A Having regards to the European Commission's proposal on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 tabled on the 29th of June 2011 and updated on the 6th of July 2012.
B. Having regards to the European Parliament's positions on the MFF on the 8th of June 2011, 13th of June 2012, 23rd of October 2012, and 13th of March 2013.
C. Having regards to the European Council's conclusions on the MFF agreed on February the 8th 2013
D. Having regards to the Center Maurits Coppieters's paper which was published in 2012.
E. Whereas the forthcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (2014-2020) should be the driving tool of the European Union contributing to recovery from the severe financial, environmental, social, and economic crises across Europe, whereas the EU budget should be the catalyst to foster economic development, jobs creation, social justice, defend cultural and linguistic diversity and support solidarity among peoples
F. Whereas Stateless nations, regions, and minorities are the first suffering from the crises in Europe by lacking legal, legislative, fiscal, and political tools to protect themselves against the negative impacts of the crises; whereas EU Member states' governments impose extra austerity measures over Stateless nations, regions, and minorities; whereas the MFF will be in certain policy areas the only public financial support to Stateless nations, regions, and minorities strengthening the economic, social and territorial cohesion in Europe according to the treaties
G. Whereas youngsters throughout Europe are being unfairly and over impacted by the austerity measures implemented by the EU Member states' governments increasing dramatically the youth unemployment rate at an unacceptable level, representing up to 40 or 50% in some EU territories; whereas the EU shall act to tackle the youth unemployment by supporting jobs creation for youngsters hence welcome the creation of the ''Youth scheme guarantee''
H. Whereas the European Free Alliance Youth supports a stronger, renewed, modern, and subsidiarity-based European Union
The European Free Alliance Youth:
1. Welcomes the position taken by the European Parliament on the 13th of March, the only directly elected body in the EU, which rejects the austerity budget proposed by the European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, and negotiated by Member states' governments behind closed doors at the European Council summit on the 8th of February.
2. Encourages the Members of the European Parliament to defend for a more ambitious MFF which shall be substantially increased and focused on key priorities: tackling youth employment and increasing Youth employability through the Youth scheme guarantee and Erasmus for example, strengthening the economic, social and territorial cohesion, especially in the poorest regions, promoting a more sustainable agriculture based on biodiversity and traditional and local food production, investing in research and innovation to foster European competitiveness and strengthening the solidarity among peoples across the world through the development aid.
3. Supports the European Commission proposal to finance the EU budget by a Financial Transaction Tax as a way to stabilize the financial market, curb the speculation, collect a fair contribution from the financial sector, levy new public revenue to reduce public deficit in a smart fiscal consolidation and finance the needed investments to recover from the crises without creating additional public debt.
Gazte Abertzaleak, member and co-founder of EFAY, shares its view of the current situation in the Basque Country with the members of EFAY and asks to the General Assembly of the EFAy to adopt this resolution.
October 2011 was a very special month for the Basque Country. After several years of killings, bombs exploding, and social harassment, E.T.A announced its permanent ceasefire. After this decision, social movements, agents, and society, in general, has moved forward; demonstrations have moved thousands of people to the streets asking for the rights of Basque political prisoners or the right of Self Determination of the Basque Country. A Social Forum gathering victims of ETA and the ones suffering the violence of the Spanish and French state, together with political parties, trade unions, and social associations are being formed, in order to continue stepping forward into a peaceful society where the voice and choice of the Basque Country are respected.
Meanwhile, the governments of Spain and France are not facing this situation with the political standards they should. They are not following the demands of the society, nor implementing the observations made by the “International Observers” during the Aiete Conference, which drew the route map of the Basque Peace process.
Two members states of the European Union that are not obeying their own laws nor respecting what the Basque government or parliament approves. Instead, they keep on ignoring Basque society and intensifying the harassment of everything that has to do with “basquism”: young people are being imprisoned without a fair judgment, political prisoners are kept in jail longer
than their term, no response to the closing of newspapers, a referendum on self-determination is totally illegal, they cut the economic budget for basque schools, … Situations that threaten the normalization of the peace process in the Basque Country
In this context, Gazte Abertzaleak, together with EFAy, adopts this resolution:
1. The EFAy strongly rejects all kinds of violence, in particular the one coming from the states.
2. The EFAy fully supports the Basque peace process and asks both Spain and France to contribute to the peaceful solution of the political conflict of the Basque Country.
