PES Manifesto http://manifesto2009.pes.org// Description en Webadmin 3.0 beta Europe, our beloved country Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:10:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/561 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/561 The future of Europe is to become a country, not the United States of Europe but an European Union. Together we are the richest, the biggest democracy and the most powerful country in the world.

The 21st century is the globalization century and we are killing ourselves. With some influential powerful countries arising (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and the United States, Europe as it is today will die very fast. The EU way of act is still having good results in European economies, but in a globalized world we need to have a single voice and act as a single force.

As from the 15th century we conquered the world, we cannot allow others to conquer us. We are good but we need more. We need to act as a continental nation constructed by many others nations (Spain, UK…)!

We Are, In Varietate Concordi

]]> Rui Miguel democracy EU Multilareralism Le PE a adopté la directive de la honte Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:04:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/568 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/568 Par 369 voix pour, 197 contre et 106 abstentions, le Parlement européen a adopté, ce mercredi 18 juin, la directive sur le retour des immigrés illégaux.

Ce texte qui a été massivement soutenu par la droite prévoit :

- une durée de rétention excessivement longue ;

- la détention d'enfants en centres fermés ;

- l’absence d'obligation pour les États d'organiser une assistance juridique gratuite ;

- la possibilité d'expulser des personnes gravement malades vers des pays où elles seront privées des soins pourtant nécessaires à leur survie ;

- l'interdiction de séjour sur le territoire européen de 5 ans pour toutes les personnes qui ont reçu un ordre de quitter le territoire.

La seule porte de sortie face à ce texte scandaleux est la faculté laissée aux Etats membres d’appliquer des normes plus favorables.

Il y a des jours où j’ai honte d’être citoyen de cette Europe là.

Allez, courage, la lutte continue !

]]> Joel Cordier blogger of the week human rights immigration rights Pour une Europe solidaire des pays en développement Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:49:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/565 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/565 Le mercredi 13 février 2008 a eu lieu la première rencontre des Artisans de l’Europe.

Lors de cette soirée nous avons eu le plaisir d’accueillir Alain Hutchinson, parlementaire européen socialiste et Gérard Karlshausen, chargé des politiques européennes au Centre National de Coopération au Développement et membre du Board de CONCORD.

Voici quelques propositions issues de cette rencontre.

Les objectifs de santé et d’éducation doivent rester la priorité numéro un de l’aide européenne au développement.

Avec ses 22,68 milliards d'euros (pour la période 2008 à 2013), le Fonds européen de développement (FED) est l'instrument principal de l'aide communautaire à la coopération. Bien que, suite à la demande du Parlement européen, un titre soit réservé pour le Fonds dans le budget communautaire depuis 1993, le FED ne fait pas encore partie du budget communautaire général. Il est impératif que le Parlement européen puisse disposer d’un droit de regard sur ce Fonds et qu’il soit donc intégré dans le budget communautaire.

Les règles de bonne gouvernance des aides accordées doivent être renforcées dans un esprit de transparence, d’évaluation et d’implication de la société civile des deux côtés de l’équation donation / réception.

Actuellement, L’Union, sous la pression de la droite, relayée par les commissaires Barroso, Michel et Mandelson, positionne l’ouverture et le gain de parts de marchés comme prioritaire et instrumentalise la coopération au service de cet objectif.

La coopération au développement doit rester, dans l’architecture institutionnelle de l’UE, une compétence identifiée par un Commissaire, une Direction Générale et des instruments financiers. Le responsable de la matière doit pouvoir interagir avec le futur Haut-représentant de l’UE aux relations extérieures. Il ne s’agit pas de confisquer la matière au profit des objectifs strictement commerciaux de l’UE.

Un changement apporté à la coopération est de ne plus avoir les Etats comme seuls partenaires ; invitation est faite à toutes les composantes de la société civile à s’impliquer pour donner leur avis. L’UE doit donc concentrer des moyens afin d’outiller partout où c’est possible et nécessaire ces composantes de la société civile, en particulier les syndicats, les associations citoyennes et les ONG, afin qu’ils puissent donner leur avis et que cet avis ait un impact.

