at the earliest occasion of a Constituent Assembly with the mandate to elaborate a Constitution for the European Union.

A text drawn from the Constitution which further reinforces the existing neo-liberal and anti-social EU policies

Quite logically the heads of state reunited in Brussels, who were all in favour of the draft European Constitution rejected by the French and Dutch people, have drawn up a compromise similar to the one they adopted in 2004. In substance, the content of the mandate given to the IGC maintains the non-democratic institutional content of the Constitution and makes no change to the neo-liberal orientation of the EU policies.

The new treaty presents no positive advances to the democratic functioning of the EU. The European Central Bank remains independent of all political influence. As stipulated in the Constitution, the European Parliament continues to be a subordinate institution, the Commission retains its monopoly on acts initiatives, and the powers of its President are reinforced. This institutional system encourages blockage situations and renders common EU policy ineffective.

Neither does the text under discussion by the European Council make any changes to the content of the EU social and economic policies. It stipulates that the "current treaties remain in force", and notably all references to the necessary respect of free market laws. Consequently it does not provide for any positive harmonisation of social or fiscal dispositions across the EU.

Whilst human and social rights demand the EU-wide and world-wide implementation of rigorous policies to fight against the expansion of poverty and inequality which exist also within Europe, the EU is refused the necessary means in terms of justice and social policy to counter these problems.

As the imperialistic war-mongering logic gains ground across the world, the EU is once again denied any real possibilities as regards common foreign policy and is subject to the constraints of "military security" imposed by the imperialistic powers that be. The EU still has no power to intervene for the promotion of world peace.

__A loss of legitimacy, a denial of democracy __ The adoption of the substance of the European Constitution under a new name is a serious violation of democratic principles. The EU citizens who rejected it by referendum cannot accept this denial of democracy. Furthermore, the method proposed by the European Council is no more easily acceptable to the citizens of Spain who accepted the previous text by referendum. On the contrary, this attempt to push through the text by deceptive means can only exacerbate the crisis of legitimacy that the EU is currently suffering in the eyes of its citizens.

The Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly reiterates its demand that a new EU Constitution should introduce a reorganisation of powers along genuinely democratic lines and therefore that it should be drawn up by a Constituent Assembly.

First signatories :

Oskar LAFONTAINE, MP, Co-Chairman of Die Linke, Chairman of Die Linke group at the Bundestag

Jean-Luc MELENCHON, Chairman Pour la République Sociale (PRS), Socialist Senator, former government minister

Fabio AMATO, international representative for Rifondazione Comunista, Italy

Diether DEHM, spokesperson on European affairs for Die Linke Parliamentary group, Germany

François DELAPIERRE, General Secretary PRS, France

Michael EFLER, Regional representative for Mehr Demokratie, Germany

Vicent GARCES, spokesperson for Izquierda Socialista - PSOE, Spain

Raquel GARRIDO, Coordinator of the Initiative for a European Constituent Assembly, France

Riccardo PETRELLA, Professor of political economics, Chairman of international world-wide water committee, Belgium

Thomas WALLGREN, academic, SDP Finland

Henri WEHENKEL, Dei Lenk, Luxembourg

Erik WESSELIUS, national spokesperson for the referendum NO campaign, the Netherlands

The European hypocrisy of Nicolas Sarkozy

Europe — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:28:00 +0200

The Europefrombelow blog is very happy to award its third Carton rouge to Nicolas Sarkozy. The French President led a Bastille Day parade on Saturday along the Champs-Elysees that was joined for the first time by military contingents from all 27 countries of the European Union.

Only few weeks after the European Council decisions to delete every reference to the word Constitution in European treaties and to drop out the symbols of the Union as the hymn, the flag and the motto Sarkozy felt down in a strong contradiction.

During the Europarade the 12 stars European flag was waved jointly with the French one. http://www.youtube.com/v=ruCbR0QWXVo

And last but not least the European Ode to Joy hymn was played. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoINU7w6VFk

I have one question to all of you: is it yet possible for 27 national governments to hide the European reality to more than 450 million European citizens? How long do they have to wait for a true political integration of Europe? The European people exists ... and Europe ?

