U.S.E.

Now / Stand Up For Europe Amendments

Our program: It's your Europe (1)
We, Europeans, are facing some unprecedented challenges. High
unemployment, the rise of nationalist movements, the dismantling of our
social protection systems, the economic crisis, climate change, an
increasingly unstable neighborhood and the emergence of continentalscale world powers are just some examples. (2)
It is becoming increasingly clear that our countries, taken individually,
are not capable of responding to the problems of this century (3). At the
same time, the European debt crisis has shown that today's European
Union is not well equipped to tackle these challenges either. In other
words, we are losing control of our future. That is why we must go
further in the process of European integration. We can no longer afford
to waste our resources and increase our costs in a political space where
each country finances the same competencies at the national level, such
as defense, diplomacy, and energy. Many expensive redundancies
amount to hundreds of billions of euros. Contrary to popular belief, it is
not Europe but the lack of Europe that is very expensive for Europeans.
Duplication leads to exorbitant costs that can easily be avoided through
the pooling of part of our competencies, our resources, and even our
sovereign debts. However, this will only be possible if "we", the citizens
of Europe, have a common vision (4). The vision of a democracy at
European level that is transparent and accountable to its citizens (5).
We, Europeans, must solve the fundamental question of what we share and
what we want to achieve together. This requires a pan-European political
debate involving every citizen. Only a truly participatory approach can
nurture a genuine sense of belonging to the European project and
strengthening the democratic legitimacy of decisions taken at European

level.
We, Europeans, want to ensure that our quality of life and that of future
generations remains a central place in the political debate. Employees and
employers, pensioners and students, are all closely interdependent (6).
Together, we can overcome our present difficulties and work towards a
"new Renaissance" for Europe.
1. Change the title of the paper in: ' Our home, Europe'
2. We propose to correct the whole paragraph with this similar one: ' We,
Europeans, are facing some unprecedented challenges both at national,
continental and global level . High unemployment, the rise of
nationalist movements, the international terrorism, the dismantling of
our social protection systems, the economic crisis and the rise of
inequality and poverty, climate change, an increasingly unstable
neighborhood and the emergence of continental-scale world powers are
just some examples.
3. Add: need worldwide responses, leadership, and cohesion
4. Add: the future of the world
5. Add: and the rest of the global community.
6. To be deleted: Employees and employers, pensioners and students,
are all closely interdependent
Our program is the following:
1. Lets build a strong democracy of 500 million citizens in Europe
The European project has ensured peace and prosperity in Europe over
the last 60years. However, in this process, the participation of citizens
has been all too oftenneglected. We believe that European citizens must
be the owners of the decisions taken in Europe and that there must be a
closer link between the decisions taken at the European level and the
citizens.
Our main objective is to create a European democracy that is transparent
and accountable to the citizens, with a (7) bicameral parliament and a
president of the executive elected by the citizens (8). A democracy that is

able to give back to its citizens the right to decide their ownfuture. A
democracy that protects and provides new opportunities for future
generations, while respecting the diversity of our individual cultures and
identities, and in which the division of powers between the local, regional,
national and European levels should be based on the principle of
subsidiarity. (9)
7. We strive to have a real federal constitution to establish a
8. chamber with representatives from the several political areas elected on
transnational lists, and the other chamber - a federal senate - with
representatives of each nation and region.
9. For those reasons, we also propose the creation of European
referenda with every citizen's vote counting towards the result of
any particular referendum. A referendum can abrogate or propose
laws and constitutional changes and should be without a quorum
because abstaining cannot be a political strategy addressed at
burying thorny questions of the referendum. The judgment on the
legitimacy of a referendum should be given from the European
Parliament within six months from the submission of the
referendum to the Parliament.
2. A dynamic European economy for more and better jobs
Many businesses have become less profitable or have even collapsed due
to the crisis. While many people in Europe have lost their jobs, some
countries are struggling to fill vacant posts. We, therefore, propose to
facilitate worker mobility by promoting the recognition of professional
qualifications, the transfer of social and pension rights for citizens living and
working in different parts of Europe and the creation of new forms of
intergenerationalcooperation. The development of a European labor
agency would help achieve these objectives.
At the same time, we must facilitate investment and especially the activities
of small and medium enterprises by facilitating access to credit and
encouraging the development of cooperation between European
businesses in order to achieve the critical mass necessary to invest in

research and development and ensure their competitiveness on the global

markets.
(10)
It goes without saying that the European public interest and that of
companies do not always coincide. Europe should have a clear vision of
which are the strategic sectors of our economy and our future, and if
necessary, should support their development through an ambitious
industrial policy (e.g. energy, aerospace, and transport) giving rise to a
new industrial revolution to improve our well-being. (11)
10. Add: It's easy to understand that the new Federal Europe should
overcome the actual austerity policies, the Maastricht Treaty, and its
anachronistic economic limits: no more a Europe built upon stability,
but upon solidarity among countries, communities, economies, in
order to fulfill always bigger and common objectives. The new
federal policy will spend all necessary energy in solidarity among
countries in difficulty; every other country or region in need has to
continue being a part of the European Union and of the single
currency. The difficulties of the countries cannot turn into political
exclusion
11. Add: In order to achieve all those results, the new federal Europe
has to follow an intensive roadmap in order to harmonize and its
laws as well as its welfare and fiscal systems.
3. Ensuring social justice for all
Everyone aspires to either starting a business or getting a job that
guarantees a decent income for oneself and his/her family. We advocate
the creation of a European social security system that is complementary to
the national social security systems. Streamlining at European level would
reduce management costs and increase social justice while reducing
discrimination and the leveling down of social standards. Certain minimum
social standards such as the "European minimum income" pegged to the
local cost of living, and "decent working conditions" should be guaranteed

