AM-13-1 to S 5.3: Draft 2024 Manifesto - CHAPTER II: The Courage to Stand Up Against the Far Right – For a Europe of Democracy, Feminism and Human Rights

Charlie just wants to be Charlie. Nothing more. Why is their gender so difficult
for the world around them to accept?

Zara knows what she wants: end the horrible pain of endometriosis. Find a drug
that could help so many women. But sometimes it seems like people can’t see any
further than her skin colour, her last name, or her choice of clothing.

Daniel wants to scream it out to the world. He is in love with a man. He wants
to go out at night, walk the streets of Sofia with his partner, and bring his
partner to the company Christmas party.

Prejudice and discrimination continue to hold our societies back. But we can
change this. It must change.

The European Union of democracy, freedom and fundamental rights is ours to
build.

Racism never went away. Today, Islamophobia, anti-Ssemitism and anti-Gypsyism are
all on the rise. Discrimination and exclusion remain far too common for people
living with disabilities, people living in poverty and other vulnerable groups.

At Europe’s borders, people are dying. Mediterranean migration routes are the
deadliest in the world. People seeking safety and protection increasingly face
detention, brutal and illegal pushbacks, and violence at the hands of smugglers
and border authorities. The far right exploits and deepens their suffering,
dragging mainstream parties to the right and normalizing migration policies that
are both dysfunctional and unsustainable.

Far-right parties are gaining ground with their tried and trusted tactics of
spinning half-truths and scapegoating minorities. This conservative backlash is
working strategically to roll back our rights and freedoms. Once firm believers
in the European project, even mainstream Conservatives are opening the door for
anti-democratic forces who threaten the rule of law.

We have the courage to stand up to the far right to protect everyone’s rights
and freedoms.

Greens will safeguard democracy and the rule of law and demand a different
European Union. We are convinced that the European Union needs to be more united
to tackle our shared problems. We call for a federal European Union with
increased powers, deep democracy, and real transparency and accountability.

We will fight racism and exclusion in all its forms. We will make sure that
nobody can make decisions about your body. We demand a fair asylum system that
defends human rights and dignity. We work towards a migration policy that
recognizes the immense contribution that migrants make to our societies. We
believe that policies work best when shaped by the people concerned. We are
certain that democracy cannot flourish without vibrant civic space and empowered
civil society actors.

The European Union was founded to protect peace and democracy and uphold
freedom, rights, and justice.

We will make that founding promise a reality for all.

The Necessary Next Step: A United Europe Ready
for Enlargement

To face the great challenges of our century, from the green transition to
fighting growing inequalities and protecting democracy, the European Union needs
to reform its treaties, move forward towards a federal Europe, and ensure its
ability to act when welcoming new members.

At the Conference on the Future of Europe, European citizens gave a clear
message that they support new treaties giving the EU greater competences. They
called for deepened European democracy, with more power for the European
Parliament, an end to national vetoes, a larger EU budget, and stronger EU
competences on key issues such as health, tax, and social protection. As Greens,
we stand behind their proposals.

Extending democracy at the heart of Europe

We stand for a federal Europe, for a fully fledged supranational democracy able
to deliver.

The need for unanimity between European member states on matters from tax and
foreign policy to anti-discrimination and Article 7 procedures to protect
democracy prevents the EU from taking decisions for the common good.

The European Parliament must have the right to propose legislation and equal
budgetary power. The Council of the European Union should act as a second
chamber for EU law making, not the venue for late-night haggling over inter-
governmental deals. The President of the European Commission should be proposed
by the European Parliament. The current budget of the EU is patently
insufficient to address the challenges Europe faces. Supported by its own
resources, the EU budget should be raised significantly, with an expanded role
of the European Parliament and civil society in monitoring EU spending. EU
competences should be expanded to ensure the EU can deliver. This truly
transnational democracy must also ensure a residence-based European citizenship.

For Europe to take this much needed step, a democratic mandate from citizens is
vital. That is why an EU-wide inclusive constituent process should lead to these
treaty changes.

Treaty changes should then be ratified through a European-wide referendum
according to a double majority system: a qualified majority of states and a
majority of European citizens.

Bringing Europe to life with citizens’ participation

Public participation and engagement strengthen the European Union. The EU
institutions should take steps to make voting in EU elections more accessible,
including for people with disabilities. To increase democratic participation, we
want to champion internet-voting at least for mobile European citizens to be
piloted for the 2029 EU election. Transnational lists for the European
Parliament should be introduced alongside national lists, creating an additional
single EU-wide constituency to which citizens will elect a large number of MEPs.