Au sein même du PSE et de ses structures nationales et régionales, un réinvestissement doit être fait par les militants et les élus qui doivent se réapproprier la solidarité internationale et prendre conscience de l’urgence d’agir socialement, humainement et démocratiquement, notamment au niveau du continent africain.

Merci à Michaël Van Cutsem pour le compte-rendu de cette rencontre.

]]> Joel Cordier blogger of the week development solidarity manifesto2009 barometer: EU in the world III Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:30:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/538 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/538 The last months of the debates on EU in the world have again brought many proposals to include in the Manifesto to the 2009 European elections.

Global Disarmament

Several participants recommend that the Manifesto mentions Europe’s responsibility to ensure global disarmament and arms controls. Measures could include working towards a nuclear weapons-free Europe, reducing military expenses, focusing on conflict prevention, revitalising international processes and agreements (such as the non-proliferation and the CFE treaties), and banning small arms and light weapons (SALW) exports to unstable regions. But participants also agreed that the EU should develop its own military structures outside NATO to be able to independently carry out missions covered by the Petersberg tasks. Also, EU member states should press the US to restrain from engaging private contractors in conflict regions.

Towards democratic international institutions

The democratisation of international institutions and regulatory bodies was also seen as a key priority by participants. Proposals in this regard included that the UN Security Council be replaced by the UN General Assembly as the central decision making body, with the direct election of UN representatives, and an EU representation in international institutions such as the UN. The PES could also promote the use of Esperanto on international forums, for better understanding among citizens and nations.

A new global model of social protection

Some participants highlighted the need to compensate for the excessive power of economic liberalism with a new global model of social protection. The PES should ensure that socialism becomes as global as liberalism; otherwise the welfare state might disappear! To ensure that citizens all over the world have the same social and democratic rights, awareness rising is crucial, through all means available (internet, newspapers, if necessary clandestinely).

Eradicating poverty: food crisis, decent work, fair trade, financing for development, human rights…

Socialists and Social democrats should remember that they are born out of the hunger and poverty of the XIXth century, and therefore need to fight the current global food crisis and ensure decent work for all. For instance, the EU should export its best technology to enhance food production. Josep Borrell, MEP, also highlighted that fair trade is the most powerful factor for development (“the market shouldn’t be the survival of the fittest”), together with institution-building and fighting human rights violations. According to EURODAD, priorities in the Manifesto shoud include increasing aid effectiveness, flows and predictability; cancelling illegitimate debt and avoiding future debt crisis; increasing transparency of financial flows to avoid risk of crisis, by promoting a development-friendly and stable financial system. For Ana Gomes, MEP, the fight against corruption and enhance European economic governance is also essential to reduce the gap between the poor and the rich. Action Aid insisted on the need to refocus on people’s rights (rather than corporate rights), to deliver on commitments (such as the MDGs) on poverty reduction, on quantity and quality of aid, and to ensure policy coherence for development. MEP Javier Moreno explained a PSOE policy to tackle brain drain: for each doctor/engineer who comes from a developing country to work to Spain, the Spanish government pays the education of another doctor/engineer in the country of origin.

The European Neighbourhood

For Sauvons l'Europe, the EU partnership for the Mediterranean must offer a political response to the issue of economic migration. The Manifesto should therefore promote a new Euro-Mediterranean Mobility (EMM) that would lead to a common system of social solidarities. We need to create a Euro-Mediterranean supranational organisation aiming at formulating this EMM. Enlargement to Turkey was also part of the debates, participants arguing that Islam is also part of Europe. They agreed that if Turkey fills the criteria it should be given full membership, but insisted that it must first, like other countries, respect democratic values and human rights.

Who will pay the bill for the global financial crisis?

The current global financial crisis was seen by Sortir de l’Impasse as a crucial issue. According to them, the starting point of the crisis is the lack of US regulation regarding home mortgages. But despite that, Europe has to pay half of the bill: Europe and the US suffered each around US$150 billion losses so far. So before making proposals to improve the financial worldwide framework (which will be essential), the first step should be to directly ask the US to be accountable for its lack of regulation.

