ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
1 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
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10TH ECOSY CONGRESS 7
Bucharest, 31 March – 3 April 2011 8
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Draft Resolutions & Declarations 12
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
2 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
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Let’s do it now! The Party of European Socialists needs a common
programme
Jusos Germany
4
A path towards federal Europe
FGS Italy, SG Italy 4
Restoring trust
MJS France, Labour Students UK 5
Sports
ELYA Bulgaria 6
For publically funded higher education and adequate social living standards for students
SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, Animo Belgium, SONK Finland, MJS France, JS in de PvdA Netherlands, Mladi Forum Slovenia, SSF Sweden, Labour Students UK
7
Education against homophobia
Animo Belgium, SJD-Die Falken Germany, SDY Serbia, Labour Students UK 8
Support the prides – smash homophobia
SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, Animo Belgium, SDY Serbia 9
Stand together against right-wing extremism
SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, SJD-Die Falken Germany, SDY Serbia, Mladi Forum Slovenia, Young Labour UK
10
Automatic recognition of same-sex marriages and registered
partnerships JS Portugal
11
Young people and violence against women: raise your voice!
JSE Spain 13
Gender identity legislation as a human rights priority
SDY Finland, SONK Finland, JS Portugal 14
Addressing labour migration
Animo Belgium 15
The future of pension systems in Europe: the need to address the
right questions
SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, Animo Belgium, MJS Belgium, MJS France, Mladi Forum Slovenia
16
Redistribution against poverty
Animo Belgium, SJD-Die Falken Germany, SDY Serbia, Mladi Forum Slovenia, Labour Students UK
17
More progressive taxation
SDY Finland, SONK Finland 19
For social basics in order to start the economic recuperation
JSE Spain 20
Energy for all: 100% renewable energy in Europe by 2050
Animo Belgium, Labour Students UK 21
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
3 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
The privatisation of groundwater must end
SDY Finland, SONK Finland, JS Portugal 23
Water of life for Europe: autonomy, coherence and sustainability
FGS Italy 24
On the conflict in the Western Sahara
JS Portugal 24
End NATO – for a secure and peaceful world
Jusos Germany, SJD-Die Falken Germany 26
Establish an international convention to abolish nuclear weapons
SSF Sweden, SSU Sweden 28
The European Union is not allowed to reinterpret international law to
be able to fish in Western Saharian waters
SSF Sweden, SSU Sweden
29
Reforming the Socialist International, an urgent necessity
Animo Belgium, MJS France, JS in de PvdA Netherlands, Mladi Forum Slovenia, Labour Students UK
30
For Turkish integration into the European Union
Animo Belgium, EDEK Youth Cyprus, MSD Czech Republic, Jusos Germany, PASOK Youth Greece, Mladi Forum Slovenia
32
Italian unity in the European context
FGS Italy, SG Italy 34
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
4 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
LET’S DO IT NOW! THE PARTY OF EUROPEAN SOCIALISTS NEEDS A 13
COMMON POLITICAL PROGRAMME 14
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Proposed by Jusos Germany 16
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The European social democrats and socialists have a common history, but sometimes 18
different solutions for problems as well. The strength of the social democrats and 19
socialists is the fact that on the one hand they find different solutions, but on the other 20
hand they come to a common curse of action in the Party of European Socialists at the 21
same time. 22
23
Today the social democrats and socialists in Europe are in a minor position towards the 24
political right-hand parties. Most parliaments and governments are right-hand 25
dominated. The answers on new social problems, new democratic movements, the 26
change in making decisions through the internet or the global role of Europe in the 21st 27
need to be found at European level. A common approach of Europe`s Socialst and Social 28
democrats will make us stronger and opens the opportunity to find new solutions aside 29
from national egoism. 30
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ECOSY – Young European Socialists therefore demand a common political programme for 32
the Party of European Socialists. And we want it now. ECOSY - Young Socialist asks the 33
Leader’s Conference to develop a roadmap for a common political programme as soon as 34
possible, which leads to a decision on the next Party of European Socialists congress. 35
ECOSY – Young European Socialists will argue for this on all levels. 36
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A PATH TOWARDS FEDERAL EUROPE 38
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Proposed by FGS Italy, SG Italy 40
41
The ratification of Lisbon Treaty by the member states was a cornerstone in the direction 42
of a stronger European Union. Notwithstanding its lack of constitutional aura of the 43
original project rejected in 2005 by some countries, nevertheless the improvements are 44
of great importance for European integration: a stronger European Parliament, the 45
Citizens' initiative, the reinforced scrutiny by national parliaments of EU legislation, the 46
new institutional figures of President of European Council and High Representative for 47
Common Foreign and Security Policy etc. 48
49
As ECOSY, we will keep struggling for further political and institutional steps in the 50
direction of a truly federal Europe, such as: 51
� The unification of President of European Council and President of the Commission, 52
considering that with the current legal framework it is already possible to have a 53
single person detaining both posts. This is a good way to create a politically 54
stronger European Union chief of the executive, avoiding the Commission being 55
kept as the secretariat of governments like it has been in many ways with 56
Barroso. 57
� Transnational european elections lists: this means that a quota of the current 58
European Parliament seats will be elected not on national lists but on European 59
parties lists that are the same for whole European Union. This will strenghten 60
European party politics, which is vital to make people understand fully what is at 61
stake in every European election, now still too much focused on internal national 62
issues. 63
