Borderless Internet
We want you to be able to watch movies, TV shows and videos online, no matter what country you live in. Nobody gets why you can watch new shows only months after they’ve been released, why the funniest online videos are “not available in your country” or why services like Netflix can’t run in Europe. We want to update copyright to the realities of the Internet. We need more freedom in dealing with digital works and a right to remix.
More Data – Now!
The Internet is part of our lives, like water and electricity. We want all people to have a fast Internet connection. Everywhere. That’s why Telekom & co. have to be be obligated to offer at least 100 Mbit/s to every household. Those who offer Internet connections have to treat all online services the same. And those who want to offer free WiFi have to be excempt from risk of litigation.
My Data, Our Data – Protected.
A united Europe needs united data protection. We can no longer allow companies to pit European countries against each other. Whether it’s personal data on facebook servers in Ireland or e-mails on servers in Romania – they need a common legal umbrella. European companies can gain a competitive edge from strong and consistent European digital consumer protection.
Knowledge Grows When Shared
Knowledge financed by the state must be accessible to anyone free of boundaries and free of charge. Taxpayers’ money needs to be used as efficiently as possible for the benefit of all. The more people can utilise knowledge, the more useful that knowledge becomes. Free access to knowledge improves the equality of opportunity in many parts of society: whether it’s between children of parents with diverging incomes, between formally qualified people and those who leap frog into a career, or between innovative small businesses and large corporations. Knowledge can be many things: education materials from kindergarten to university level or the newest research results, but also statistical data or city maps.
A Real Parliament!
We want a Parliament for the European Union that can make democratic decisions without the Merkel’s and Cameron’s of this world. It’s about time the European Parliament got the power to introduce laws on its own and to make decisions on budget and taxes.
Know Who’s Calling the Shots
Influences on politics must be visible and traceable. We demand a mandatory lobby register and auxiliary income transparency of all members of parliament, commissioners and senior public officials. The European Parliament shall set up an independent board of control within the Parliament’s presidency. To make the European Parliament less dependent on lobbyists, it shall get its own research division.
The Euro Must Remain!
Europe needs the Euro. We need a united continent with a common currency to secure peace and prosperity for all. For this common purpose, our national interests must be left at the door.
Europe Connects
We want more freedom of movement, not more border controls. We are fundamentally opposed to re-introducing already abolished borders because of some mega-events. If security in a member state is impaired, we must react with solidarity, not separation. To tear down the borders in our heads, we want to support exchange programmes such as Erasmus which enable people from all over Europe to come together.
All for Europe!
Common solutions for problems that affect us all. Only where local solutions are superior, decisions should be made at a local level. We want a common economic policy, a common foreign policy, a common environmental policy, a common social policy and anything else that is better tackled as a team. Europe thus needs a constitution. Anybody shall be able to participate in drafting the constitution and to vote on it.
Europe for All!
The EU has committed itself to overcoming borders. That is the standard by which it will be measured. All member states of the EU have to welcome refugees and support each other in this task. We want to abolish the border security agency Frontex. We must ensure safe entry for all those who wish to claim their right of asylum in the EU.
Solidarity
Nobody in Europe shall be hungry or cold. We want to strengthen solidarity among all people – no matter which country they are from. Our social systems must be saved from the excessive austerity measures. Our goal is a pan-European basic income guarantee. To make sure that nobody so much as runs the risk of being excluded from society. The European Social Charter must be implemented everywhere in Europe.
Energy Transition
All that burns must fizzle out. Coal, gas and oil are energy sources that accelerate climate change and will soon be depleted. We must continue the phase-out of our nuclear fission reactors as their risks are well-established. The more countries participate, the better. The best way to achieve a stable supply of inexhaustible energy is to create a pan-European network of decentralised energy producers. The EU must coordinate the international network development and provide non-discriminatory market access even to small energy producers.
Reaching for the Stars Together
If we work and dream together, the most remote goals can become a reality. Best example: Space travel. In contrast to all other space agencies, the ESA is already a successful multi-state project. It is testimony to the European spirit and it needs new challenges to bring new life to this idea. That’s why we have set the goal of starting the world’s first space elevator to create safe infrastructure for new space missions.
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