AM-285-1 to S 5.4: Draft 2024 Manifesto - Chapter III: Courage to Take Responsibility – Building a Union of Security, Peace and Global Justice

Yulia left her farm four months into the fighting. The harvest had always been
the best time of year, but this year it was too dangerous. There was nowhere for
the grain to go anyway.

The Russian blockade was a tragedy for Yulia as it was for the millions who
depended on Ukrainian food exports around the world. Just as Ukraine’s economy
has been shaped by Russian needs over centuries, unjust trade and the afterlives
of colonialism mean that entire regions do not provide for their own food needs.
Heat waves and droughts make this bad situation worse.

It is why we need a global just transition, because our future is everyone’s
future and everyone's future is our future.

Peace, prosperity, and sustainability go hand in hand. The world cannot have
one, while it ignores another. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine was a
turning point in the history of our continent and the world. It violates the
rule of international law, peace, and security.

As Greens, we stand firm in our undivided solidarity with and support for
Ukraine, as long as it takes. The struggle of the people of Ukraine for freedom,
peace and joining the European Union is our struggle.

It is not only Ukraine. Globally, peace and security are under threat. Painful
conflicts are raging in the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the Sahel.

Growing tensions and shrinking space for democracy and civil society threaten
the integrity of the international system and the hope for a better world.
Europe’s dependence on authoritarian regimes blinded us to this reality for too
long.

The accelerating climate crisis, natural disasters, and the race for resources
sit alongside the global inequality that remains baked into economic relations,
trade deals, and multilateral institutions. The legacy of colonialism is still
with us.

In today’s world, we believe the European Union must be a strong player. The EU
is and has always been a peace project. We must be able to stand up for the EU’s
security as well as peace and universal values in our neighbourhood and the
world.

Human rights and economic prosperity cannot be a luxury for the world’s richest.
Global justice and development are the cornerstone of a secure, cooperative, and
peaceful world.

A global just transition from which all countries and regions can benefit is key
to that future.

Our answer starts with the EU achieving greater security in geopolitical and
economic terms and acting as one internationally. For the EU, our security also
depends on our support for Ukraine.

We will make values, peace, and reconciliation priorities for the EU’s
international policies, building a more stable world through human security,
diplomacy and conflict prevention. The EU must be ready to work with all friends
of peace, human rights, and multilateralism to these ends.

We have the courage to make the EU a force for a different, more just world.

Europe’s green transition is both a geopolitical tool and a global
responsibility. Climate diplomacy and cooperation on green technology and
investment are key to how we will deal with the world.

We will fight for global justice. The EU can rewrite unjust trade rules to make
the world fairer and more equal. All countries must have a stake in the new
decarbonized global economy.

A secure and peaceful world, where Europe works with partners to put people and
planet before war and exploitation.

This is the future we want, and that Europe can help build.

A Union for Peace, Cooperation and Human Rights

Security policy is at and will stay at the centre of the EU agenda. As Greens,
we are convinced that the EU needs a new mindset and a clear willingness to act.

It is time to rejuvenate multilateralism and values-based foreign policy. The
European Union has grown strong through integration, sharing and connection –
not decoupling or building walls. What we endeavoured to do with the European
project must also guide our international relations. We need to stand in
solidarity with our partners and knit an expanded network of ties and strategic
partnerships working together in an ever-more complex and interconnected world.

The green transition has always also been a question of security. For us Greens,
it is clear that with more control over our energy system, crucial technologies,
and vital supply chains, the EU can make a greater impact in foreign policy and
towards a globally just transition. It is an opportunity for the EU to become a
more effective actor alongside its partners and multilateral institutions,
advancing peace and security as well as universal values, human rights, and
democracy around the world.

Cooperation based on universal values and principles

The EU must prioritize cooperation and alliance building with democratic
partners to defend human rights, universal values, and norms. We need to act
with our allies and like-minded partners wherever possible while retaining the
ability to act independently when needed.

As Greens, we envisage a European Union that works closely with democracies and
like-minded partners to stand up to aggressors worldwide and create new ties for
multilateral cooperation outside the Global North. The EU must be ready to work
with all parties committed to peace, human rights, multilateralism, and
international law.

