EUROPE DAY: Strengthening Europe for the Future
Paneuropa: Liberty, the rule of law, European sovereignty in foreign policy, and debt relief for the Eurozone will strengthen Europe. A clear perspective for the six states of South-Eastern Europe is crucial for foreign policy strength.
The official starting signal for the Conference on the Future of Europe is to be given on 9 May. As the oldest European unification movement, founded in 1922, the organisation has been dedicated to the constant improvement of Europe for almost 100 years. In his speech on the future of Europe in January 2021, Karl von Habsburg, President of the Paneuropa Movement Austria, pointed to four core elements for strengthening Europe: liberty, the rule of law, European sovereignty in foreign policy, and debt relief for the Eurozone.
“We should not forget,” said Habsburg, “that the question of security stood at the very beginning of European unification. We finally need courageous initiatives for a genuine European foreign and security policy that enables Europe to act as a political entity in the diverse geopolitical conflicts.” In this context, Habsburg recalled the challenges posed by the policies of external regional and global powers.
Paneuropa will devote itself specifically to these issues next year on the 100th anniversary of its existence.
Regarding the management of the economic consequences of the corona pandemic, Rainhard Kloucek, Secretary General of the Paneuropa Movement Austria, warns against a relapse into protectionist concepts. “If we are looking for examples of reconstruction, then let us take the policy of the Economic Miracle. Entrepreneurial freedom is the best recipe for a new upswing. Politics does not intervene; it sets the framework and creates legal certainty.” For the Paneuropa Secretary General, this also includes a commitment to free trade and the completion of the single market.
From the perspective of Youth Chairman Philipp Jauernik, appearing as a geopolitical actor requires a courageous enlargement offensive towards South-Eastern Europe. “For far too long, the so-called Western Balkan countries have been repeatedly put off with promises. What is needed here is an offensive EU policy to export stability to a region that is still restless and disputed. The stronger the pressure of an EU foreign policy, the higher the pressure from the population of these countries on their governments to push through the necessary reform steps – to name the rule of law and the fight against corruption.” The long-promised visa liberalisation for the citizens of Kosovo is just as much a part of such a policy as an accession perspective for Ukraine.
“With the four fundamental freedoms, the ECHR, and the principles of the rule of law,” says Stefan Haböck, International Officer of Paneuropa Austria, “the EU has a strong foundation of civil liberties and fundamental rights. These must be strengthened.” The expansion of state mass surveillance, especially through new digital possibilities, must be halted. Furthermore, Haböck warns of a rise in nationalism and centralisation tendencies, emphasising the important role of regions and municipalities, as well as every individual citizen, in the spirit of European subsidiarity.