In 1941 Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi dreamt a federal Europe. Now it's time to let it become a reality.

EU summit: proclaimed success is democratic failure

Europe — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 19:06:00 +0200

Brussels, 2007-06-23

After months of secret Sherpa negotiations outside of parliamentary control, European leaders came together to this weekend's EU summit to fix the institutional impasse for the better - or worse. The further weakening of the frail Constitutional Treaty is the ultimate evidence of the Union's biggest structural problem: The right of every random government to stop Europe from moving forward and tackling the challenges of our future.

The Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) are deeply concerned about the outcome of last night's EU summit. Jan Seifert, President of JEF Europe, described the so-called Reform Treaty as "a sad end to the least democratic Treaty reform process in EU's history". He further commented: "The worst of nationalist-bureaucratic Europe has struck back. As a consequence of the Sherpa negotiations between unelected bureaucrats national parliaments, civil society and citizens have been completely side-lined."

JEF Europe fears that EU leaders have forgotten their own bold promises from the Laeken declaration and all subsequent summits. The JEF President commented: "It has been repeated over and over again that Europe needs to match the challenges of the 21st century. With the envisaged new treaty, Europe will neither be able to speak with one voice in the world nor has it gained clear competences for energy and climate change in order to act in accordance with the self-proclaimed goals from only three months ago. Given the crucial decisions that have to be taken in the coming years, insisting to leave the current voting-mechanisms practically unchanged until 2017 makes the Kaczynski potatoes the most expensive EU leaders ever."

Seifert expressed JEF Europe's disappointment about the adopted procedure: "If anything becomes obvious, then it is the huge gap between the Europe of the bureaucrats and the Europe of the citizens. Europe's governments have opted for a Europe in which citizens and parliaments are deferred to the audience without any chance to influence. The result of this: The 'reformed' EU is the biggest in ambition and the smallest in democratic oversight and delivery."

"If there is one lesson to be learned from the Summit failure, then it is that no future reform can work with the same outdated principle of secret intergovernmental bargaining and unpredictable ratifications in 27+ member states. The veto right must be abolished!" Seifert stressed. He continued: "JEF Europe demands that a future Constitution and future Treaty revisions have to be exclusively prepared through a Convention. It should come into force if either 2/3 of the member states have ratified the new proposal or citizens have approved the reform in a pan-European referendum with a double majority system.

Seifert concluded: "Europe should be a project by and for its citizens. Today, Europe's leaders have chosen to diverge from this vision. We will keep on fighting for it!"

ENDS

Your contact is: Vassilis Stamogiannis, Secretary General, mobile +32 495 501383

JEF will publish a more detailed analysis on the individual innovations of the new treaty on its website www.jef.eu in the coming days.

The European people's red line.

Europe — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:31:00 +0200

In these hours of bilateral meetings behind European Council's closed doors every leader underlines his conditions and indicates the 'national' red line. Under this red line every leader threatens he cannot go.

The European Council takes into account the voice of governments making national interests.

But who is in charge to make the general interest during the European Council meeting deciding important aspects of the future of 500 milion of European citizens?

Who can represent the common values and desires of European people as a whole?

European citizens, as shown in the last survey published by FT.com/Harris, are in favour of a European Constitution and want to be heard through a pan-European referendum. But this vision is not represented in the European Council. No one of the national leader is proposing these options coming from below.

The only person could represent the general interest is the chief of the European Parliament Hans Gert Poettering. But Angela Merkel denied him to be part in EU leaders summit.

If we want to build a stronger Europe we need to change the method restarting in a very different way:

NO more IGC,
NO more national veto,
NO more treaties.

YES to a constitutional assembly or convention,
YES to the majority vote and
YES to a European Constitution including the Rights Charter for all European citizens.

European democracy cannot be more denied to European people.