NewDeal4Europe Info - Issue 3 - 8 June 2016

Breaking news: ND4E Petition has been declared admissible and will be discussed by the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament next 20 June, 2016.

On April 20 the Petition New Deal 4 Europe (ND4E) has been declared admissible by the Commitee on Petitions of the European Parliament (EP) and has been sent to the European Commission, which shall give its opinion within next weeks. The Petition will be put on the agenda of the Committee on Petitions, that will open a discussion on it in the presence of MEPs belonging to other Committees, the European Commission and the petition promoters, next 20 June in Bruxelles at the European Parliament.

The impulse provided by Jo Leinen (MEP for the S&D, President of the European Movement International and former President of the EP Constitutional Affairs Committee) has been successful. But this success is mainly due to the large international lineup composed of trade unions, civil society movements, personalities of the political and cultural world and MEPs which the ND4E European Committee has put together.

The imminent conclusion of the work of the Commission on European budget own resources, chaired by Mario Monti, and the review of the Multi-annual Financial Framework scheduled for the end of the year, are opportunities that can allow us to intervene and have an influence on the decisions that are now on the political agenda.

Ken Loach won the Palme d’Or at Cannes

Ken Loach has always been involved in social and labor issues. The British film director is one of the greatest supporters of our campaign New Deal 4 Europe. We are very happy for his prestigious award.  

Presentation of the New Deal for Europe petition to the European Parliament, Bruxelles 15 March 2016

Large success of participation to the presentation of the ND4E petition to the EP.

The meeting was opened by Jo Leinen, President of the European Movement International, MEP and member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO), who highlighted the difficulties in the path towards a democratic and federal Europe, and the importance that initiatives of the civil society, such as the ND4E, can represent for pushing Europe to face its responsibility. Lucio Levi, proponent and first signatory of the Petition, read out the message of support to the ND4E by the President Emeritus of the Republic of Italy Giorgio Napolitano; he then illustrated the Petition's objectives and underlined the dangers of a situation where citizens are detached from European institutions, and the urgency for the latter to respond with immediate decisions to the problems besetting the citizens. The first Member of the European Parliament to speak was Gianni Pittella, President of the Socialists&Democrats Group. Pittella underlined the importance of the meeting held at the European Parliament between Spanish, Italian, French and German social militants and the MEPs, which testifies to the MEPs' commitment to pursue the proposals submitted with the ND4E petition. There followed the speeches of the representatives of the ND4E promoting Organizations and of the MEPs. Many people participated (see Attachment) and many proposals were put forward. The European trade union confederation CES-ETUC gave its support to the Petition, as well as the Group of European Greens. The Spanish, Italian, French and Belgian representatives stressed the gravity of the conditions of the workers and the young unemployed or underemployed, and those of the immigrants, and the urgency that sizable resources and investments be earmarked for the creation of new and stable jobs. All the Organizations, each with regard to the values and goals they are pursuing, reaffirmed the proposals contained in the Petition, all of them closely connected to the serious social and environmental problems ensuing from the democratic deficit of the present-day European Union. The necessity was unanimously asserted for the European Parliament to regain the role of initiative it is expected to perform.

The members of the ND4E's European Committee Jean Francis Billion (France) and Domenec Devesa (Spain) spoke about the Petition. The meeting was closed by the MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar and by the representative of the Italian Committee Paolo Ponzano. Aguilar went into detail about the Petition's proposals and said he is committed to continue to support them. Ponzano stated that the next months will be decisive for what concerns the increase of the EU budget's own resources. The Monti Report on the increase of the EU own resources will be presented to the Commission before the summer. Should the European Parliament miss the opportunity of the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework for asking for the creation of new own resources, everything will be postponed to 2020/2021, but it could be too late for regaining the citizens' consensus to the European project. The negative signs coming from a part of the public opinion are worrying. Europe can no longer ignore the social, environmental and security-related problems that are threatening us, and make Europe's initiative for the development and peace in the Mediterranean necessary. The European citizens and the Organizations representing them who presented the ND4E Petition will watch over those who have to take decisions, ready to act, if necessary, in order to bring about the objectives promoted by the Campaign New Deal for Europe.

The Bruxelles meeting's video recording is available on the ND4E's Youtube channel. 

Dowload the report with all participants to the Assembly,

News from partners and committees 

La société civile rencontre le Parlement européen. New Deal 4 Europe au Parlement européen : des ressources propres pour l’Union européenne (UE),  par Jean-Francis Billion, Jean-Luc Prevel 

http://www.uef.fr/la-societe-civile-rencontre-le-parlement-europeen

 Images gallery at flickr   

 

New Deal for Europe at the European Parliament: Own Resources for the EU,

ND4E Assembly, Bruxelles, 15 March 2016

Full video recording:

- Part I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5HtcW8m3AA

- Part II - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHj6hDB59gs

- Part III - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQDOammQpaY

- Part IV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eXqc4SzQDw

- Part V - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf_8t1BA_1k

- Part VI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IZ3NkA8VIY