]]> ricardo activists barometer EU neighbours poverty social dialogue UN USA Financial crisis: why has Europe to pay half of the worldwide bill? Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:10:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/514 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/514 A lot has been written about the current financial crisis. We know that it has been generated by the US subprime mortgages. These subprimes are mortgages granted to people whose loan request had been refused by “traditional” banks and who had been given by specialised brokers a “second chance to realise the American dream of getting their own home”. This was under “bad” conditions, mainly much higher resetable interest rates. And since July 2007, we unfortunately discovered how high the price to pay was: millions of American borrowers have been strangled with so huge monthly payments that they had no other choice but to leave their home.

In this story, there are a lot of things to debate, and we will try to come back on them. But the most unbelievable issue is that Europe has to pay half of the bill…. for a crisis induced by the poor US government supervision on homebuilders! At the end of the day, Europe and the US suffered each around 150 billions US dollars losses so far, i.e. more than 1/3 of the French annual budget for instance!!!

Of course, things are not as simple as that, and for sure some European financial actors have their part of responsibility in the transmission of the crisis. But the starting point remains definitely the lack of US regulation regarding home mortgages.

So why are we going to pay without saying anything because of the US blind faith in the “laisser faire”? Unless we are wrong, none of our European leaders dare to directly ask the US to be accountable for their lack of regulation. We think that before making any proposal to improve the financial worldwide framework, this should be the first step.]]> Sortir de l'Impasse EU USA EURODAD: revising financial relations between North and South Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:15:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/519 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/519 EURODAD, the European Network on Debt and Development, gives its input for the manifesto2009. Marta Ruiz, EURODAD policy and advocacy officer, speaks about aid effectiveness and financial relations between rich and developing countries.

Read EURODAD' contribution for the manifesto2009 here.

]]> editor development globalization poverty Ambassadeurs européens Thu, 29 May 2008 11:45:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/496 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/496

L'union européenne doit être un tremplin pour tous les citoyens européens. Mais les problèmes auxquels les citoyens de l'UE sont confrontés, notamment le chômage, ne se résoudront pas seulement en Europe. En Europe, il faut imposer des droits sociaux de base, un salaire minimum européen. Mais il faut que les citoyens du monde aient les mêmes droits sociaux et démocratiques.

Le PSE doit mener des combats dans tous les pays du monde en y pratiquant une politique visant à informer les citoyens du monde de la possibilité de s'unir pour acquérir des droits. Tous les moyens sont possibles: internet, journaux... Il faudra peut-être passer par la clandestinité dans des pays où les droits ne sont pas respectés (Chine...) mais le problème du chômage se règlera dans les pays où les droits sociaux ne sont pas respectés. L'ingérence est une obligation. Pensez-y à chaque lever du soleil. Dîtes-vous, que puis-je faire pour ces citoyens dont les droits sont bafoués. Les informer qu'une autre vie est possible. De là naîtra la contestation...

En Europe, tous les pays ne sont pas logés à la même enseigne. ll faut absolument que le PSE ait un programme visant à ce que le petit pays obtienne les droits du plus grand et non à ce que le grand pays voit ses droits diminuer.

Il faut créer un journal papier de l'Europe, un site internet accessible à tous. Ces médias informeront les citoyens et aura pour but de promouvoir le progrès pour tous.

]]> yanlep EU Multilareralism rights PES Activists Portugal debate on «Europe and the World» Tue, 27 May 2008 14:40:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/489 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/489

Saturday, 17th of May, PES activists Portugal held their second public initiative regarding the Manifesto 2009 consultation. This session was held in Setúbal, and it was dedicated to the theme of « Europe and the World» and had as Keynote Speaker Manuel Lobo Antunes (Secretary of State of European Affair); Ana Gomes and Joel Hasse Ferreira (MEP, PES), and Ana Pinto (Researcher IPRI / FCSH – UNL).

