EFA-YOUTH

GLOBALISATION AND REGIONALISM

The globalisation process places us in a totally new situation. It brings about the fact that a growing amount of decisions are being taken on the international arena. As individuals and as communities, we have almost no influence to these matters, but we do experience the consequences of these decisions. It’s something that’s growing above our heads. The globalisation of today leads to a strong democratic deficit and to alienation. Finding solutions for these problems, requires new insights in the matter. Europe is of course the first political answer, but only when starting from an idea of co-operation, not only between the people of the European Union, but with people from all over the world. We stand for a Europe of regions, not a “fortress Europe”. From the basic notion of respect for a people’s identity, we have to be open for co-operation with regions all over the world. 

The global civilisation is one of the risks we face. The lack of valid and enforceable norms causes unseen ecological damage, inhuman labour conditions, social inequalities and cultural disruption. The burden of debts, the IMF policy, the WTO disputes, the agreements of the G7/G8 together with a lucrative and a tolerated weapon industry are a mortgage on the development of many countries and creates an unequal participation in the global wealth. World-wide communication and migration can create a feeling of alienation of self-identity and culture, but cannot be a trend to a uniform society. 

Yet globalisation is also a challenge and an opportunity: we want politics back at the centre. We want to socially and ecologically adjust the world market and strive for democratisation of the new echelons of international decisions by guaranteeing a larger and more fair share in the decision making process. The European construction must be debated openly and critically. Our aim should be to search for a balance between enriching intercultural activities and the protection of cultures, living languages and environments. We do not want to shut ourselves out from the world, but think about forms of migration and ways to redistribute the wealth of the world.

We want to make the bureaucratic and technocratic Europe of today into a real democratic Europe of tomorrow, with a real legislative parliament and a senate of the regions, with a government based on a political majority. The EU needs to concentrate on those areas of policy where Europe can have a real added value. Between the distinguishable layers of government a new partnership should be constructed, where not only the members but also the role and competencies of regions and their inherent right to diversity are acknowledged. Europe should acknowledge constitutional pluralism and should put into practice  the principle of subsidiarity, not only negotiate with the states but also with legislative regions.

We should strive for a world where communities and unions of regions, peoples, lands and states could interact on a basis of equality. A world where unilateral dominance by superpowers is rejected and every form of (neo)-colonialism is put to a complete halt.

Knowing you are a part of a society is necessary for solidarity to take place, even with other unknown individuals. Strong and spontaneous communities of solidarity originate from those where civilians carry a cultural identity, with their language as the most important expression of that identity. The open regionalism we stand for wants to transform this reality in social, cultural and political rights for peoples and regions, through peaceful action. This regionalism stands today for the balance we are seeking between the urge for culture and the growing reality of enriching intercultural world-wide contacts.

Culture is for  us a central issue in the evolution of individuals and communitis. Active cultural politics are the cement between the individual and society. The government should safeguard the openness and space for free cultural life in all its aspects, but should also cherish it as a fundament for open societies.