Whereas the representatives of the Corsican Assembly are the expression of the sovereign will of the Corsican people, and that its members are the direct emanation of the direct election recognised by the French juridical and legislative system;
Whereas, since 2010, when the last Corsican Assembly was elected, decisive resolutions for the future of the Corsican People have been adopted in term of political status, fiscal devolution, recognition of the Corsican people and the co-official status of its language;
Whereas all those votes have gone through by overwhelming majorities including all political families;
Whereas, despite the clear and absolute will of the legitimate representatives of Corsica, the government of the French Republic has never taken into account their demands;
Whereas this refusal to dialogue and listen, against the votes of the people's representatives, constitutes an inacceptable denial of democracy, and an insult towards the fundamental principle of democracy;
EFA Youth fully supports the Corsican representatives and the Corsican people, the first victim of this denial.
Regarding:
a. The recent reduction on the number of French regions;
ab The administrative separation between two different regions of Brittany;
b. the presence of a Breton department, Loire-Atlantique, in another region called “Pays-de-la-Loire”.
c. The missed opportunity to unify all Breton departments under a single region and single Assembly.
Whereas:
- In accordance with the principle of the right to self-determination.
Furthermore:
- three protest marches have gathered several tens of thousands of people in Nantes, at a time when the French government was launching a draft law concerning the boundary redistribution of the regions;
- no changes have been seen since, regarding the administration unit of Brittany;
- In accordance with the principle of the right to self-determination. A new organisation, called DIBAB – Décidez la Bretagne (DIBAB – Decide for Brittany), was created. It offers to set up polls in districts of Brittany within 2 years. Two questions are being asked during these polls:
1- Are you in favour of the creation of a new Brittany region, including the Loire-Atlantique with the
four other Breton departments?
2- Are you in favour of the fusion of the county councils and the Regional board within one and only
Assembly of Brittany?
The objective of these polls is to give citizens a say, so that they can express their view on a topic that concerns them. The current deadlock should however be sought only through democracy. Three polls have already been organised, with an overall participation rate of 20%, and a favourable result of nearly 80%.
The European Free Alliance Youth:
- Supports the approach launched by the organisation « DIBAB – Décidez la Bretagne »;
- Is calling for the continuation of further public-spirited and democratic polls in the districts, and in any situation where the political and administrative changes may affect the everyday life of the peoples in the concerned areas.
- Reaffirms its support to the administrative reunification of Brittany, within a single Assembly (fusion of the county councils and the Regional Board).
- Encourages similar movements to be developed in other nations within the French state (Alsatians, Catalans,
Basques and Occitans) that have been damaged by the new arrangement of regions within France.
On the 28th of February, the Secretary of State for Wales, Steven Crabb, published a package of powers to be devolved to the Welsh Assembly, devolving certain issues like the electoral system in Assembly elections, limited tax-levying powers and large energy projects;
Decisions on policing, criminal justice, courts, prisons, rail infrastructure, air passenger duty, the Work Programme, the Crown Estate and some Welfare benefits have been devolved to Belfast and Edinburgh. However, in the case of Wales, these decisions remain with the London Government;
For reasons that have never been satisfactorily explained, the Westminster parties have insisted that the people of Wales settle for a devolution package that falls far short of the normal going-rate for self-government within the British State;
More than a decade and a half has since passed since the convening of Wales’ first National Assembly. Countless commissions and cross-party groups have examined and deliberated the constitution of Wales. The Westminster politicians have failed at each point to meet the aspirations of the people;
The Secretary of State for Wales’ Command Paper on Devolution is yet another chapter in Wales’ story of missed opportunities. Plaid Cymru entered discussions with the government of the British State constructively and in pursuit of the interests of Wales. It is unacceptable that again Wales has been sold short.
The European Free Alliance Youth declares:
That the current Welsh Labour government, in its mixed response to the new package of powers and its refusal in demanding full tax-levying powers for Wales, fails to stand up for the interest of the people and their overwhelming support for further devolution;
That the people of Wales should be offered exactly the same powers that are being offered to Scotland.