The session was presided by the leader of PS Setúbal, Victor Ramalho and some proposals were presented by activists. The session was well attended and the invited speakers delivered high quality speeches regarding the international relations of Europe. It was very helpful to have a broader view on today’s international problems and the political attitude that Europe develops towards them. As in the Faro initiative on the New Social Europe, the importance of the manifesto2009 consultation, the 2009 European Election and the PES activists initiative were also stressed - the videos on this initiative cam be seen here) The PES activists Portugal sessions will continue next week-end, with the «Democracy and Diversity» in Coimbra on the 30th May and the «Save our World» in Oporto on Saturday the 31th.

Coimbra's session will take place at “Casa da Cultura” and will have, as Keynote Speaker Augusto Santos Silva (Minister of Parliamentary Affairs), and António Pires de Carvalho (President of ISCAC). Francisco Assis and Armando França (MEP, PES) will deliver special communications. The session will be directed by Victor Baptista.

The Oporto session, to be held at «Fundação Cupertino de Miranda», will start at 15.30h. The Keynote Speaker will be Carlos Zorrinho (Portuguese National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Tecnologic Plan). Elisa Ferreira (MEP, PES), Manuel dos Santos (MEP, PES), Manuela de Melo (MP), Manuel Sampaio Taborda (InternacionalConsultant), Nuno Gomes Oliveira (CEO Parque Biológico de Gaia) e Carlos Costa (FEUP Director) will also present communications.

You are more than welcome to see the interventions in our website (www.euromanifesto2009.com); and if you have any proposals or remarks, please send them to propostas@euromanifesto2009.com).

We hope to see you in one of our next initiatives,

PES activists Portugal

 

]]> jose reis santos blogger of the week EU globalization Multilareralism I want to vote for disarmament! Tue, 20 May 2008 18:22:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/473 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/473 I am from the Jusos, the German young social democrats.

In the 2009 European elections, I definitely want to vote for disarmament, for fewer weapons and for peace!

That’s why I am appealing to the PES to introduce disarmament as a clear focus in the PES
manifesto 2009. Social democrats and socialists stand for peace in Europe and the world and we should clearly express it!

Therefore I demand:

  • Europe has to become a nuclear-free zone!
  • Europe has to reduce its military expenditures drastically!
  • Europe has to be a peace force. We want civil conflict prevention and no new armies!
  • Europe takes decisions together. We want revitalisation of multilateral regimes such as Non- Proliferation Treaty.
  • Europe has to trace, licence small arms and ban the export in instable regions!
  • Europe has to initiate a new impulse to ratify the CFE-treaty!

Today we have to realize that the world is entering a new contest of rearmament. And Europe is about to become champion. More than 825 billion US-dollar were spent in 2006 for military expenditures. This is nearly 70 percent of the worldwide expenditures! It’s a shame! While many people live in poverty and despair. Our money should reinforce peace and not be spent on new armament and weapons.

Therefore, I want to vote for disarmament!

Note from editor: Marius Lühring, Dörte Marlene and Sylvia Kunze, young German social democrat members, have submitted a similar statement to Yourspace, supporting disarmament as a priority in the PES manifesto. Thanks to Jusos for their contributions.

]]> franz.danner disarmement peace Developing development Mon, 19 May 2008 10:10:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/466 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/466 The European Union today is the largest donor in development and international aid.
A European fact we can indeed be proud of.

But let us not rest assured...the international (aid) scene is rapidly changing, for the best and the worst.

New players have entered the domain of international development and aid.
China, for example, seems to have (re)discovered the African continent and are rapidly becoming a major player. Not all that strange after all, since the Chinese aid comes with much less regulations than the aid the EU or the UN offers. Yet, it comes at a much higher cost in the end.

But the way local NGO's work is changing as well. With as much failure stories as success stories, projects have a tendency to grow more local and more small-scaled. Western aid workers slowly abandon the idea they know better and that western models can simply be implemented in a non-western context.

Local partnerships and consultation rounds now determine the needs of local people.
Participation and co-ownership are now key-words in these new formats being developed.
Aid is so much more than simply drilling water holes or offering medical supplies. Aid should also come in the forms of education and information.