As democracy is about more than elections, the Greens will push for the
introduction of standing citizens’ agoras to make EU policy more inclusive. The
framework for petitions and specifically the European Citizens Initiative must
be strengthened to open more channels for citizens to influence EU policy and to
oblige the European institutions to respond with legislative proposals. A
framework for EU-wide referenda should be introduced.

Stronger together: enlarging the Union

Many people in the European neighbourhood long to become EU citizens, first and
foremost with Ukraine fighting for our values and European security. Our Union
holds the promise of peace, justice, shared values and prosperity and each
member, old and new, is responsible for upholding these principles and
objectives.

A new push for enlargement is long overdue. The EU has always been a project
with geopolitical implications. As the EU is built on shared rules and values,
it helps make borders less important. The EU’s enlargement is therefore the best
prospect for lasting peace and security in Europe.

All countries who strive to be part of or re-join the EU and who share our
values must be welcomed on the path to EU membership and given all the required
support in fulfilling the criteria.

Keeping our promises: A pathway to joining the European
Union

The European Union must keep its promises to candidate countries: Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and
Ukraine. We support Georgia and Kosovo’s efforts to become candidates for EU
membership. We will support these countries on their paths to meet the
Copenhagen Criteria. Accessing the single market and EU budget requires meeting
these criteria and progress in the process must be based on merit. As Greens, we
believe that the EU must work more closely with civil society in the accession
process. We will work towards overcoming unanimity in the Council that is
currently hindering accession.

The future of Ukraine lies in the European Union. We will support Ukrainian
authorities in introducing the reforms required for EU membership. EU assistance
to Ukraine should, insofar as possible, enable a climate-resilient
reconstruction and recovery, built on renewable energy, modern infrastructure,
and a sustainable and inclusive economy.

Welcoming new members must serve as a vital push for internal reforms to make it
easier for the EU to make decisions efficiently and effectively.

Taking rapid action for democracy and the rule of law

One of the biggest blows to European progress in recent years has been the
development of authoritarian tendencies in the heart of Europe. Citizens of
these countries are EU citizens, and the EU must defend their rights against
government power grabs. We want rapid action to put an end to EU law’s
violations by member states through infringement procedures. This needs a clear
timeframe, including for the Article 7 procedure.

We will introduce a Fundamental Values Annual Review to monitor, enforce and
sanction the infringement of fundamental values across the EU.

We must ensure that EU funds strengthen prosperity, democracy and the rule of
law and do not disappear into the pockets of autocrats and their friends. We
have made important progress in equipping the EU with better tools to do so, but
they need to be fully implemented.

Access to justice must become a reality for all people in the European Union. It
is essential that vulnerable groups, such as people on low incomes and from
marginalized communities, can access their right to seek responses and remedies
for injustice.

Fighting corruption! Politics need to be transparent and
accountable

Citizens’ trust in democracy rests on political integrity. Transparency and
accountability are vital for democratic scrutiny and public oversight. When the
trust in politicians and democratic institutions is under serious threat, we
must act.

The Qatargate scandal showed that the EU institutions are not equipped to
prevent corruption and massive misconduct. Rather than another advisory body,
the EU institutions need an independent Ethics Authority with the power and
resources to investigate and sanction unethical conduct and abuse of office. We
need comprehensive legislation on lobbying activities at EU level, including a
mandatory EU transparency register.

It remains virtually impossible for citizens to understand how decisions are
made in the Council of the EU. This must change. Corruption and misuse of the EU
budget undermines the entire European project. We support the bodies responsible
for protecting the EU’s financial interest, OLAF and the European Public
Prosecutors Office, and call for greater resources for anti-corruption efforts.

A Union of Rights and Freedoms: For a Truly
Feminist and Anti-Racist Future

As Greens, we want to build a world where we all live free from violence,
racism, sexism, queerphobia and coercion. We fight for a world where we get to
decide over our bodies, where we can love who we want to love, and where racial
justice becomes a reality at last. This world is possible, and we will not stop
fighting for it. The harder the attacks, the more convinced, compassionate, and
determined we will be.

Equal rights for all

We fight for equal rights for all. This is why we want the Charter of
Fundamental Rights to be directly applicable to European citizens and
fundamental rights to be direct EU competences.

We call for an overall assessment of the EU Anti-Discrimination framework,
acknowledging the need for an intersectional and comprehensive approach. To
effectively counter discrimination against racialized communities and ensure
equal rights and equal treatment for all, the Horizontal Anti-discrimination
directive needs a major update. It has been 15 years since it was first brought
forward.

Smash patriarchy!

Women are not all the same and understanding their diversity is key to fighting
inequality and discrimination.

