EU Can Do Better
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- Do you enjoy being able to pay with the same cash in Germany that you withdrew in Spain?
- Did you sigh out of relief when you found out you don’t have to pay a hefty price to call your Italian grandma from your Swedish phone number?
- Did you count your blessings when you realised you could bring in for repairs the phone you bought a year and half ago free of charge?
The European Union has already made our lives so much easier, be it granting us the right to travel freely in most EU countries, supporting our desire to study abroad or renovating hospitals and schools in many regions in Europe.
But the EU can do better.
We want to celebrate the achievements of the European Union but at Volt, we also know that the European Union could be much bolder in its decisions, more democratic and fairer to all.
So that’s why Volt is fighting for:
A more democratic Union
No citizen will truly feel fully European unless they can deeply understand what the EU is about. Unfortunately, the Treaties that regulate our Union are so hard to read and understand and they are one of the many things that makes us feel like the EU is just some grey buildings in Brussels.
The EU can do better with a Constitution that should instead be accessible to all and focus on the core aspects and principles of the EU project.
A stronger EU Parliament
European citizens have the right to vote at the European Parliament elections. This is their only opportunity to choose who will represent their voices, concerns and hopes for the next 5 years. Even though Members of the European Parliament are the only ones truly representing the people, they can’t propose their own laws.
The EU can do better by granting the European Parliament the right of initiative.
No veto
While Russia was invading Ukraine, EU officials gathered together to issue new sanctions against the Kremlin but this process was often slowed down by Member States single-handedly blocking measures for the collective wellbeing, for the sake of their own national interests.
The EU can do better by eliminating the power for EU countries to veto.
Gender equality on the ballot
51% of EU citizens are women but only 39% of the Members of the European Parliament identify as a woman.
All citizens should feel equally represented on the ballot. The EU can do better by ensuring that all parties present a gender-alternating list at any elections.
Less greenhouse emissions
We only have one planet and that planet is warming faster than at any point in recorded history. Among other things, warmer temperatures mean more disruptive weather events like unprecedented droughts or floods.
The EU can do better by setting more ambitious goals and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2030.
Greener energy
Some EU countries have used the invasion of Ukraine as an excuse to reopen coal plants. Burning coal, however, releases toxic substances that harm humanity, animals and the whole planet in the air, water and land.
The EU can do better by completely phasing out coal by 2030.
A fair start in life
1 in 4 children is at risk of poverty in the EU but not all poverty looks the same: sometimes it means parents can’t afford visits to the dentist for their child, some other times it means children don’t get to eat as much or as healthy as they should.
The EU can do better by providing free healthy meals to all children in school, free internet to students and by ensuring universal coverage and access to healthcare across Europe.
A more inclusive society
Racism and discrimination still play a big role in our society. They can show up in the form of slurs shared “as a joke”, of a job you didn’t get because “you didn’t look the part”, of an apartment you couldn’t sign the lease for due to unexplained but very clear reasons.
The EU can do better by supporting people with a minority background to get into politics and by training judges, magistrates and other civil servants to recognise and fight implicit biases.
There are so many other things the EU can do better and so many other battles to fight, and we’ve written them all down in the documents of our policy portfolio.
Do you support our goals or do you see that something is missing? Then don’t sit still and let others decide what Europe’s gonna look like.