Multilateralism and cooperation for global security

Peace and freedom are built through values-based and fair dealings with our
partners. We believe in international solidarity and multilateralism. The United
Nations upholds our shared global values, and we will defend it against attacks
and advocate for reforms to enhance transparency, accountability, and
effectiveness.

In these challenging times, the EU must actively seek out all opportunities for
international cooperation and use all channels of cooperation to preserve peace,
also within the OSCE. The multilateral system must be strengthened through fair
representation for the Global South, for example on the UN Security Council and
in international financial institutions. This engagement is the best way to
achieve multilateralism based on the strength of international law, not might is
right.

For the EU, a multilateral approach also includes strengthening and deepening
cooperation with NATO, while respecting a clear division of competences and
without setting precedence. Member states decide for themselves about NATO
membership. The EU has a collective duty to safeguard its security from the
oscillations of US politics and create the conditions to allow the EU to freely
determine its engagement in the rapidly shifting geopolitical environment.

A new peace contract for Europe

With increasing conflicts around the world, including in the European
neighbourhood, the EU must work with international partners to build peace and
reduce the risk of conflicts. We will take a transformational approach to tackle
the root causes of conflict, strengthening civilian conflict prevention,
mediation, and reconciliation as well as crisis management beyond borders,
including peacebuilding, peacekeeping, and enforcement.

The climate-security nexus is about more than the EU’s own stability. Climate
and environmental initiatives as well as efforts that strengthen the political,
social, and economic participation of women are essential to building peace and
providing security through development. Their funding must rise in step with any
increase in military spending.

Military interventions must only ever be the last resort. They must be based on
long-term political strategies, comply with international law, and have European
Parliament approval.

Regarding the Middle East conflict, we will push for the EU to relaunch
political negotiations towards a two-state solution, based on secure and agreed
borders. Lasting peace in the region requires negotiated outcomes that respect
the right of both Israel and Palestine to exist as democratic and sovereign
states and the Palestinian people to a home of their own.

A European Security Union

As no country can face the threats to security alone, the EU must develop a
Security Union that centres human security and people’s needs. This approach is
essential to protect human rights, prevent conflict, and create and maintain
peace.

Security is about strong civil societies, the global just transition and long-
term preventative strategies and not only about defence. Not only the short but
the long term is our horizon of action, not only conventional conflicts but
hybrid threats are our targets, not only states but civil societies. We advocate
for a strong European External Action Service as a force for truly transnational
diplomacy that can fight impunity and build reconciliation and lasting peace.

Within the European Union, we demand a credible policy of solidarity and mutual
assistance in line with article 42(7) of the Treaty of the European Union. This
means cooperation on military capabilities and creating synergies, for example
through promoting interoperability and coordinating procurement, maintenance,
and supply systems. The increasing threat of disinformation and interference in
sovereign democracies must be met by cybersecurity efforts.

No longer relying on authoritarian regimes

We must not repeat mistakes of the past. For too long, the European Union and
its members were complacent about economic dependence on authoritarian regimes.
Lulled by fossil fuels, the EU ignored Putin’s rising authoritarianism, human
rights violations, and the threat his regime posed to international security. We
Greens will make sure that Europe does not make the same mistake again with
other war-mongering regimes around the world.

We recognize the threat posed by China towards Taiwan that puts international
peace and security in jeopardy. We advocate for an active, clear-eyed, and
common EU policy on China. The EU must implement a robust human rights policy
that starts with de-risking our supply chains, while acknowledging that
interdependence remains a starting point for a peaceful international system and
a global just transition.

Fighting for global human rights

Civil society organizations are crucial for human rights, democracy and self-
determination and fighting corruption and discrimination. They are the EU’s
natural allies who can change the world for the better. However, human rights
around the world are too often not safe. Environmentalists, investigative
journalists, women, members of the LGBTQIA+community, land and indigenous rights
defenders, trade unionists and progressive politicians around the world are
intimidated, subjected to smear campaigns, imprisoned on trumped-up charges,
and, in the worst cases, murdered.

As Greens, we will fully implement the EU guidelines on human rights defenders
and provide easier access to visas. We want the EU to provide more support to
civil society generally, for example through sustainable funding. Transnational
repression by authoritarian regimes must be a priority for human rights
protection.