A feminist Europe must guarantee policies that ensure financial independence for
women, notably by abolishing tax regimes that discriminate against women and
ending the gender pay gap via binding measures for companies and public
authorities.

We demand universal and equal access to childcare. We call for the revision of
the Work Life Balance Directive and the Maternity Leave Directive to advance
towards fully paid maternity and paternity leaves of equal length.

Gender mainstreaming must make sure that European money benefits men and women
equally. We defend a binding parity mechanism for the lists in the European
elections and gender balance in EU decision-making, including for the top-jobs.
The EU Commission and the Council need specific portfolios for women’s rights
and gender equality.

Your body, your rights

We fight to expand reproductive freedom. Sexual and reproductive health and
rights, including the right to safe abortion, are fundamental rights. They
belong in the EU treaties - as core principles and competences of the EU and in
the directly applicable Charter of Fundamental Rights. Safe and legal abortion
must be available in all EU member states. Abortion care is an essential health
service.

We stand up against the devastating regression on reproductive rights all over
the world. No one should be criminalized for seeking or accessing abortion
services. Women must have access to medical abortions. As Greens, we advocate
the provision of free, high-quality contraceptives for all. Young people have
the right to comprehensive sexuality education.

End gender-based violence

All women and girls across Europe have the right to live a life free from
violence. Gender-based violence is a brutal human rights violation and an
expression of the unequal power relations in our societies. We continue our
unswerving fight for comprehensive EU legislation that prevents, responds to,
and ends gender-based violence online and offline across the EU. Greens
strengthen victims’ rights with specialized support, access to justice and
protection for victims with special attention to marginalized communities. All
EU member states must ratify the Istanbul Convention.

Pride, respect and equality for LGBTQIA+

A renewed LGBTQIA+ Equality Strategy should ensure that trans, intersex, and
non-binary people are also protected under the EU legal framework, closing
legislative gaps in the areas of non-discrimination and hate crime. We want to
end intersex genital mutilation. We push for legal gender recognition based on
self-determination and access to trans-specific healthcare. The European Union
should act politically for an EU-wide ban on so-called “conversion therapy” and
forced sterilisation of transgender people. Rainbow families and their rights
must be protected in all of the EU, including the full application of the
freedom of movement with no loss of rights.

Fight racism and exclusion

Racism in Europe is not just a problem of individual attitudes, it is a
structural and systemic challenge that must be addressed as such. Racial justice
should be mainstreamed in all EU policies, based on meaningful participation of
all ethnic and racialized communities to ensure their lived experiences are
considered.

Anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism are on the rise. The EU must be safe for
everybody to live. We will protect Jewish and Muslim communities and demand an
end to all forms of discrimination.

We will ensure that the EU Action Plan Against Racism is implemented, and work
towards its renewal for 2025 with appropriate funding and a civil society
advisory body. National Action Plans must be mandatory for all member states.

It is a democratic problem that 96% of Members of the European Parliament are
white. As Greens, we work towards having candidates from racialized communities
on electable spots. We actively encourage racialized and ethnic-minoritized
Greens to run for the European Parliament.

Young voices matter: more rights, more representation

We fight for votes from 16 for all elections in Europe and the right to stand as
a candidate from 18, starting with the European elections. As European Greens,
we work towards having young candidates in electable spots on party lists.

EU legislation must work for young people. The European Union needs to support
the adoption of an International Convention on the Rights of Young People.
Consultation methods such as annual dialogues with youth representative
organizations and youth citizens’ agora should be institutionalized and
legislative impact assessments should systematically include young people. EU
funds must properly finance youth organizations.

No to ageism

Age must not be a barrier to a full and active life, but too often older people
are held back by aged-based discrimination and exclusion. Older people are among
the social groups most at risk of poverty as well as digital exclusion. As
Greens, we will take a stand against ageism in European policies and support
measures that promote the inclusion of older people.

We demand fair pensions for all seniors in the EU. We believe that the mandatory
retirement age should be a concept of the past. We want to have strong long-term
care services that benefit the wellbeing of people with long-term care needs, as
well as their families and communities. Intergenerational justice is not just a
concept: exchange between generations should be anchored in our educational
systems, but also more broadly in our community activities.

For a Europe that is accessible for all

People with disabilities in the European Union must be able to pursue a full
participation in political, social, and public life, including employment. We
will push for the effective monitoring and enforcement of European accessibility
legislation and the introduction of Disability Card recognized across the EU.
The EU should begin collecting disaggregated data by gender, age, and type of
disability to assess the impact of EU policies and monitor progress on the
inclusion of people with disabilities generally.

