“MERA25 is combatting a corporatised Europe with direct democracy. An interview with Carolina Rehrmann by Junge Welt”

The interview was originally published on 24.01.2025 in Junge Welt in German

How did you join DiEM25 and the German offshoot, MERA25?

Initially, it was the war in Ukraine and the warmongering consensus of our political parties that really irritated me. Then came the war in Gaza and the complicity of the German government in Israel’s genocide. From our point of view, both issues are presented in an extremely one-sided way in the media. Critics of this tenor are quickly discredited or, as we have seen at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, even criminalised. The latter also affected me on a personal level. As a mum of twins, heavily pregnant in October 2023, I experienced an emergency caesarean section while women in Gaza had to give birth in catastrophic conditions.

MERA25 emphasises that it has hardly any professional politicians.

We see this as a strength. We come from all corners of society with our genuine concerns and are not driven by party careers or lobby interests. The challenge is to establish a political routine and a functioning party structure. But all new parties need stamina for this.

What are the key points of the MERA 25 programme?

We are striving for a social-green turnaround through reforms in the financial system, a wealth tax, a universal basic income and more direct democracy through citizens’ councils. We want to transform capitalism step by step and reject austerity policies. Our goal is a just society that represents a counterpoint to right-wing populist movements. As the German electoral wing of the pan-European movement DIEM 25, our long-term goal is a strong, united and social Europe of citizens and not of corporations.

How realistic is this vision in times of a general shift to the right?

Borders, exclusive identities, racism and their consequences for, among other things, migration policy, as we now see, for example, in the softening of the right of asylum, are unfortunately increasingly coming from the far right to the centre of society. There are many reasons for this: poverty, fear of social decline and cultural alienation in a globalised world. However, hunger, persecution and wars – also fuelled by Germany – will continue to force millions of people to flee. That is why we are in favour of a fair development policy, peace and open borders.

How can economic inequalities between countries such as Germany and Romania be equalised and concepts such as a basic income or the four-day week be implemented at EU level without economically stronger countries dominating?

The EU is a union of social injustice in which rich countries and large companies are favoured. With a European basic income, a financial transaction tax and massive investment by the ECB in a social-green turnaround, we would have effective measures for recovery and justice. We also want to strengthen citizens’ right to have a say through direct democracy at national and European level.

How does MERA25 intend to promote such ideas?

We already live in an absurd world in which nationalists and right-wing populists are uniting beyond the national borders that they uphold. But that is exactly what we as humanists must do. Especially because we live in a time of information wars, echo chambers and knowledge insecurity. If we see ourselves as a human family and stop letting ourselves be fooled by oligarchs and identitarian pied pipers into thinking that the problem is migrants or whoever, we have a chance of a much better world. DiEM25 in particular is a glimmer of hope because it unites people across national borders who stand together for the same cause. If we mobilise more people politically, we can achieve real change. And pan-European politics is the key to this.

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