As the largest donor, the European Union also has the largest responsibility. A responsibility to avoid trading aid for political sway or economic deals. Aid should be a first step to self-governance, not a hidden form of neo-colonization, as some players nowadays seem to think.

The international scene is rapidly playing...and Europe needs to help it change in a social way.

]]> bverdeyen Africa development globalization trade Over population Tue, 13 May 2008 09:42:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/413 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/413 I don't want to suggest that PES/EU can solve this problem within one term of office. But I do think that the EU should start talking to other countries and organisations about dealing with the consequences of over population.

Over population or having more people on the planet that it can sustain was a topic of discussion during the 1970s and China responded. I'm not saying that we or other countries should follow China's route.

But over population is at the core of many global problems. We need to use artificial fertilisers and G.M. products to feed the world and even then a lot of people starve. There is insufficient water to both grow food for people and for them to drink. We can't provide enough energy for everybody without damaging the planet.

Question, how do we address the twin problems of having a sustainable level of population on this planet? Answer, I don't know, but I'm interested in listening to there people's views.

If it is decided to reduce the population we have to consider the demographics of having more older people who are above a working age - but still need food, water and energy - than younger people who would be generating income and therefore taxes to pay for the water, food and energy of the older people.

But until we start discussing these concepts, both amongst ourselves and with other countries we're not going to fully understand the problems and therefore we won't find the correct answers.

]]> Duncan Anderson energy environment food crisis solidarity Plutôt Schuman que Marshall ! Tue, 06 May 2008 09:34:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/401 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/401 S’inspirer de soixante années d’expérience de la construction européenne pour avancer un nécessaire projet d’Union Méditerranéenne est, à première vue, une idée excellente. Vigilance pourtant au moment de manipuler le vocabulaire et les méthodes de la success story européenne.  L’Europe des pères fondateurs ne se résume ni à quelque technique habile, ni à quelques mots magiques, pas plus qu'à des partenariats économiques tous azimuts. Elle oblige génétiquement à un partage de souveraineté sur ce qui fait mal.  L’Europe politique n’est pas née seulement et durablement des moyens financiers offerts par le plan Marshall. Elle s’est imposée dans le sillage d’un geste politique historique, celui de la déclaration Schuman. Or, cette initiative allait bien au-delà du champ économique. Il ne s’agissait pas d’annoncer la restauration du théâtre de Bayreuth avec des prêts bonifiés ! A cette époque, on voyait plus loin, on visait plus haut. On confiait à une autorité politique nouvelle ce qui avait servi à tant faire couler le sang des Européens : le charbon et l’acier.  De même, aujourd’hui, la réconciliation Europe/Méditerranée passe par un acte politique fort. L’ambition européenne pour la Méditerranée doit, à la manière du geste de 1951, offrir une réponse politique à la seule question qui importe, et que personne n’ose trancher franchement. Hier le charbon et l’acier, aujourd’hui l’immigration économique. Et comme hier, cette réponse politique doit se servir d’un cadre institutionnel supranational ad hoc qui conforte l’Etat de droit et l’expansion économique. 