A Union of Rights and Freedoms: Protecting the
Rights of All

Protecting the rights of all is a key battle against the far right. All over
Europe, the far right is instrumentalizing migration to spread fear and
resentment. They wish to roll-back the rights and freedoms of women and people
from the LGBTQIA+community as well as racialised people. We are fighting against
this backlash, standing resolutely for democracy, freedom, and human rights.

Upholding human rights with a humane asylum system

We uphold a fair asylum system that defends human rights and dignity, based on
solidarity and responsibility sharing. We are convinced that when the political
will is there the European Union can tackle humanitarian challenges and protect
the people seeking safety with humanity. As we uphold the fundamental principles
of the European Union, the right to asylum is not up for negotiation.

We want to work towards a human asylum system with fast and decentralized
procedures. Member states must fairly share the responsibility for asylum
applications. For us, it is clear that we need a mandatory relocation mechanism.
Parties across the political spectrum let themselves be dragged towards far-
right migration policies, as the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact sadly
reflects. The successful use of the Temporary Protection Directive in response
to the refugee situation caused by the war in Ukraine should be replicated.

We call for EU visas for Human Rights and Environmental Defenders. New climate
visas should be created to allow victims of natural disasters to seek protection
and security in the European Union. The specific vulnerability of LGBTQIA+
asylum seekers must be addressed.

End the criminalisation of people on the move

There has been an intolerable escalation of violence against people seeking
protection. We must stop violence, torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment
at Europe’s borders. Illegal pushbacks at the borders of the EU must end.

EU laws to harmonize standards on asylum procedures, reception conditions and
safeguards must be enforced. We cannot accept imprisonment, mistreatment and
abuse towards people seeking protection and a better life in the EU.

Rescue is not a crime

We call for an EU-funded and EU-led Search and Rescue Mission in the
Mediterranean and strengthen the humanitarian mandate and responsibility of
Frontex. We want to end the criminalisation of humanitarian assistance, and
prolific use of state of emergency to limit access to asylum and legitimate
rights of oversight by civil society and media. People do not belong in prison
simply for seeking asylum. Asylum seekers should be guaranteed access to legal
help.

No dirty deals with dictators

We fiercely oppose so-called “migration deals”, such as that with Tunisia, where
the EU pays off countries to keep out migrants. Any cooperation with third
countries on migration needs a human rights assessment. Making development
cooperation with third countries conditional on “migration management” is
unethical. We cannot accept that refugees and migrants are exploited for
geopolitical gain. Human trafficking can never be a weapon of hybrid warfare.

A fair migration policy for the benefit of all

Throughout history, people have always moved from place to place. Migration is
as old as history, and we must return to this pragmatism. Migration can benefit
all. It can fill labour shortages – today a key economic challenge. Migrants
make an essential contribution to the European economy and enrich our culture,
communities, and daily lives.

The establishment of legal and accessible channels for migration is a necessary
precondition for ending human trafficking and exploitation. We want to develop a
new, comprehensive Migration Code, providing for visa opportunities for families
to be reunited and for work at different skills levels. It should also allow
migrants already in the EU to change their status, for instance from student to
employee. We want to make it easier for newcomers to start working and integrate
into our societies, by offering them access to education, language support and
job opportunities.

To prevent exploitation of migrant workers, access to justice needs to be
ensured in all EU countries. We call for a comprehensive campaign to regularize
long-term “sans-papiers”, living in EU countries. Whatever their status, people
coming to the European Union to build a life should enjoy equal social,
cultural, economic, and civic rights including freedom of movement, the right to
work and to social protection, and access to healthcare and education.

For a fair and safe digital world

As the digital world has become an integral part of our lives, the same freedoms
and protections that exist offline should exist in online spaces. Preventing the
spread of online hate is key to making sure that certain groups are not excluded
from the political arena. Countering disinformation is essential for functioning
and trusted democratic institutions.

The EU has made progress on the fight against disinformation and the regulation
of online platforms with the Digital Services Act. Now its provisions must be
enforced. Online platforms must protect legal content and be subject to public
scrutiny and transparency on the removal of illegal content.

The EU should use its powers to make particularly harmful manifestations of hate
chargeable as EU crimes with minimum rules regarding their definition and
related sanctions. Women and racialized people suffer from disproportionate
amounts of online hate. The internet must be free from illegal hate speech and
discrimination. We want to give support to platforms, civil society
organizations, and media initiatives promoting media literacy and anti-hate
strategies.

We will push for the right not to be tracked. The EU must lead in the global
battle against mass surveillance. Adequate EU legislation must protect citizens
against the abuse of spyware and stop member states from evading accountability
by evoking national security.

