Role of the EU

We believe that a European Union that is less directive and more facilitating will be more beneficial for EU citizens and will form an effective narrative against destructive far-right sentiments. To many, the EU has grabbed power and authority which does not belong to it and has been using that power to impose its will and ideology on the Member States. ECPM is critical of the European Commission’s right of initiative, which leads to imposing Regulations and Directives on Member States by unelected bureaucrats, legislation acts which often go further than the founding treaties intended. We also advocate for longer debate times in the European Parliament on important issues, to ensure that the citizens’ representatives can truly influence the legislative process. ECPM suggests periodically reviewing EU Directives and Regulations and deciding if they need to be continued, amended, or removed; redundant or ineffective legislation should be discarded. Likewise, European entities or agencies that have no added value and operate outside the EU competencies or infringe on national competences should be eliminated. Criteria for European agencies should be subsidiarity, economics, and pan-European cooperation. In general, ECPM wants more transparency on how the EU Budgets are spent on projects in Member States since, too often, gross misspending comes to light.

ECPM acknowledges the EU’s significant role in combating money laundering and tax evasion. We see a clear role for the EU preventing multinationals from pitting one EU Member State against another. Transparent and fair rules, as well as rigorous monitoring by the EU institutions, are key.

Representation of citizens in the EU

We advocate for sovereign and empowered Member States and for the European Union institutions to strictly adhere to the principle of subsidiarity. We believe more control should be returned to national parliaments, which would also increase their responsibility. The citizens would feel less sceptical of Brussels if they felt their representatives and governments have a bigger role and that decision-making is closer to them. The ECPM is committed to strengthening the role of the European Parliament as the direct and most proportionate elected representation of the European citizens.

Furthermore, the ECPM supports the Spitzenkandidat process and avails of its right to nominate a candidate for the 2024 European parliamentary elections. By nominating a candidate, ECPM is committed to presenting its values and programme to the European citizens and to support the campaign of its member parties across Europe.

A new model

ECPM, together with Sallux, promotes a “confederal Europe which is neither a withdrawal from the European project nor a headlong and premature rush towards full political integration”.(35) The Member States’ diverse economies and the various groupings to which they belong (Schengen, banking union, Eurozone etc.) make one-size-fits-all solutions untenable. Efforts for uniformity are misplaced and risky. Instead, we propose a model which would offer more flexibility. Member States could act more effectively together on issues of economic divergence if their economies are more similar and their preferences not adversative. States forming smaller groups around an issue, a priority or common background- like the Visegrad 4, the Benelux or the Baltic Group- could be an example of better cooperation.

Regarding EU expansion, we affirm that only countries which fully comply with the Copenhagen criteria(36) can become members of the EU. Forms of partnerships can be explored with other third- party countries, as long as human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected. We are firmly opposed to Turkey becoming part of the EU, as it is increasingly failing to meet the political criteria, such as respect for human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and the protection of minorities.