The European Free Alliance (EFA) group in the European Parliament held its General Assembly on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 March. On this occasion, the two candidates heading the lists (‘Spitzenkandidaten’) for the European elections, which will take place from 6 to 9 June, the German Maylis Roßberg and the Spaniard Raül Romeva, also presented their electoral manifesto.
According to the document, which was adopted by the group at the same time as the appointment of the two ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ on 23 October, the EFA group intends first and foremost to give more power to the European Parliament and, in line with the very DNA of the group, greater room for manoeuvre to the regions.
According to the manifesto, during this campaign, the EFA group must defend the recognition of the democratic right to self-determination and advocate fundamental reform of the European Committee of the Regions so that it can influence and amend European legislation. In addition, the EFA group wants the Parliament to have the right of legislative initiative.
Each region, according to the priorities of the political group, should be able to determine its own needs in the allocation of funds and be more concerted in its investment strategies.
The EFA group, which sits alongside the Greens group in the Parliament, also wants a special status for islands to be introduced into EU legislation in order to unlock extra support, funding and exceptions to help islanders facing problems inherent in geographical constraints.
The text also prioritises the right to use more languages in the Parliament and the right for EU citizens to write to the institutions in their mother tongue. The manifesto also calls for the creation of an ombudsman for minority rights.
The document also raises the issue of the environment and climate change. On this topic, the EFA group wants the landscape to be recognised as part of the intangible cultural heritage of the EU’s citizens, and renewable and low-emission energy projects to be carried out in harmony with local communities. More broadly, the manifesto insists that the green transition must be “just” and “leave no community behind”.
“Pragmatic” and “case-by-case” solutions, made possible by “flexible” European legislation, should support farmers and promote local markets.
On foreign affairs, the European Free Alliance calls for continuing “to provide as much solidarity as we can” with Ukraine, supporting the country’s path to EU accession, as well as that of the Western Balkans and Moldova.
See the manifesto: https://aeur.eu/f/b7t (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)