No peace without women: for a feminist foreign policy

Women and marginalized groups continue to have limited access to power across
the world. A feminist foreign policy will put gender equality and human security
at the core of our foreign and security policy. Societies will be more peaceful
and prosperous when everyone plays an equal part in political, social, and
economic life.

As Greens, we will push for a feminist foreign policy at EU level that
implements intersectional strategies. We need to ensure political and civic
participation of girls, women, and marginalized groups as well as an inclusive
quality education for girls and young women. We must promote the economic
empowerment of girls, women, and marginalized groups as a key foreign policy
objective.

No arms exports to dictators and authoritarian regimes

Global arms spending is higher than ever and has increased every year since
2015. We advocate for arms control and disarmament, including a ban on
autonomous lethal weapons and the nuclear ban treaty. We call for an EU-level
arms export policy that prohibits arms exports to authoritarian regimes,
dictatorships and human rights abusers while supporting countries defending
themselves against aggressors. Comprehensive monitoring mechanisms for arms
exports to all partners must be introduced.

Justice and Development through the Global Green
Deal

The European Union must use its influence, power, and resources to build global
justice and enable a Global Green Deal. The accelerating climate crisis is
undermining peace and prosperity the world over. The future of the climate
depends on every country in the world taking action and stopping fossil fuels.

For centuries, we have been exploiting the Global South, hindering development
by imposing economic structures and exploiting people, land, and resources.
Global justice, in action and not just words, is an ethical responsibility but
also a geopolitical need.

Our proposals combine international partnerships and trade reform with
development and humanitarian initiatives. They are rooted in our commitment to
global justice and sustainability, as well as our awareness of colonialism’s
persistent legacy.

Recognizing our responsibilities through climate diplomacy

We want climate diplomacy to be central to the EU’s relations with its global
partners. The EU must recognize the role European countries have made in
contributing to placing the Global South at the front line of the climate
crisis. As set out in the Paris Agreement, the EU must honour commitments to
providing international climate finance for mitigation and adaptation in line
with its fair share and make multi-year pledges to the new Loss and Damage Fund.
The EU can lead the way by building high-ambition climate coalitions on
investment, sectoral and technological priorities for decarbonisation.

We will fight for policy coherence across all internal policies to reflect their
global implications with a legislative check for how they will help reach the
Global Sustainability Goals. As Greens, we go beyond the do-no-harm-principle.
We will use all tools at hand to engage with partners to jointly change people’s
lives for the better and take action against the climate crisis, biodiversity
loss, and environmental degradation. We will continue our push for the
international recognition of the crime of ecocide.

Green Deal partnerships for global justice

We want the EU to make Green Deal Partnerships with countries, regions, and
civil society actors to support the necessary Global Green Deal with investment,
access to technology, and expertise. We want the EU to shape and share the
technological development and economic frameworks of the decarbonized world,
including by facilitating technology transfer to the Global South.

Initiatives such as the Global Gateway and Just Energy Transition Partnerships
must become key vehicles for opening green and resilient development pathways
with partners and regions. The EU should seek to unlock as much investment in
the green transition globally as it spends in the EU.

For resource justice, against extractivism

Countries around the world must benefit so the green transition does not become
a race that excludes the Global South. At the same, the EU’s immediate need for
metals and other resources cannot be satisfied without access to new materials.
The EU must therefore speed up its transition towards a fully circular economy
to reuse materials as long as possible and meet ambitious resource reduction
targets. Furthermore, it needs to enable resource-rich countries to extract,
process, and recycle raw materials, while prioritizing a “people and planet”
approach that protects communities, nature, and biodiversity.

Extraction in the Global South must be done according to the same conditions as
within the EU. The EU’s resource needs should not further exacerbate existing
inequalities, nor climate and environmental injustice. Our sufficiency approach,
backed up by reduction and recycling targets within the EU, will help minimise
the global mining sector’s huge impact in terms of human rights violations,
environment destruction, and climate.

Decolonize now!

The legacy of the colonial era still weighs heavily on relations between certain
Europe’s countries and their former colonies. It is reflected in the unequal
global distribution of wealth, ongoing economic dependencies and unjust economic
structures, and lack of representation in our institutions as well as globally.
We want the EU to face up to its historical responsibility arising from the
crimes of colonialism.

