Citizens' Initiative: the New Deal 4 Europe Campaign continues!

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

The campaign New Deal for Europe, seeking a special European plan for sustainable development and employment, first took the form of a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) in 2014. Despite the ECI didn't reach the required number of signatures, it is partially put into place through the Juncker Plan. Now is time for the next step : a petition will be presented to the European Parliament on March 15.

The New Deal for Europe Campaign

The campaign, created in 2014 on the initiative of the European Federalist Movement (MFE), of the Einstein Centre for International Studies (CESI) and of the Young European Federalists (JEF/YEF), consists of a proposal of the European citizens for a European special plan for sustainable development and employment financed by EU budget's additional own resources coming from a share of the taxes on financial transactions and on CO2 emissions, and from a loan in euro project bonds.

The innovative aspect of the project consists in indicating where and how to find the resources to fund the plan: a contribution to be paid by polluters and speculators, in order to heal the damages they caused, through European taxes on financial transactions and on CO2 emissions and a loan in Euro project bonds.

 

From the ECI to the Petition

The project begun with a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) in 2014. Although it did not reach the goal of one million citizens, the proposal found - partly - echo in  the Juncker Plan. After seven years of austerity policies, the President of the European Commission has finally declared that growth and the creation of new jobs (the objectives underlying the political proposal of ND4E) are his priorities.

Therefore it was decided to withdraw the ECI (January 2015) before the deadline and in conjunction with the approval of the Juncker Plan. But it was decided at the same time to continue the action by presenting a petition to the European Parliament on the objectives not yet achieved.

The continuation of ND4E was considered necessary since the Juncker Plan, while being a step in the right direction, because it aimed at increasing resources directed to growth, was judged by the promoters of ND4E insufficient both quantitatively - for the resources provided - and qualitatively - for the sectors chosen to receive incentives to start an ecologically and socially sustainable development.

 

What is the petition calling for ?

We European citizens call upon the European Parliament

- to put forward a proposal for the revision of the multiannual financial framework, expected in 2016, asking to increase the EFSI's endowment with additional resources flowing from the above-mentioned taxes and the emission of euro project-bonds and new EIB bonds which the ECB can purchase within the framework of quantitative easing;

- to assign those resources to the EFSI and to destine them to the cooperating states;

- to submit this proposal to the approval of an assembly composed by the European Parliament and National Parliaments (Interparliamentary Assises) of interested countries, in order to associate member states in the decisions regarding the distribution of fiscal revenue.

 

What is the next step ?

Next step includes the presentation of the ND4E Petition at the European Parliament on March 15, 2016 with supporters and promoters. If you want to take part please register to the meeting (12:30-14:30) sending an email with your name, surname and your ID number, specifying which type of ID (passport, identity card etc.) to domenec.ruizdevesa@ep.europa.eu and info@newdeal4europe.eu.