Il revient sans doute à la génération des petits enfants de Jean Monnet d’œuvrer à substituer à la néfaste proposition de guerre des civilisations celle plus humaniste d’un modèle social euro-méditerranéen partagé au travers d’une mobilité économique et de son corollaire juridique à inventer : une citoyenneté économique, qui soit un préalable et une propédeutique à de futurs partenariats politiques.  La mobilité économique euro-méditerranéenne proposerait un espace de libre circulation économique sans frontières migratoires, mais, dans le cadre d’un projet de mise en place et de financement par tous d’une solidarité sociale partagée pour le 21ème siècle. Ainsi, la mobilité euro-méditerranéenne (MEM) offrirait la possibilité de converger vers un système commun de solidarités sociales, plus étendu et mieux équilibré démographiquement que nos vieux systèmes nationaux et de ce fait, bien plus pérenne à terme.  Ainsi l’objectif d’une citoyenneté économique euro-méditerranéenne ne viserait pas une union politique actuellement sans fondement, mais s’appuierait sur le constat suivant : la solidarité entre les personnes est une valeur commune à l’ensemble des référents culturels du monde méditerranéen, au-delà de sa diversité culturelle ou de l’immaturité démocratique de certains de ses gouvernements. Profitons-en ! Un tel acte modifierait radicalement, on l’espère, la perception et la mémoire de l’immigration au sein des populations européennes. Egalement, un tel acte donnerait un sens nouveau à l’engagement des Européens en matière d’investissement et de co-développement au sud de la Méditerranée. Il apporterait un profit social aux délocalisations industrielles des opérateurs économiques européens en offrant une alternative socialement plus féconde à l’émigration massive des industries européennes vers l’Asie. Des hommes, voilà soixante ans, ont eu le courage politique de changer le regard que des populations entières portaient les unes sur les autres depuis des siècles. Et cela au travers de la mutualisation des outils mêmes de leurs conflits. Aujourd’hui, ce même courage politique est nécessaire pour s’adresser à « l’autre bord de la méditerranée ».

Quelle que soit sa dénomination, une organisation euro-méditerranéenne supranationale appelée à formuler une Mobilité économique méditerranéenne, avec ses droits et ses devoirs, dans le cadre d’un partage de souveraineté limité et désignée au moyen d’élections transparentes constituerait un triple message loin de toute démagogie. Un message envers les populations du Nord inquiétées par le délitement des mécanismes de l’Etat-providence. Des espoirs de liberté et de prospérité pour les jeunes du Sud. Et au passage aussi un message que la France doit à ses banlieues.

Yohann Abiven, Fabien Chevalier, Henri Lastenouse
Membres de Sauvons l'Europe (France)]]> yoan.abiven citizens economy immigration security solidarity Josep Borrell: We need to promote fair trade Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:37:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/390 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/390 Josep Borrell is Member of the European Parliament for the Spanish socialist party, PSOE. He was President of the European Parliament 2004-2007 and in this video he gives his ideas for the PES manifesto:



Do you agree with Josep Borrell's suggestions for the PES manifesto?]]> rikke development European Parliament fair trade solidarity The future is always beginning now... Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:12:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/387 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/387 discussion paper (available at the top of this page or here):

2. What sort of UN reform should the EU propose?
I think that - in the longterm - the UN Security Council should be replaced by the UN General Assembly as the central decision making body within the UN umbrella. To this end, I think it will be necessary to elect UN representatives in direct elections to arrive at a sort of 'world elections' in a manifestation of the supremacy of democracy over other, more exclusive forms of government.
 
4. How should the EU work efficiently with NATO?
I think we should think about developing military structures on a European level outside NATO in order to indenpendently carry out missions covered by the Petersberg tasks and the UN. Also, I think the EU member states actively engaged in the NATO should press the US to restrain from engaging private contractors in conflic regions (keyword: Blackwater).
 
8. What actions should be undertaken by the EU to achieve the UN Millennium Goals?
I think that the sole establishment of a headline number, such as 0.7 percent of GDP spent on Development Aid, will not be sufficient to face the challenge of economic (and social!) prosperity in developing countries. A more sophisticated approach towards the use of development funding has to be found. Especially, on this point please also see the attached pdf file for more information!
 
COMMENTS ARE WELCOME
 
( This post is the result of my reflections on the contribution of the Geneva delegation from the 28th of March, available here.)
]]> markus.austria activists Africa defence democracy development multilateralism peace poverty UN NGO interview: Focusing on people's rights Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:40:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/381 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/381 ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency whose aim is to fight poverty worldwide. Joanna Maycock is EU Representative and presents ActionAid's suggestions for the PES manifesto in this video interview:

]]> rikke development human rights NGO poverty Le choc militaire avec la Chine Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:10:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/368 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/368 Nous sommes embourbés dans quelques pays du Tiers-monde : Afghanistan, Irak, Kosovo, où nous déployons le maximum de nos capacités déportables sans succès.

