By DiEM25 Belgium/Italy DSC members
The idea of Europe is in retreat and the European Union seems to have entered into an apparently irreversible crisis. With Brexit, one great pillar of the European Union has already fallen. Others may follow – if not in this year’s election cycle then perhaps in the next.
“Take our country back!” is the proud message of Brexit supporters and an aspiration that we begin to encounter everywhere in Europe, even amongst left-wingers advocating a return to the nation-state.
So, is the European Union a lost cause? Or can it be saved? Should it be saved? DiEM25 believes yes. That we, the peoples of Europe, must take back our countries and our future, our regions, our cities and towns. And to do this we need to reclaim a common purpose amongst sovereign peoples.
Some issues cannot be solved by a single country or region (e.g. concerning ecology, economy, migration). The disintegration of the EU is a divide et impera strategy we should avoid. We need an internationalist, common, transnational European project, closer to its people, open to their ideas, sensitive and responsive to their anxieties.
We need a bold, innovative project for Europe. We need a European New Deal[1].
This document outlines just that.
Bottom up, participatory democracy:
DiEM25 is a space for participatory, open-source and democratic actions. This paper, as our movement organizational principles and everything we do, was designed and put together collaboratively.
This is how DiEM25 reclaims a common purpose amongst sovereign peoples: by bringing them together and back to democracy. The process takes 6-8 months (faster than most existing ones) and results in a highly participative, democratic and engaging civic experiment, giving every participant a true sense of ownership and connection with the end result. Exactly what Europe needs.
It is a practical, effective, rich and enriching way of democracy. It brings people together in constructive discussions, harvests the full power of the collective intelligence of a mass of engaged citizens, and legitimizes policies, strategies and processes to their core.
Capitalizing on DiEM25 volunteers from hundreds of cities across Europe, we convened locally and in self-organization, invited people from across the political spectrum to share ideas and propose solutions and policies. An elected expert committee then compiled the proposals and wrote a first Policy Paper Proposal. This first proposal was sent back to the members, for debate, revision, added comments and suggestions. The cycle repeats itself sometimes, fueling short and effective feedback loops between all participants. Finally, a date is proposed for a vote on a digital platform, and the paper is judged on its merits by all the members of the movement.
Join us, and let’s build a new Europe together.
[1] DiEM25’s Working Paper entitled ‘European New Deal: An economic agenda for European Recovery’ will be launched on the 25th March 2017 in Rome, in the context of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The full version of the White Paper will be made public before that event to prepare the deliberations that will take place in Rome
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