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� Legislative initiative for the European Parliament, to make it really a the voice of 64
the European people. 65
� Support of Citizens' initiatives by European parties to mobilise the population on 66
critical decisions on Europe's future and to create an European public opinion 67
around these political issues. This way it might be possible to find convergences 68
between different parties and groups and to be able to build bigger progressive 69
alliances through the direct engagement of citizens. 70
71
A real European federation is still far away but reaching these objectives by next 72
European elections could be a great leap forward in the right direction. 73
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RESTORING TRUST 75
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Proposed by MJS France, Labour Students UK 77
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Youth has always been an uncertain period of life. For our generation more than for the 79
previous one, this uncertainty is synonymous with difficulties in finding a proper place in 80
society. The so-called frivolity of youth, if not a myth, is the privilege of a very small 81
caste. On the contrary, for most young people, the field of possibilities is getting more 82
and more restricted, and day-to-day existence is a permanent struggle to gain more 83
autonomy and escape poverty. 84
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Yet, there is one thing in which young people are rich: their capacity to mobilise in favour 86
of what they believe in. The recent events in Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, the United 87
Kingdom, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt all showed a youth facing different problems but 88
sharing the same aspirations for more democracy, justice and equality. 89
90
Socialists can and have to respond to those aspirations, but they suffer from the youth's 91
general disillusionment about politics and politicians. Such disenchantment is in some 92
respects understandable: why would they trust political leaders who, for the most part, 93
seem unable to secure them a future? 94
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ECOSY – Young European Socialists is aware that confidence is not something to be 96
assumed upon oneself but something to be deserved. And the best way to prove that the 97
left and the right are not all much of a muchness is to offer credible alternatives aiming 98
at a real social transformation. 99
100
Because no one should leave the educational system without a degree, because youth 101
unemployment is not a fate, because we want to leave our children a healthier planet, 102
and for many other reasons ECOSY – Young European Socialists proposes ambitious left-103
wing policies. 104
105
Whatever the country or the continent, young people’s main concern remains the same: 106
finding a job. According to a recent International Labour Organisation report, in 2010, 78 107
million young people were unemployed worldwide, or 4.5 million more than before the 108
crisis. The same year, the unemployment rate among 15 to 24-year-olds reached 12.6%, 109
or 2.6 times higher than for people above 25. And although having a degree remains the 110
best protection against unemployment, it is in no way a guarantee to get a job that is 111
suited for one's qualifications or even merely decent. Right-wing political parties have 112
always treated education and employment as the poor relation and blamed 113
underperforming pupils and students and unemployed persons for lacking willpower or 114
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
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simply not fitting the system. ECOSY – Young European Socialists strongly denounces 115
this vision, for it is based on unacceptable prejudices and justifies the fact that some 116
people are left behind by the side of the road. It is urgent to improve educational 117
systems by making them more adaptable to each pupil and student’s abilities and needs, 118
and to carry on pro-active job-creation policies, which implies reviewing a whole range of 119
policies in the fields of public works, industry, and the environment, since activities 120
related to environmental protection provide a great breeding-ground for jobs. 121
122
Investing massively into clean, renewable forms of energy and making individual and 123
collective behaviours evolve is all the more vital as if no radical changes are achieved in 124
the way we produce and consume, we are all heading for disaster. Everywhere on the 125
globe, ecological and human tragedies have multiplied because of climate disturbances, 126
but despite a growing ecological awareness among citizens, and in particular among 127
young people, world powers keep setting environmental goals they do not even try to 128
reach, out of fear that the first one to move might be the loser. For ECOSY – Young 129
European Socialists, there is no time for cowardice. We cannot afford to wait until all 130
countries are willing to act as one. However, nothing can be expected from the right in 131
this respect. Of course, conservatives and liberals pretend to care about environmental 132
issues, but their whole ideological corpus and the economic models they advocate are 133
completely incompatible with sustainable development and a prudent management of 134
resources. ECOSY – Young European Socialists states it clearly: ecology is not a matter of 135
political opportunism; it is a matter of conviction and long-term commitment. 136
137
But in the field of environment as in every other, a political project is only meaningful if 138
people can appropriate it. Unfortunately, the political sphere is often seen as a rat race 139
possessing its own language and codes, and where decisions are made without any kind 140
of control. ECOSY – Young European Socialists is convinced of the need to completely 141
rethink the way politics is done in order to re-empower citizens. Although the media are 142
a precious intermediary between political decision-makers and citizens, it is essential to 143
establish a more direct relation and to make sure exchanges work both ways. It is by 144
creating new spaces for consultation and expression and by meeting people in the places 145
where they live, work and socialise that we will gather around us all those who refuse to 146
be sacrificed on the altar of profit and competitiveness and want to be the masters of 147
their own destiny. 148
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SPORTS 150
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Proposed by ELYA Bulgaria 152
153
We, the young Bulgarian social democrats, claim that sport activities of young people not 154
