Call for support for the EuroMemorandum 2016, which critically analyses recent economic developments in Europe and emphasises the strong need for an alternative economic policy that is based on the principles of democratic participation, social justice and environmental sustainability.
This EuroMemorandum draws on discussions and papers presented at the 21st Workshop on Alternative Economic Policy in Europe, organised by the EuroMemo Group, from 24-26 September 2015 in Roskilde, Denmark.
The EuroMemorandum 2016 critically analyses recent economic developments in Europe and emphasises the strong need for an alternative economic policy that is based on the principles of democratic participation, social justice and environmental sustainability.
The year 2015 was marked on the one hand by the inability of the EU to emerge from the crisis which began in the financial sector in 2007/2008 and which shifted into the sphere of public finances in 2009/2010, and on the other by a dramatic rise in the number of people taking flight from their homes and from their homelands, because of wars and terrorist attacks, in many cases caused by the destructive policies of the EU and of its member states.
The continuing low growth rate environment in many countries, stagnation in others and even recession in some, have led not only to a general slow-down, but also to deepening divisions within the EU, both between member states and between regions. Such divergences are reflected in the basic economic and social indicators of the area, as well as in the democratic process on the political level, as certain countries acquire a hegemonic role in the shaping of EU policy, while particular group interests, notably those of financial capital, become dominant across the EU as a whole.
The Greek experience amply revealed the connecting links between politics and economics in the EU, i.e. the power imbalance between the ruling elites and society at large. Furthermore, it raises serious issues of constitutionalism: namely, the tendency of the EU institutions to restrict the area of democratic decision making by democratically elected governments, focusing instead on technocratic rules imposed by undemocratic decision bodies. In this sense, a discussion of alternative proposals to the current EU economic and social policy needs to take into account the underlying political process and the squeezing out of democracy.
As in previous years, this EuroMemorandum provides a summary of key economic and political developments in Europe in 2015, a critique of the official policy responses adopted by the European Union and the member states, and an outline of the basis for progressive policy alternatives. The EuroMemorandum 2016 will be published together with a list of signatories.
Therefore, if you are in broad agreement with the main lines of argument of this year’s EuroMemorandum, please express your support. In order to submit your declaration of support to the EuroMemo Group, please fill in the declaration of support (attached on the right side), and send it back by Monday, 18 January 2015 via email to info@euromemo.eu or by fax to: +49-(0)69-4305-1764.
Please distribute the EuroMemorandum 2016 widely.