Budapest
Nov 10th 2024
- In pursuit of a Europe built on progress and social advancement, we advocate for an equitable
distribution of wealth, strong universal and quality public services, and public ownership of shared
resources to create a fairer, more participatory, and democratically planned society. Access to decent,
affordable, and climate-appropriate housing must be a right, not a luxury. Social security, including
healthcare, pensions, and unemployment benefits, should be universal right guaranteed to all people
across the EU. This implies a different use of money from companies, banks and the ECB. The right to
decent working conditions and secure jobs as well as well-paid lifelong learning are fundamental. This
includes strengthening trade union rights, introducing social clauses in public contracts, increasing wages
and social rights, closing the labour gap and improving the working environment. We want quality jobs
for everyone and the right to a dignified pension from the age of 60, delivered by efficient public
institutions. We advocate for free and universal access to healthcare and the strengthening of public health
systems to reduce social inequalities. We demand modern public services that are adequately staffed,
efficient, and managed with user participation. One of the strategic questions of our society is to secure
high-level education that is free, open, equal, liberating, and emancipating for everyone, without religious,
regressive, or market-driven influences. The shortage of affordable, quality social housing is an urgent
crisis across Europe that requires immediate and decisive action. Measures and initiatives must be taken at
European level to direct financial resources towards the needs of individuals instead of financial interests.
We call for the establishment of a European housing programme supported by economic and social
policies aimed at increasing public investment in non-profit housing. We demand transnational regulations
to limit rent prices and counter the exploitative trend in housing needs, with the aim of speculation.
Addressing the social crisis must be an absolute priority. This is why we are opposed to the resumption of
the liberal austerity policy advocated by the European Commission, which is based on the one hand on
liberal measures that favour the ruling classes and reduce the citizens’ human, economic and social rights
of the European peoples, and on the other hand that rely on increased military spending at the cost of
reducing the funds that should be devoted to social spending, equality and job creation. We want to win
power over money, to develop public services, cooperation, efficient and highquality employment in
companies, and reject free and undistorted competition. We want to do this both within the EU and with
the rest of the world. We want popular sovereignty over money for other social goals, unlike the current
EU, which responds to the needs of capital. One way of doing this would be to create a European Fund to
finance public services through loan to governments at zero interest, financed by the ECB.
- We consider the climate crisis as an emergency that requires a comprehensive response. The European
Union should take immediate action to address the climate and social crisis. It is essential to move away
from the coal-based energy model while ensuring job creation. This entails a social transformation of our
production and consumption patterns to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 and to meet the United
Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We need more ambitious environmental targets and green
planning to ensure a just transition.
- We advocate for a Europe founded on peace and solidarity, promoting a future shaped by peaceful and
diplomatic solutions, that deals with conflicts through dialogue. A Europe that integrates an alternative
approach to security, based on a new vision that no State can truly be safe unless the others share the same
level of security. We strongly condemn European policies against migrants and refugees: the right to
asylum and freedom of movement must become the fundamental characteristics of the Europe we want
and we will fight against the policies put forward by Ursula von der Leyen’s migration and asylum pact
that seek to ban them. This means tackling the causes of migration and developing a new co-development
policy in conjunction with the countries concerned. We do not want Europe to be part of a new Cold War
or turn into a battlefield. We oppose NATO’s militaristic dominance over the EU and its member states,
the increase in military and war expenditures to the detriment of social services, and the swift
militarization of politics, the economy, and public consciousness. Instead, we envision a Europe free from
US, NATO and of outside powers’ mandates. The wars and armed conflicts, serves the interests of
financial capital that profits from them. As long as these wars continues, more innocent civilians will die
every day. We therefore demand an end to the violence through negotiations that must begin to bring
lasting peace to Ukraine, within the framework of the United Nations. In the same way, we demand fair
and negotiated solutions to the armed conflicts spreading across various regions of the world, such as
Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Western Sahara, etc. The ongoing development of nuclear weapons and the fact
that their use is openly contemplated by nuclear powers make disarmament an urgent necessity for
humanity’s survival. The Hamas attack of 7 October, which we strongly condemn, does not justify the war
waged by Israel. We demand an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and an end to Israeli aggression in
Palestine. We call for the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners, as well as the
delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, the reconstruction of all that has been destroyed by the
Israeli army, and the return of all displaced Palestinians. We reaffirm that the establishment of a lasting
peace in the region requires the end of the occupation, colonization and apartheid regime that the
Palestinian people is suffering, along with the recognition of a viable and fully sovereign Palestinian State
under the conditions defined by United Nations resolutions, of recognition of two states. We express our
solidarity with the Saharawi people, who have been deprived for decades of the right to live in their own
territory, suffering the repression of the occupying forces. We demand compliance with the UN
resolutions in favour of self-determination and the organisation of a referendum in Western Sahara. We
call for an end to the occupation of Cyprus and the reunification of the country in accordance with United
Nations resolutions. We call for and end of the Turkish military interventions in north-eastern Syria,
northern Iraq and Sinjar, and an end of the oppression of Kurds and Turkish people in Turkey. We demand
Turkey the release of all political prisoners, and the implementation of decisions by the Council of Europe
and the European Court of Human Rights. The repression of democratic politics and trustee politics must
end. A just and democratic solution of the decades-old Kurdish Question requires dialogue and
negotiation- not isolation, imprisonment and violence. This eighth Forum joins the motion adopted by the
UN calling for an end to the unjust and illegal blockade that the United States has imposed on Cuba for
decades, and at the same time demanding Cuba’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. We
support the search for peace and autonomy in Africa. It is time to rebuild African-European relations on
the basis of equality and solidarity, to build a future where peace and dignity prevail over violence and
domination. We aspire to a new international economic order based on the rights of peoples and reject all
global monetary hegemony. We call for cooperative, democratic and non-hegemonic solutions for joint
financing of the ecological transition and public services worldwide.
