They’ve never imagined that by submitting online a simple proposal on reinventing Europe, they would end up defending their idea in Brussels, in a full hemicycle at the European Parliament! These 10 European citizens took part in the unprecedented WeEuropeans consultation launched in March 2019 by Make.org and Civico Europa. Each of these citizens’ proposals was first voted in their country of origin, then in a Europe-wide vote. Their 10 contributions make up the Citizens' Agenda, which they presented on March 22 to representatives of European civil society (NGOs, trade unions, universities, etc.) and European political groups. They are WeEuropeans.
>> You can find the positions of the European political parties on each of these proposals, and the measures contained in their programmes for the European elections on these subjects. You can also use the Citizen Voting Guide quiz to find out which party you are closest to before the vote on 26 May. Vote informed!
"We need to create a Europe-wide recycling programme. Raw materials must be reused rather than destroyed."
In the Netherlands, 1.2 million tonnes of unsold clothes are destroyed every year. This is a waste of labour and raw materials. We have to be careful on how we use our resources. Europe must introduce regulations to ban the destruction of unsold clothing and require it to be recycled, as France has been doing since this year. This law must apply to all European countries, to prevent the major clothing groups from evading it by setting up in countries where there are no such regulations. Raw materials are essential to our existence and our future.
"Criminals (e.g. tax evaders) should be banned from working in the public sector or standing for election in Europe."
I've been watching Italian politics closely for several years. When you find people in government, like those in the Ministry of the Economy, who practise tax evasion on a massive scale, you understand that democracy is under attack! When people evade tax, they do so on purpose, to the detriment of the entire community. This explains why citizens feel increasingly alienated from democratic institutions. I propose that people who commit offences such as tax evasion, environmental crimes or Mafia crimes should no longer be allowed to work in the public service or stand for election, and I hope that in future these offenders will no longer be represented in our institutions. We want honest politicians who work for the common good and not for their own interests.
"We need to protect forests through effective management, and recreate flourishing forests. For every 1 tree cut down, 5 trees are planted."
We need better management of our forests, which not only preserve biodiversity, but also provide us with so many things we need in our daily lives. They remind us of where we come from. The Brothers Grimm would have had no subjects for their stories if there were no forests! They are part of our European culture. Mother Nature needs a helping hand! For every tree cut down, we need to plant 5 new trees, so that at least 3 of them reach maturity. If we don't do this, we won't be able to plant anything, because we won't even have a planet! I'm calling on Europe to diversify the trees in our forests, and not just plant cheap pine trees that damage our soils and ecosystems.
"We must put an end to the tax haven granted to multinationals. Taxes must be paid in the country where the profits are generated."
We often hear that one country is another's tax haven, and that companies take advantage of this situation to pay as little tax as possible, with the complicity of governments. This is the case, for example, with Luxembourg for Belgium, and with Belgium for many other European countries. This has to stop. How is it possible that countries that claim to form one of the most modern unions in the world are still taking advantage of their neighbours! A state cannot negotiate with a multinational company. If a multinational company wants to operate in a European Union country, it has to respect the rules of the European game. If we were to unify the tax system for large companies in Europe, this would prevent tax optimisation, and consequently flight of capital that we need if we want to face the challenges that are approaching. All Member States can gain from this. These multinational companies may have billions, but there are hundreds of millions of us demanding justice, and it is therefore the voice of all these citizens that I am representing.
"We need to invest in education and research."
Each Member State has its own education and research policy. Romania has the lowest rate of students entering higher education in Europe. How is this possible? It's a question of competitiveness! Most disciplines in higher education are based on hard sciences and mathematics: this is necessary, but not sufficient. Art, sport and the human sciences are equally important. Children need to learn a variety of subjects so that all their talents can be developed. Relationships between students and their teachers must also be strengthened, and interdisciplinary teaching as well. Education and research are crucial as they can also help solve other problems, such as those related to the environment. Benjamin Franklin said that there are three kinds of people: those who don't understand or don't care, those who understand and can act, and those who do. That's what we have to do, we have to act!
"Workers' rights must be protected in all EU countries."
After the crisis, people in some EU countries expressed their anger by voting for the far right. Since 2010, we, the Greek workers, particularly in Thessaloniki where the unemployment rate is very high, have encountered the major employment and salary problems. But we have not had the freedom to act to resolve them. This has to be done on a European scale, because other countries in southern Europe may be faced with the same situation as Greece. We need laws to combat poverty, unemployment and social inequality, to guarantee access to healthcare, to protect the freedom of trade unions and to ensure a fair redistribution of income. I’d like that the voice of people like me, like us, is heard in the European Parliament.
"We need to coordinate restrictions on chemical products, particularly in the food industry.”
I have 4 children and 5 grandchildren, and it's their future, our common future, that has motivated my proposal. It's not fair that local, non-toxic food should be more expensive than food produced by mass industry and full of chemicals. We need to introduce taxes based on a bonus-malus system. In the same way that we are trying to make the producers of batteries and plastic more responsible, we need to make the manufacturers who introduce antibiotics and additives into our food more responsible. Consumers also need to take responsibility: when you buy a bicycle, if it's very cheap, you wonder why. You have to do the same thing when you buy meat! Of course, we already have regulations, but we need to implement them more efficiently, for example by carrying out unannounced checks in laboratories, as we do in the fight against doping in sport. In Sweden, anti-doping controls cost €3 million in 2017, so I think we would have the means to control our food better.
“We need to encourage projects for sustainable energy in the cities.”
Out of the 28 Member States of the European Union, 11 are already meeting the 2020 criteria for renewable energy. My country, Lithuania, is one of them, but we can't just congratulate ourselves. 75% of Europeans live in cities. Imagine a magnificent historic district and spectacular skyscrapers covered in dust, particles and fog.... In reality, you don't need to imagine it: it's already happening, it's already too late. To make cities more sustainable, I propose encouraging the installation of solar panels on walls and roofs, integrating solar and wind energy into building renovation, developing electric public transport, requiring the construction of autonomous buildings in town planning schemes... We need to support green innovations. We need smart cities.
"We need clear and transparent information on all projects and agreements within the EU."
I have the feeling that I don't have the tools to understand what the European Union does and the regulations that affect us directly. We need simpler, clearer messages, and we need this information to be accessible and understandable to all citizens. I'm 49 years old, but my proposal is aimed more at the younger generation: if we want Europe to remain united, we need to know more about what it does.
"We need to ensure that all EU citizens can be treated in EU countries with a European Health Insurance Card."
I propose creating a single health card for all European countries. It should contain all the information on the patient, so that every European citizen can be treated in any country of the European Union. This would require an enormous amount of coordination and budgetary effort, and would certainly require radical reform of the health systems in some countries, but health must be our number 1 priority, because our future depends on it.