Imaginez un instant que la dictature chinoise paranoiaque, qui n'est pas en voie de démocratisation par l'économie, mais ressemble plutot à un virus mutant, aie une poussée de fièvre militariste, contre Taiwan tout d'abord, puis contre le Vietnam, la Corée et le Japon, sans parler de ses rivalités avec l'Inde. Que serions nous en mesure de faire ?

Je rappelle que la Chine nous tient en nous jouant les uns contre les autres dans la compétition économique, qu'elle a acheté les meilleurs sous-marins soviétiques, qu'elle peut faire exploser en vol nos satellites espions, qu'elle a 3 millions d'hommes sous les drapeaux complètement fanatisés, que sa population est nationaliste car ignorante des enjeux internationaux, donc prête à une longue et dure guerre. Et nous ?

Pour moi, la nouvelle doctrine anti-dictature devrait englober une vaste alliance OTAN_bis:USA+Europe_PESD+Russie, alliée à l'Inde, au Japon et à la Corée du Sud. Il y a urgence à ne pas s'endormir sur nos lauriers, et à décripter le véritable langage de rapport de force de la dictature chinoise.

]]> BenoitFabre China defence Russia USA Let us not leave the peoples of the world hungry for more... Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:46:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/364 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/364 What a cruel joke and what a fundamental question we are confronted with today: just switch on your television set or read your newspaper, and you will see how much the prices of raw materials have increased. This in turn has led to an explosion of violence in the developing countries, with what we now call the 'hunger riots'. Let us not forget that the same kind of riots often led to big revolutions in the past.

Since then, democracy has allowed us to generate the necessary conditions to anticipate these problems in order to solve them with all parties involved. If the weapon of the hungry and the poor remains violence, it is because politics and democracy are not part of these processes. Indeed, for a long time, the functioning of international regulatory bodies has been put into question. As socialists and social-democrats, we are not calling for their abolition but rather for their democratization. The work launched by the French socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) follows this rationale in a will to better represent emerging countries. The idea is that the IMF should no longer be the 'banking police of rich countries' systematically oppressing those nations in need.

We are working on the PES manifesto for the 2009 elections and in a couple of weeks, the Socialist International will hold its Congress in Athens. It is high time that all progressive forces remember the meaning of their mission and their historical role. The socialist and social-democratic workers' movement was very often born out of hunger and poverty riots in XIXth century Europe. It put the problem in a political framework and allowed the hungry and the poor to organise themselves and gave them the power to change the situation for millions of people. It was not just about the 'ownershp of the means of production' or about 'destroying the bourgeois state'. It was about defending what we now would call 'decent work for a decent life'. It would be bizarre and certainly tragic not to be up to the task today... The work of political parties at international level is getting more and more formal. It is high time we come up with a useful concept of social-democracy.

]]> Pierre_Kanuty decent work food crisis poverty German young social democrats: Vote for disarmament! Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:36:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/358 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/358 Here is an opinion from Jusos – the German social democratic youth organization:

Slowly but steadily the European Union has been finding its role in the world by shaping a common EU foreign policy. More and more tools have been developed and policies defined.
However, Brussels is running the risk of loosing sight of one of its main origin: control of arms! The central objective of the European Cool and Steel Community at the very beginning was to make war unlikely by controlling and restricting the resources needed for weapons. Arms control and disarmament were two dominant goals on the European level to further foster peace and stability.

Today, disarmament and arms control do not seem to play a major role on the European level any more. The European Security Strategy from 2003 does not even mention "disarmament" once. The European discussion on US plans of establishing missile defence systems on EU soil had only been half-hearted by most actors. And instead of being committed to stop weapons flow into conflict regions, the EU opened up an Armament Agency in order to coordinate and improve its own weapons production being already one of the biggest exporters in the world.

We hope that the 'EU in the world' chapter of the future PES manifesto will take the European responsibility on in fighting global disarmament as a prerequisite for stable peace in the world! The European socialist and social-democratic parties and of course PES itself should stand up for a European peace power by disarmament as one of its tools.