Putting humans at the centre in artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has enormous potential. It can lead to both incredible
developments as well as tremendous risks for humanity. Artificial Intelligence
must work for people, society, and the planet, not for surveillance states or
tech capitalism.

Strict limits should therefore be enforced. The most unethical and undemocratic
practices in the EU, such as biometric mass surveillance, AI systems used to
recognize emotions, gender or sexual orientation and AI used for predictive
policing should not be permitted. Non-discrimination laws and data protection
laws must be strengthened and enforced to guarantee that AI systems do not
discriminate against racialized communities.

We also want to ensure AI promotes, not hampers, the Green Deal with key
environmental provisions. In the workplace, workers should always have the
possibility to disconnect from AI systems. Copyright legislation should be
properly enforced in the context of AI models to fully protect content creators.

For a strong and dynamic civic space

Civil society organizations (CSO) are at the heart of every democracy. This is
why we want to make them strong and truly European. We call for an EU mechanism
to protect civil society, activists, and defenders from all forms of attacks,
discrimination, and harassment. An EU mechanism should allow CSOs to report
these attacks, including through an early warning system. Adequate funding
should also be guaranteed, both at EU and national levels.

Measures to support a regular, meaningful, and structured dialogue with civil
society during legislative procedures are essential. We will introduce a statute
for European cross-border associations and non-profit organisations. We advocate
for an EU-level civil dialogue, modelled on the social dialogue, between CSOs
and EU Institutions.

Free and independent media for Europe

Media concentration has reached alarming levels, threatening their editorial and
economic independence. The protection of journalistic sources is hampered by
sweeping anti-terrorism laws and far-reaching mass surveillance measures.
Defamation suits and abusive judicial proceedings have become key methods to gag
investigative journalists.

We need an EU framework to prevent media concentration and enable journalists to
work freely. Investigative journalism needs dedicated safeguards. Free and
independent journalism can never be a question of the necessary finances. We
want to closely monitor the application of EU law, in particular EU laws such as
copyright, trade secrets, the data protection regulation, the Audio-visual Media
Services Directive to ensure they are not abused. We will work towards the
proper implementation of the future Media Freedom Act and anti-SLAPPs (Strategic
Lawsuits against Public Participation) directive.

We support the emergence of pan-European media outlets and quality content on
European affairs, European citizenship, and European identity, as core elements
for a shared European civic and information space, dispelling EU-related myths
and building a sense of European belonging.

Culture as the spark of change

Art and culture are some of society’s most powerful tools to tell stories,
change minds, and build solidarity. As Greens, we believe that the worlds of
culture and creativity can play an important political role in helping us
imagine solutions to the challenges of our time.

The ability to produce together is a truly transformative aspect of the Creative
Europe programme. Continued support for the production and distribution of art
and culture produced across Europe, particularly supporting experimentation and
diversity of expressions and organizational forms, is essential.

We will push for an EU strategy to engage the cultural sectors in our Green and
Social Deal and in any constituent process on the future of Europe. Cultural
diplomacy and exchange should form part of the accession process for all
countries looking to join the EU. Learning the difficult lessons of the
pandemic, we call for common European standards on employment, social guarantees
and working conditions in the cultural and creative sectors.

Defending Schengen, enjoying free movement

Freedom of movement – the right of people to travel and move around the European
Union freely and without hindrance – has touched and shaped the lives of EU
citizens like no other achievement. Millions of people have built lives and
relationships in EU countries other than their own and millions more regularly
cross national borders for professional opportunities and leisure.

As the border checks in the pandemic reminded us, the days of queuing at the
border are thankfully behind us. We intend to keep it that way. The European
institutions should act to reverse the steady re-emergence and illegally
unlimited maintenance of border checks within the Schengen area, especially
based on the justification of migration. As full EU members who have met all the
requirements for Schengen membership, Bulgaria and Romania should be welcomed so
their citizens can enjoy their full rights as EU citizens.

Policing without prejudice

No one in the European Union is above the law, including police and security
agencies. This core principle that protects everybody’s fundamental rights is
regularly undermined, seen in all too often cases of police brutality.

To protect the rights of racialized groups disproportionately at risk of police
violence and profiling, the EU’s Race Equality Directive should be updated to
explicitly cover policing and institutional violence. With the right to protest
increasingly under threat, we will defend the right to assembly and peacefully
demonstrate in line with international and European law.

A European fight against organized crime

Organized crime harms our democracies, puts lives at risk, and destroys local
environments. As organized crime is transnational, it can only be fought through
European cooperation. We support policies that improve exchange and information
flows between European police and intelligence services and create a Europe-wide
exchange programme for police officers.