Volt Makes Landmark Decisions at its Digital General Assembly and Sets Course on Growth Across Europe

• Pan-European movement sets strategy for the next four years  in a fully live-streamed General Assembly 
• Hundreds of members from all over Europe strike agreement on energy transition and climate-change policies as well as electoral reform policy for the European Union

Europe – Volt, the Pan-European Political Movement, set a strategy for the coming four years and voted on landmark policy decisions at last weekend’s 2020 General Assembly as it pursues its goal of building a united and federal Europe.

After recent electoral successes which yielded a seat in the European Parliament as well as government participation in communal elections, Volt needed to build a structural and emotional foundation for the party to grow on. At the general assembly, which was fully conducted online, members took decisions to professionalise the volunteer-based organisation and pursue strategic growth to win 25 seats in seven countries in the 2024 European election.

“After adding thousands of members as a result of our last European electoral campaign, we had to work hard to set up mechanisms to effectively run our growing movement,” said Reinier van Lanschot, co-president of Volt Europa. “Now, we’re ready to expand again and lead by example to make our vision of a united and federal Europe a reality.”

Strategic goals of Volt include a “balanced and diverse growth across Europe” as well as successful initiation of social innovation campaigns to make a positive impact on society outside of the political arena. One current example for this type of action is the Europe-wide #EuropeCares campaign, which has already delivered more than 15,000 face masks to refugee camps in Greece as a protective measure against coronavirus.

At the general assembly, party members approved several proposals that represent not only the political measurements Volt wants to implement but also the way how policies are shaped within Volt.  The process entails building policies from the ground up, utilising best practices and scientific findings, and reaching consensus across Europe. Volt thus successfully avoids dead-end policies that might be popular at a national level but which alienate the majority of voters in other EU member states.

As an example, Volters hammered out a compromise on the future use of nuclear power despite the very different circumstances and political moods of countries like France and Germany. 

“The collaborative working style and strong decentralisation of responsibility within Volt is part of our organisational DNA and the root of our success,” said Volt Europa Co-President Valerie Sternberg. 

Based on a strong foundation with adapted structures and a clear vision, Volt plans to scale its efforts and focus on the current and upcoming challenges like co-organising the Conference of Europe and running successful election campaigns for national parliament in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Denmark in 2021. 

Further information: 

www.volteuropa.org
www.instagram.com/volteuropa
www.twitter.com/volteuropa

For media inquiries please contact:

Fabian Annich
fabian.annich@volteuropa.org  / media@volteuropa.org
Tel. +49 157 39122 563