]]> rikke conflict defence disarmement manifesto2009 barometer: EU in the world II Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:57:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/341 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/341 'EU in the world' continue on a speedy track. During the last month a lot of progressive view-points and ideas have been aired - also on the international responsibilities of the EU and of each and every European citizen. Here’s an account of the debate since the last 'EU in the world' barometer:

A more transparent and accountable EU foreign policy
A new debate has been started by social democratic European foundations on the need to have a more transparent and more accountable EU foreign policy. The aim is to ensure that European citizens are aware that, besides the gaps that are always highlighted in the news headlines, the EU is quite successful in its external policies. More democratic control is also required, including through the European Parliament.

Development - a focus on brain drain and decent work
Participants are concerned about development as a crucial aspect of the EU’s external activities. Brain drain is a key issue, with Scandinavian PES activists considering that knowledge sharing, education, and brain drain must be given a lot of thought in EU development and foreign policies. The PSOE proposal to finance the education and training of new professionals in their home countries was also highlighted. Also, participants recommended that decent work should be at the heart of the PES manifesto. Socialists should indeed make it a priority to ensure a lot more decent jobs. The PES is already working on this issue through the Global Progressive Forum. But, as Ania noted, more can be done: the EU needs consistent and coherent policies, for instance by ensuring that European trade relations take into account decent work and fair trade. It is also essential to engage with NGOs working on those issues.

EU as a peace force
Issues related to the role of the EU in international peace and security are still at the centre of the debates. Social democratic European foundations noted that the PES has to ensure that the EU has the capacity to act militarily without the support of the United States. Together with MEP Richard Howitt, they argue in favour of defence spending for peacekeeping, conflict prevention and humanitarian issues. PES activist Cafeneua nevertheless recommends to focus on preventive and diplomatic approaches and use force only as a last resort.

Outside Europe
Once again, participants debated the need to develop partnerships with global actors and regions. Many considered crucial to focus on the European Neighbourhood Policy, including on the Balkans but also on the Middle East. Relations with Russia were again passionately discussed. Finally, Corinne noted the importance of working with Mediterranean countries.

Does this sum up the last month’s debate on ‘EU in the world – or is anything missing? Let us know what you think in a comment!

The manifesto2009 Barometer
Right now the Yourspace team is taking the temperature of the PES manifesto debate! We proceed theme by theme and sum up the debate on a monthly basis. ]]> rikke barometer decent work defence democracy fair trade Russia UN USA Foundations debate 'EU in the world' in sunny Sofia Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:52:00 +0200 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/338 http://manifesto2009.pes.org/en/eu-in-the-world/post/338 Social democratic European foundations are working hard to contribute to a PES manifesto based on progressive values. The first meeting of the European Network of Social-Democratic Foundations (ENSoF) took place on 29 March 2008 in the beautiful city of Sofia, under the coordinating wing of the Institute for Social Integration of Bulgaria, to debate issues related to the manifesto theme ‘EU in the world’.

There was a general agreement on the need to have a more transparent and more accountable EU foreign policy, in order to ensure that European citizens are aware that, besides the gaps that are always highlighted in the news headlines, the EU is quite successful in its external policies - for instance in its projects and missions in Eastern European countries. Discussions addressed the need to reinforce strategic partnerships with key international actors such as the United States and Russia. A strong and independent European security and defence policy was viewed as a way to ensure the EU can act alone, even militarily, when required, even without the support of the United States and of NATO – but always in full respect of international law. Representatives of the foundations agreed that the main priorities for the PES should be enlargement and the European neighbourhood policy, the Middle East conflict, and disarmament.

Participants gladly turned their backs to the sunny weather outside to discuss what they felt should be priorities for the EU foreign policy, with the aim of coming up with a joint written contribution to the PES manifesto consultation. This final document will be published shortly in the documents section of Yourspace. Your can already find contributions on Yourspace from a number of ENSoF members - including the Institute for Social Integration (Bulgaria), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Germany), Fondation Jean Jaures (France), and the Fundatia Institutul Ovidiu Sincai (Romania). ]]> rikke defence disarmement Middle East multilateralism neighbours Russia security USA