We call for a deep comprehensive and inclusive review of Europe's colonial
legacy to ensure reparation and accountability for past crimes. We support the
push for the return of cultural artifacts. We want to correct disadvantageous
clauses in trade agreements and push for reforms in development banks. The EU
and its member states must work for sound debt restructuring and debt relief for
particularly burdened countries.

From development aid to a global just transition

Europe needs to increase funding for international development aid and
humanitarian action to at least 0.7% of member states’ economies. Development
policy must be guided by a decolonial and anti-racist perspective.

Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, we want to coordinate locally led
development work better and increase funding to grassroots civil society, in
line with the OECD DAC recommendation, avoiding duplication and wasting
resources. We will follow a detailed approach to scrutinize and align the EU
international cooperation budget with Agenda 2030, focusing on global justice,
tackling inequalities, and transparency for private sector involvement. The EU
must reconvene the Multi-stakeholder Platform on Sustainable Development Goals.

We want to promote local knowledge and local initiatives to support the
development of economic cycles and social security systems. To this end, we want
to further develop the existing European development cooperation in dialogue
with our partners. We reject tying international aid and assistance to migration
deals. The integrity of development assistance must be maintained and closely
monitored.

Ending global hunger: food sovereignty for all

The multiple crises of our time, first and foremost the climate crisis, pose
existential challenges to food security worldwide. To end hunger, the EU must
work for a sustainable and resilient global food system and contribute to the
implementation of the right to food. The EU must prioritize agroecological
approaches and align its own food and trade policy with the principles of food
sovereignty for communities around the world.

Supporting global justice with sustainable trade

As Greens, we believe in a global trading system that is based on equity, shapes
globalization for the better, and puts human wellbeing at its centre. We believe
in re-shaping the EU’s trade policy towards sustainable development and stronger
human rights protection. The EU should only enter new trade deals with countries
that implement the Paris Agreement. Our Green Partnerships and the EU’s new
carbon tariff system (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, CBAM) can create fair
competition by making decarbonisation and environmental protection a joint
effort. For the CBAM to be effective and fair, it must be complemented with
higher EU spending on climate action in low-income countries.

The Greens successfully introduced and promoted legislation on due diligence, deforestation,
and forced-labour-free supply chains, setting standards for imports into the EU. We must hold all multinational companies conducting trade within the EU accountable to uphold these standards and pay their fair share of taxes inside and outside the EU.
We will continue by updating the Public Procurement Directive and introducing a
new Unfair Trading Practice for the textile sector.

We advocate rebalancing the global system of intellectual property rights to
ensure the Global South can access key technologies, including for health and
decarbonisation. As Greens, we will push for progress in the World Trade
Organization reform to reflect the needs of the global just transition.

Remodel trade deals to protect social rights, environment
and climate

As Greens, we will push to improve bilateral trade and investment agreements
with binding and sanctionable sustainability provisions. Sustainability goals
and the Paris Agreement need to be horizontally anchored in all chapters of
trade deals, from raw materials and agriculture to procurement.

Impact assessments for trade deals should include human rights, gender,
biodiversity, and animal welfare. The precautionary principle needs to be fully
respected and International Labour Organization standards fully implemented.
Pre-ratification commitments, a European Parliament vote on the mandate, and
full transparency shall ensure democratic legitimacy and the inclusion of civil
society and trade unions.

We fight to end protections for fossil fuel investment and instead incentivize
sustainable investment. The move to exit the climate-destroying Energy Charter
Treaty is a major success. All investment agreements need to fully respect the
right to regulate. We advocate abolishing Investor State Dispute Settlement
mechanisms and their replacement with a multilateral investment court system.

Trade rules should not impede climate action, nor limit our ability to enact
social and environmental policies. On the contrary, trade must be part of our
efforts to limit emissions, switch to net-zero technologies and end ecological
degradation. Trade of sustainable goods and services should be facilitated, so
that they will become cheaper and broadly available. Freer trade should be
paired with measures to limit environmentally harmful subsidies, including those
for fossil fuels.

Making trade fair for all

As Greens, we push for strategies to integrate fair trade principles into key EU
policies related to production, consumption, and trade, promoting living incomes
and wages, inclusive decision-making involving smallholder farmers, artisans,
and workers, and supporting measures to reduce pesticide usage in third
countries. We demand that companies adopt sustainable purchasing practices and
promote mission-led business models to free supply chains from exploitation.