across Europe.
Compared to other parts of the world, the European social protection
systems have been effective enough to ensure a fair redistribution of
resources and means, while allowing each person to realize its full potential.
But the impact of the crisis is depriving many people, especially younger
ones, of a decent job and is leading them into poverty. In addition,
inequalities are growing within each Member State on the one hand, and
between them, on the other. These are areas where Europe should act.
4. Improving the quality of life of Europeans
Restoring economic growth and social stability for our citizens is closely
linked to the overall improvement of the quality of life of all Europeans,
which ought to be the ultimate goal of a sustainable society. To achieve
this, we must provide every European with the best possible education,
regardless of her/his socioeconomic background. This includes the
massive multiplication of exchange programs and a much closer
cooperation in educational, sports and cultural matters. Investments in new
technologies, research, and greater attention to the environment, energy
supply, and social cohesion are also crucial points. These changes require
the active support of the citizens, while public policies can act as
facilitators of citizen action.
5. A safer Europe in a safer world
There can be no stable and prosperous Europe in a regional and global
context fraught with tensions and marked by significant uncertainties.
Recent years have clearly demonstrated the loss of European influence
on the global stage due to our inability to speak with one voice. We have
conflicts on our doorstep. We are in competition with China, India, and
other emerging powers while many challenges lie ahead, such as climate
change, the financial crisis, tax evasion and the regulation of the financial
markets. These problems are shared concerns for many Europeans.
European foreign and defense policy should be based on the principles of
non-aggression, integrity, and transparency, upholding international laws

and agreements. Responsibility for foreign, security and defense policy

should primarily go to Europe, with the creation of a fully integrated
diplomatic corps built on the existing European External Action Service.
(12)
(13)
Europe is a major trading power and the world's largest market. We
believe that respect for intellectual property rights, compliance with
safety standards and proper working conditions should be guaranteed.
To this end, through our trade agreements with third countries, we
should ensure the compatibility of our policies with our commitment to
respecting human rights and social justice. In doing so, we could also limit
job losses in our domestic market due to unfair competition.
12. The paragraph should be integrated this way: 'European foreign
and defense policy should be based on the principles of non-aggression,
cooperation, integrity and transparency, upholding international laws
and agreements and the activity of United Nations the Responsibility for
foreign, security and defense policy should primarily go to Europe, with
the creation of a fully integrated diplomatic corps built on the existing
European External Action Service'
13. Add: "We propose the immediate realization of the principle under
which no country of the European Union will participate in
international negotiations if other countries are excluded, in this way
preventing a country be represented only by the European Union.''
6. Immigration and development
Political tensions in neighboring countries, as well as demographic and
economic challenges, prompt us to rethink our immigration and asylum
policy. Currently, the countries receiving migrant populations are mainly
those bordering the Mediterranean. We think that this responsibility
should extend to Europe as a whole.
We also think that migration policy should not only be passive. It must
be articulated through a policy of stabilization and support for the

development of neighboring countries, especially in the Mediterranean and

the Middle East regions, and must improve the living standards and
ensure the development of democratic institutions in those countries.
7. Consolidate public finances while addressing the recession? Yes it's
possible
The causes of the crisis are manifold and go beyond the mere
accumulation of excessive public debt. The decline in purchasing power,
private debt, deregulation of the financial markets, the proliferation of
toxic financial products, the lack of grip of European governments on the
global
economy and the lack of competitiveness fueled the recession that we
are currently facing. The unemployment figures are at a record high and
the recession is continuing. It is clear that national and European leaders
and institutions have failed and that a new approach, based on
democratically accountable and efficient decision-making is necessary.
A European federal government would be able to implement a set of
measures that would stimulate economic growth and ensure a prosperous
and stable Europe for its citizens. These measures include the
development of the internal market, support schemes for small and medium
enterprises, the creation of Eurobonds, the creation of a banking union and
the separation of investment banks from savings banks, an expansion of the
mandate of the European Central Bank, the establishment of common
social standards preventing social dumping and boosting consumption,
the creation of a European budget relying on its own resources
(representing 15 to 20% of the collective GDP instead of the current
1%), and, of course, the transfer of powers from the national to the
federal level without increasing the tax burden on the citizens (e.g.
European VAT and / or taxes on large companies instead of several
national / local taxes).
8. We, Europeans, living together in Europe
Europe is a patchwork of different individual identities, different cultures,

different languages that continuously interact with one another. This

constitutes the richness of Europe and is one of the reasons for our
success throughout history. However, we believe that Europeans also
form a community with shared values, interests, and common goals. A
European democracy can only work when there is a public sphere where
people are informed and are able to communicate with each other. That is
why, while we support the teaching of various European languages within
member states, we also believe that English should be used as the
vehicular language. We also want to strengthen the sense of belonging to
the same community and fully integrate the organizations representing
civil society into the policy-making
process. Moreover, we defend the right to vote and be a candidate in all
elections in the member states, the creation of a simplified procedure for
the registration of pan-European political parties and the presentation of
their candidates for the European elections on transnational lists.
Living together also requires a functioning judicial system. Criminal
organizations do not stop at Europe's borders and can move freely
within Europe. The result is that increased cooperation between our
national police forces is necessary. This includes a more efficient
exchange of information and better training. A federal police should be
put in place for federal crimes (terrorism, organized crime, human
trafficking and tax evasion), along with a European Public Prosecutor
able to order investigative measures, while respecting national laws. We
also propose the creation of a European Criminal Court to prosecute
incriminated persons; a General Directorate exclusively devoted to
justice, and of course, a European Minister of Justice, responsible for
ensuring the proper application of European law.