Whereas the self-determination principle is legally founded and recognised by the United Nations and all of its member states, in national law and international law;
Whereas, despite this clear concept, many territories in Europe are still deprived from the application of this principle of self-determination;
Whereas the claims of unrecognised peoples and/or stateless nations are now expressed in a calm, open and peaceful framework;
Whereas this dialogue can only exist if the EU member states accept to take into account a will shared by a vast majority of Europeans;
EFA Youth requests the European Parliament to vote on a resolution urging all EU member states to respect, by referendum or through elections, the will of the peoples expressed through democratic processes recognised by our institutions.
Regarding that,
A. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a very important issue. Given that many demonstrations, protests and debates have been done about it, EFAy must have a clear position on this subject.
B. During last years the EU and the US have had many negotiation rounds for an agreement that was to be principally just a commerce treaty. Unfortunately it is not. Apart from the agreement to lower customs duties, TTIP is mostly an agreement about commerce legislation, especially about non-tariff barriers (technical specifications, sanitary controls, etc.). Therefore, it can produce big legislative changes in many areas.
C. The legislation in the use of phytosanitary products, the use of hormones in animals, cosmetics components or just about the environment in general, is less strict in the US than in the EU. In this way TTIP could open the door to products that currently are banned in the EU, such as meat with growth hormones for human consumption, cosmetics that include toxic components currently prohibited in the EU, some kinds of transgenic food, or the possibility to allow fracking in all the EU countries. This permission would mean a loss of democratic control in the legislative modifications in the EU.
D. Finally, TTIP foresees the creation of an arbitrage mechanism that allows companies to bring a lawsuit against those states which have regulations that could reduce their benefits, resulting in being able to reclaim those losses in the form of compensations. This mechanism would be ruled by a private court, formed by lawyers nominated by both parts, without being subject to any national or international legislation
The European Free Alliance Youth
1. Denounces the non-transparent and unclear process followed by the EU and the US, and asks for a public and transparent process that puts the adoption of the treaty in the hands of citizens.
2. Rejects the creation of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement courts which will be totally arbitrary institutions in order to solve interest conflicts between companies and states, while only benefiting the interests of large companies.
3. Denounces the disadvantages that TTIP will bring to small and medium size commerce, destroying the proximity model.
4. Strongly believes that the convergence that TTIP will produce between American and European laws will represent a threat to the quality of the products commercialised in the EU, the consumers’ health, the environment and labour rights. This threat can produce very negative effects especially among European farmers.
5. For these reasons, totally opposes TTIP and asks the EFA MEPs to reject it when the final deal will be tabled before the European Parliament.
Due to years of poor governance, widespread corruption, tax evasion by oligarchs and the financial constraints imposed upon Greece by the Troika, Greek society is currently suffering from a social and economic crisis. The new Syriza-led government elected on the 25th of January has promised to challenge the politics of austerity, putting the interest of the poorest in Greek society at the forefront of their agenda.
The European Free Alliance Youth declares:
1. That debt relief must be considered as a serious, viable option in order to get the Greek economy back on track;
2. That the politics of austerity will never advance the social wellbeing of the people of Europe;
3. That no 'measures' demanded by Greece’s creditors should affect the working classes and the poor of Greece;
4. That the European construction must be centred not only on building a political union, but a socially just, egalitarian society in all corners of our continent;
5. That we hope that the current Greek government will recognise and respect the social and cultural needs of the minorities of the Greek State.
The announcement of hydrocarbon extraction in Mediterranean waters close to the Balearic Islands has provoked a unanimous reaction of opposition throughout all the Islands of the Archipelago. The private sector, civil society, scientific groups, environmental organisations and various political parties have protested against these extractions due to the danger that they represent for the ecosystems of the Balearic Islands as well as to the residents’ health and the islands’ economy.
Considering this general consensus, Joves d’Esquerra Nacionalista-PSM (JEN-PSM), propose the following statements to EFAy’s General Assembly:
1. The General Assembly stands with JEN-PSM in their opposition to the planned extraction of hydrocarbons planned for the Balearic Islands.
2. The General Assembly rejects hydrocarbon extraction of any kind in the Balearic Islands, be that onshore or offshore.
3. The General Assembly calls on the Government of Spain to suspend any licence conceded for the extraction of hydrocarbons in the Balearic Islands and to reject any pending requests for licences.
4. The General Assembly requests that EFA MEPs transmit their opposition to hydrocarbon extraction in Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.