3. The EFAy adopts as its own the motto “give peace a chance”. In that sense, insists on the fact that while the Basque society won’t be allowed to express itself, there won’t be a solution for the conflict.
4. The EFAy emphasizes that referenda are the purest sign of any democratic society, and rejects the fact that the organization of a referendum can be seen as illegal.
5. The EFAy continues supporting the efforts that organizations like Gazte Abertzaleak are taking in order to build a new scenery where democracy, peace, and freedom will be the main actors.
They have past 37 years since the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the Western Sahara conflict is still open. The Spanish Government, by the hand of Juan Carlos I of Borbon, cheated the Saharan people by signing in Madrid the division of the West Sahara, dividing the country between Morocco and Mauritania. This was an illegal appointment.
Under such illegal agreements Spain is still taking care of West Sahara, during the decolonization process, that's why Spanish Government can´t ignore its responsibility in the resolution of the decision of the problem. Since 1975 Morocco, on its own, controls the Saharan territory illegally.
In 1991, Morocco and POLISARIO signed the cease-fire. However, the ceasefire has not led to significant advances in the decolonization process and has not ended the human rights violations committed with impunity by Morocco in the occupied territories.
Spain's liability is clear but we can not overlook the collaboration that France has given to Morocco. For this reason, we consider it essential to involve the entire European Union in the defense of human rights in Sahara
The European Free Alliance Youth requests the following:
2. The dismantling of the illegal "wall of shame" that divides Western Sahara.
3. The immediate release of all Saharawi political prisoners and especially the recently jailed for life from Gdeim Izik.
4. The recognition of the SADR by European institutions.
Having heard the discussion;
Whereas:
1. The Dutch National Board of Education on February 14, 2013, has issued a publication with a recommendation, which is of great influence on the Frisian village communities, language and culture*
2. The recommendation in the publication is to increase the minimum number of pupils in a primary school from 23 to 100
3. For Fryslân this would mean that 50.1% of all primary schools would be forced to close.
4. The Dutch Inspection of Education indicates that a small school or education institute does not mean that there is a lower quality of education.
Invite the members of the EFA Group in the European Parliament and any other bodies concerned:
- The Dutch government to make no changes in the minimum number of students, let alone implement before proper research is done into the social and economic impacts of this change in rural areas with protected minority languages.
Having heard the discussion;
Whereas;
In the Government's program of Rutte II is stipulated that the 12 provinces the Netherlands currently has, have to be reduced to 5 bigger “county parts” soon. For Fryslân this would mean a fusion with the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe.
Invite the members of the EFA Group in the European Parliament and any other bodies concerned: to the Dutch government to impose that Fryslân as an independent province remains.
Against Fracking in Europe - Motion by JERC
In Europe, the first experiences with fracking were in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Poland. While in Poland this technology is in expansion, in France, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands, it has been banned. This measure has also been taken in South Africa and India.
To combat fracking we need to be coordinated at the European level, and sum efforts in order to fight for our land, and our health.
In front of these circumstances, from the EFAY, we adopt these postures:
The Europe we all aspire for – Motion by Plaid Cymru Ifanc/Youth
The General Assembly believes:
That the current political and economic crisis hitting Europe has dented people’s confidence in the European Union and its institutions, and has largely caused the European project to hit crisis point;
That a large democratic deficit, mainly caused by the austerity politics imposed by the unelected European Commission, is largely to blame for the public’s disenchantment with the EU;
That the current austerity-led policies of the Commission overwhelmingly puts the needs of financial institutions such as banks ahead of the needs of the people of Europe, many of whom are struggling financially because of failed austerity policies;
That such centralization of power in the Commission without democratically consulting the people of Europe is contrary to EFAy and EFA’s central aim of achieving a ‘Europe of the Peoples’, and not a ‘Europe of the Banks’;
That major reform of other EU institutions, such as the parliament, is also needed to restore people’s faith in the European project.
The General Assembly moves;
1. That EFAy continues to pressure our national representatives and our MEPs to push for the mass democratization of European institutions;
2. That EFAy ensures that our EFA MEPs continue to push the cause for massive reform of the European parliament, including the wasteful decision to alternate parliamentary sessions between Brussels and Strasbourg at a tune of €180 million per year;
3. That we reinforce our belief in a Europe of the peoples, in a union that represents the diversity of Europe and the interest of its peoples, and not those of neoliberal institutions such as multinationals and banks.