- Class feminism challenges the capitalist and patriarchal system and highlights the contradiction
between capital and life. It opposes an economy rooted in human exploitation and envisions a society free
from patriarchal violence, allowing for emancipatory human development for all, in equality and harmony
with nature: this is the economy grounded in the care of life. The feminist movements fight against sexist
violence, inequality, which women and their children face throughout their lives and demands
comprehensive legislation and a robust political framework to combat all forms of sexist violences. The
feminist movement, together with the environmental movement,serves as catalystfor political change and
social transformation in Europe, which is why both the right and far-right consistently attack the rights of
women and LGBTQIA+ people, and deny climate change. This Forum proposes that the EU’s economic,
ecological, and social policies, as well as those related to healthcare, care, education, and culture, should
be guided by a female perspective. To start the feminist transition in Europe. We support the fundamental
rights of all couples to marriage and parenthood. Additionally, the legal recognition of LGBTQIA+
identities should be included as grounds for granting asylum. Together with feminist movements, we want
to promote the inclusion of the right to decide about our own bodies and our motherhood in the Charter of
Fundamental Rights of the European Union. We also seek to have gender apartheid recognized in
international law so that women and LGBTQIA+ individuals facing such oppression, as in Afghanistan,
can be welcomed as refugees and receive protection in Europe.
- We are aware of the need to actively address and integrate the needs, dreams, concerns, and
perspectives of young people and students, promoting their involvement in the plans, campaigns, and
actions of European Left, Green, and Progressive forces. We will make this a specific focus in the coming
years.
- The rise of the far right in elections to the EU Parliament has continued in subsequent national
and regional elections across various European countries. This rise is a reflection of a neo-fascist ideology
with no ethical or moral values, which feeds on racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia,
LGBTQIA+phobia, authoritarianism and hatred towards migrant people, as well as a self-centred and
unsupportive form of individualism. Facing a growing economic, social and moral crisis, there is a
growing sense of political disaffection and lack of future prospects felt by the working classes, and their
anger are directed toward far-right and fascist movements that propose simplistic economic solutions in
favour of the bourgeoisie, the ruling classes, and capitalism, and partly towards demotivation and
abstentionism. Only a strategy based on the social justice, ecological sustainability, sharing and peace,
which are championed by progressive movements, can offer them a positive perspective. Thus, in this
final declaration, the 8th edition of the European Forum of Left, Green and Progressive forces agrees to
participate, in cooperation with other political, trade unionist, pacifist, and feminist organizations, in the
preparation of a Conference for peace and solidarity in the world, and to promote, in collaboration with
European trade unions, a campaign against the austerity policies and cuts proposed by the European Commission
Editor’s Comment:
Gone through the deceleration. Thanks. It is quite comprehensive. But I feel one thing is very important to add: how did these European countries become so wealthy; it is through the colonial loot over centuries which have devastated much of the world Including India; now continuing in neo-colonial form. In fact in countries like Australia, NZ and the Americas they wiped out the entire indigenous population while in countries like India over 50 million died due to their ruthless exploitation. Without recognition of this history and a demand to pay hefty reparations to the people of the third world we will be turning a blind eye to a ruthless historical reality. European rulers have been the most mercilessslaughterers now basking in their liberal pretences. Considering the declaration has dealt with nearly every other aspect of European life this key aspect was very necessary and could have gone with a call for reparations to be paid after calculating the quantum of the loot. What is mentioned is the icing on the cake. In fact, a call for reparations should be the central call of any such project. I can give a calculation how much the British should pay India from the British. But this will take time. This should be the essence of any anti-imperialist call in today’scontext; and not only should the European rulers be targeted but also their collaborators in the third world, whoare mostly the ruling classes in most of these countries even today; and continue to wallow in vulgar,ill-gotten wealth.
