Paper 2

Nov 1, 2015

4 min read

For a New Europe

WE ALL WANT A NEW EUROPE!

SPRING is an independent think tank that had already urged citizens, via social networks, to vote in the last European elections of 2014. It remains very concerned by Europe's paralysis and divisions in the face of major new strategic challenges.

THE NEW EUROPE MUST RECONNECT WITH CITIZENS

We can either resign ourselves and give up the game by becoming spectators, or rise up and be the actors of the renaissance. Our old Europe has more assets, through its diversity and its values, than any other player to develop a new model of civilisation.

THE NEW EUROPE WILL BE THE HEART OF A MULTIPOLAR WORLD

The critical size has changed, with players that are continents or sub-continents. European countries taken individually, playing solo, have lost all credibility and their only power is to harm those who want to take part in the renaissance. Tomorrow's world will be multipolar, with China, India, the USA, Brazil, Russia and the EU. A more united and effective Europe must be one of the major poles of the renaissance.

THE WAY TO THE NEW EUROPE

Build a hard, powerful, proactive and homogeneous European core, able to carry weight on the global stage; instil in it a will to act and popular legitimacy; and pursue a policy based on reasons of state, in the interest of the European Union and its citizens.

HOW TO BUILD THE NEW EUROPE

It is urgent that citizens wake up, decide and act, while European politicians are often paralysed by their own interests;
A Europe of 28, with the unanimity rule, is ungovernable and cannot be reformed;
A new restricted group of countries must be created “ex ante”, determined to join forces and give up part of their national sovereignty in favour of European decisions that make the EU more effective;
This restricted group of countries, ready to move forward, will always remain open to all, in time and space.

LET US BE PROUD OF, AND BELIEVE IN, THE NEW EUROPE

1. A new unifying project

Create a large-scale citizens' initiative to restore pride in being European and revive the link between citizens and politics;
Allow the European citizens' initiative referendum;
Organise the promotion of the EU label in sport, culture and technology;
Further strengthen the co-financing of major European projects in key sectors such as energy, the environment, transport, defence, a European television/radio, and the digital Europe;
Improve communication by giving more prime-time speaking time to the European Presidents, Commissioners and Members of Parliament on their national TV/radio channels, in order to better explain European positions and decisions as well as the Commission's annual review, in the spirit of the American State of the Union;
Promote real solidarity between national governments and the decisions taken at European Councils.

2. An action plan

The group of member states wishing to move forward will launch a plan leading to gradual reforms in the following seven essential areas:

1. THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE NEW EUROPE

The architecture of another Europe must move it from an intergovernmental Union to a “federal” type of Union. It will comprise:

The President and the European Parliament, democratically elected. Parliament decisions are taken by simple majority, except for reserved matters requiring a two-thirds majority;
The Commission, which is the government, accountable to the Parliament and sole interlocutor of the European Central Bank;
The European Court of Justice, which constitutes the third power;
The European Council, made up of heads of state and government, which is given an advisory competence on all proposals made by the European Parliament and the Commission.

The various levels of power will respect a strict hierarchy of norms, and decisions taken at the highest level will apply to all, with the principle of subsidiarity applied.

2. ECONOMIC POLICY

Economic policy will be built around joint measures of support, recovery and austerity. Tax and social Directives will see to the gradual harmonisation of all rules on an equal basis. The aim is to avoid any unfair tax and social competition between member states.

3. BUDGETARY CONTROL

A standardised accounting plan comprising, for each member state, an asset account, a liability account and an operating account will be put in place on the basis of member states' best practices. It will allow national and consolidated budgetary control.

4. FOREIGN POLICY

A single European Minister of Foreign Affairs will officiate;
National embassies will be abolished within the EU;
Outside the EU, only European embassies will operate;
Rather than concluding binding alliances, diplomatic action will be based on conventions allowing great freedom of operation.

5. DEFENCE POLICY

Without a single military power, Europe will not hold its rank in the multipolar world.

6. COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND CULTURE POLICY

Teaching will be bilingual from primary school and trilingual from secondary school, as already practised at the European School;
In secondary school, there will be a course on the origins, structure and functioning of the EU as well as its major accomplishments since its creation;
A one-year intra-European Erasmus will be generalised during higher education;
Emphasis will be placed on the richness of European culture and the diversity of its components.

7. IMMIGRATION POLICY

The EU was not prepared to manage the immigration crisis. While the Commission struggles to find an effective solution to this massive influx of immigrants, political debate rages both between states and within member states. Such confrontation at the level of member states and with the Commission is disastrous for the immigrants themselves and for the image and reputation of the EU. As long as immigrant integration policy remains a national competence, the EU can only limit itself to encouraging the exchange of information, providing financial support and developing the skills of the European Agency Frontex.

Together, let us be the actors of Europe's renaissance!

Spring is an independent, private think tank made up of about a dozen curious and unresigned people who share the same concerns about Europe and its future. Having already published in 2014 a paper on the reasons for voting usefully in the European elections, the group wishes to give citizens back the momentum needed to pursue European ideals.

Hubert Gaasch, Eric Vaes, Michel Mikolajczak, Dominique Ceulemans, Dan Moisescu, Baudouin Van Cauwenberghe, Alexandre de Posson, Christian Grangé, Philippe Van Doosselaere, Eric Janssen

November 2015