The future lies in social development, social justice and solidarity
Article by Neoklis Sylikiotis, AKEL Political Bureau member, AKEL MEP
20th March 2017
Last week the European Council convened to discuss current developments, as well as economic issues, immigration, defence and employment issues. In its conclusions, the Council considers that both the economic reforms that are being promoted by EU Member States, as well as the situation with regards the refugee issue, the EU’s cooperation with NATO and the course of CETA are progressing well.
Instead of the Council being held to account for the poverty, unemployment, and inequalities that are growing as a result of the neoliberal measures it is promoting, it is celebrating supposed results yielded by its vicious austerity policies and announcing the further deepening of neoliberal policies.
Instead of the EU leaders reflecting on the social reactions that reject the CETA agreement as destructive, they are ignoring the will of the peoples and are demanding CETA’s immediate implementation.
Instead of pursuing a refugee policy based on humanism and solidarity, the EU leaders are dogmatically insisting on building a fortress Europe and on the imposition of new unacceptable agreements with other countries to keep refugees away from the Union.
Instead of taking initiatives to render the EU a pillar of peace, they are promoting the further militarization of the EU and the strengthening of the Union’s ties with NATO.
Faced with this all-out attack against the peoples and workers, the positions of the Group of the Left in the European Parliament remain positions of principle. We demand the immediate reversal of the neoliberal austerity policies and Memoranda. The peoples need public investment to create new dignified jobs with full rights for working people. Through reindustrialization the welfare state will be strengthened with the prospect of social growth and development. This also means the immediate rejection of the EU-Canada Free Trade Agreement.
What is imperative is that initiatives are taken for peace to prevail in the regions of Central Africa, North Africa and the Middle East; regions that are suffering from poverty and ongoing wars. These wars are fomented by the major imperialist powers of the US and EU.
In addition, we demand a common and humane asylum system that will safeguard human rights and human dignity; that will create legal and safe routes for refugees, grant visas for humanitarian reasons and strengthen the reunion of families and distribute the burden of refugee flows fairly according to each Member State’s GNP.
We demand the EU’s immediate disengagement from NATO (and NATO’s dissolution) and the implementation of policies for real social growth and development TO reduce unemployment and represent the real answer to racist policies. The combating of terrorism and promotion of security can only be achieved through peace, social justice and solidarity between the peoples. This can’t be achieved through the militarization of the EU, nor through the imposition of the interests of the multinational companies on the peoples. Unfortunately, the EU is constantly increasing funds for FRONTEX. Furthermore, the EU is seeking to establish a European fund for research and innovation in the defence sector supposedly to boost the economy. To put it simply: more funds will be granted to the European arms and weapons companies/industry for export, both to the surrounding region, as well as elsewhere.
We demand the immediate reversal of the inhuman and shameful agreement with Turkey on the refugee issue, as well as any other attempts by the EU to promote (and indirectly fund) similar agreements of curbing the flow of refugees. Ethiopia, Nigeria and Senegal are just some of the countries attempting through force, and it must be said with the blessing and funding of the EU itself, to stop the refugees from reaching the Mediterranean.
The neoliberal policies of austerity, Memoranda, absolute predominance of “market forces” and militarization have been tried and have failed.
These are the very policies that have caused and are causing a humanitarian crisis and destroyed any prospect for the future of the peoples of Europe, whose future lies in social development, social justice and solidarity.
