Declaration on the Interparliamentary Conference on Economic and Financial Governance of the European Union

                                      
GUE/NGL MEPs and national parliamentarians concluded the three-day Interparliamentary conference on economic governance held in the European parliament this week  by signing up to a declaration urging greater dialogue and debate on economic policies between national MPs and MEPs and calling for greater democracy in EU decision-making processes.

See the declaration with a first list of GUE/NGL signatories below:

Declaration on the Interparliamentary Conference on Economic and Financial Governance of the European Union

The interparliamentary Conference on Economic and Financial Governance of the EU has once again demonstrated the urgency of enhancing and enlarging a much needed debate on economic policies between both national and European parliamentarians.

During this Conference the huge lack of democracy concerning the decision making processes in the European Institutions became even more obvious.

To shape the parliamentary debate on economic and fiscal policies in the EU, we call for clear democratic rules of procedures for the Conference in order to allow us to provide a meaningful input to political decision making in Europe. This Conference and the other Conferences following it should be open for alternative solutions to the crisis, which differ from the neoliberal policies imposed by the European Council, Commission and ECB.

The economic and fiscal policies of the European Union have had until now no scrutiny, no democratic control, despite their catastrophic effects on the lives of so many of its citizens.

Millions have lost their jobs, their houses; millions have been thrown into poverty and social exclusion; hospitals, schools, universities and enterprises, big and small, have been closed down. The peoples of Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Ireland and Spain have seen their present destroyed; the young generations their future stolen. Throughout the EU the gap between the rich and poor is constantly increasing which will inevitably lead to social unrest and the erosion of democratic structures.

The problem does not end with the Troika. The Fiscal Compact is the institutionalisation of these policies which represent an attack on democracy, an attack on the European welfare state, an attack on the peoples of the European Union.

We call for the replacement of the current EU 2020 Strategy by a 'European Strategy for Solidarity and Sustainable Development' with a new set of economic, social and environmental policies aimed at:

(i) Improving the quality of work in all its aspects (wages, stability, working conditions and training) and enhancing qualifications, in order to achieve a highly trained and skilled workforce,

(ii) Increasing investment in basic and industry-supportive infrastructure,

(iii) Strengthening public services, and implementing a strong cohesion policy, in order to promote social and economic cohesion,

(iv) Reinforcing social protection in order to eradicate poverty and fight against social exclusion,

(v) Protecting the environment and natural resources,

(vi) Enhancing (public) research and innovation, in order to guarantee its benefits to all,

(vii) Promoting culture and civil participation,

(viii) Ensuring public control over the banking system while respecting national sovereignty, and to guarantee financing to real economy,

Until now this Europe has been enthusiastically committed to bailing out the financial sector to the detriment of the people and of public services.

We call on the EU and Member States to commit instead to policies of real convergence, based on social progress and on the safeguarding and promotion of each country's potential, job creation, sustainable use of natural resources and protection of the environment, with the goal of true economic and social cohesion; we call for policies that pay heed to the development needs of each Member State and reduces the development gap between Member States and the existent economic, social and regional disparities.

National Parliaments:

Andrej HUNKO (Member, Committee on European Affairs, Die Linke – GUE/NGL)

Skevi KOUKOUMA-KOUTRA (Vice-Chair, Committee on Labour and Social Insurance, AKEL/ Left/ New Forces – GUE/NGL)

Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS (Vice-Chair, Committee on European Affairs, SYRIZA – GUE/NGL)

Mariana MORTAGUA (Member, Social Security and Labour Committee, BE (Left Bloc) – GUE/NGL)

European Parliament

Nikolaos Chountis, Syriza (GUE/NGL)

Jürgen Klute, Die Linke (GUE/NGL)

Marisa Matias, Bloco de Esquerda (GUE/NGL)

Alda Sousa, Bloco de Esquerda (GUE/NGL)

Jiri Mastalka, Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy, (GUE/NGL)

Helmut Scholz, Die Linke (GUE/NGL)

Takis Hadzigeorgiou, AKEL, ( GUE/NGL)

Vera Flasarova, Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy, (GUE/NGL)

Miloslav Ransdorf, Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy, (GUE/NGL)

Gabi Zimmer, Die Linke, President GUE/NGL

Thomas Händel, Die Linke, (GUE/NGL)

Marie-Christine Vergiat, Front des Gauche, (GUE/NGL)

Willy Meyer, Izquierda Unida, (GUE/NGL)

Sabine Lösing, Die Linke (GUE/NGL)