also in Europe, but worldwide are a big problem due to their very low level of practicing. 155
156
Increase in sport activities can be done via: 157
� Obligatory sport disciplines in all levels of education; 158
� Sport activities in the youth age cannot be a matter of choice, but obligation such 159
as medical examination etc. 160
� Youth activity in the last years is related with debates, meetings and discussions 161
but not with the literal meaning of the word activity – sport. We should restore 162
the literal meaning of the word “activity”; 163
� ECOSY should organize and promote sports event and sport competitions all over 164
Europe. 165
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� More actions for building and constructing of sport site in the countries from the 166
former Eastern Block that joined EU in 2007. 167
168
Increase in sport activities will lead to: 169
� Health status improvement of youngsters; 170
� Decrease the percentage of healthcare cost which are attributable to overweight 171
and obesity. 172
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FOR PUBLICALLY FUNDED HIGHER EDUCATION AND ADEQUATE 175
SOCIAL LIVING STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS 176
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Proposed by SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, Animo Belgium, SONK Finland, MJS France, JS 178
in de PvdA Netherlands, Mladi Forum Slovenia, SSF Sweden, Labour Students UK 179
180
This autumn and winter, in a number of European countries, students have been taking 181
to the streets, organising their interests and fighting for their right to free and equal 182
access to higher education. These events in Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain 183
have raised students’ awareness of political processes. They have not only shown that 184
students are able to organise themselves as an important group in society with clear 185
political demands, but also that there is a clear conservative and neo-liberal plan behind 186
the debates on higher education policy reforms. Higher education institutions, indeed, 187
have already been under neo-liberal attack since the 1990s. 188
189
As a result of the financial and economic crisis European Union member states have 190
embarked on a programme of budget consolidation. Now, as conservative and liberal 191
groups and parties have gained power in most of Europe, they use this development to 192
put even more pressure on higher education institutions and students: cutting funds for 193
higher education and research, cutting allowances and aids, imposing or introducing 194
(higher) tuition fees. 195
196
Conservatives do this because they have their own idea of education. They want private 197
and elite institutions with limited access and without decent living standards for students 198
from the working class or less privileged backgrounds. They want the private sector to 199
tell the universities what should be taught and what the results of research should be. 200
Our vision of higher education is completely different. We stand for an inclusive higher 201
education system without any obvious or hidden barriers to access, that ensures that no 202
person, whatever socio-economic background s/he comes from, must abandon her/his 203
program because of financial limitations and that everybody who wants to take part in 204
higher education will be able to do so. We stand for higher education systems with 205
adequate public funding that makes higher education institutions independent from 206
private business interests and influence. We demand adequate taxation of wealth, high 207
incomes, inheritance and financial transactions to raise funds for a public higher 208
education sector. 209
210
In this fight, that some of us also have to face within our mother parties, we need 211
European solidarity. Solidarity with higher education lecturers and researchers, with 212
unions and political organisers as well as with grassroots movements of students. 213
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In the light of this ECOSY – Young European Socialists: 217
� stands for inclusive, publicly financed higher education systems and demands the 218
abolition of all tuition fees of any kind. 219
� condemns all attempts to abuse the results of the financial crisis as an argument 220
for cuts in higher education budgets and/or financial support to students. These 221
cuts can also never be an adequate way to lead a country out of debt. On the 222
contrary, taxation of high incomes, capital transactions and inheritance is needed. 223
� welcomes and supports students’ movements all over Europe, that fight for the 224
goal of free and equal access to education and adequate support for students. 225
226
227
EDUCATION AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA 228
229
Proposed by Animo Belgium, SJD-Die Falken Germany, SDY Serbia, Labour Students UK 230
231
In more than 80 countries worldwide, homosexuality is a criminal offence. The 232
punishments vary from prison sentences to the death penalty, and as the murder of 233
David Kato, an LGBTT rights activist from Uganda, demonstrates, the lives of defenders 234
of LGBTT rights are at risk. In this global picture, the European Union has a rather good 235
track record on LGBTT rights. However, we should never forget that rights should not be 236
taken for granted and have to be fought for in order to be kept. Moreover, homophobia is 237
still widespread in the European Union and its applicant countries, and this in spite of 238
existing anti-discrimination legislation. Therefore, ECOSY – Young European Socialists is, 239
first of all, calling for legislation to be complemented with education against 240
discrimination. Respect for all people should be a key component in national education 241
curricula throughout the European Union and applicant countries. Secondly, we call on 242
(higher) education institutions throughout Europe to recognise initiatives by young 243
people and students to form LGBTT associations and societies, by granting them the 244
same rights as other youth and student organisations. 245
246
An overview of events from this year and last is enough to make clear that homophobia 247
is still a reality in Europe. There were member states and applicant countries where 248
LGBTT prides could not take place without violence. In other places homophobia proved 249
to be state-supported through homophobic legislation, which bans minors from accessing 250
information on homosexuality, censors references to sexual orientation in advertising and 251
withdraws sexual identity from the list of grounds protected by educational equal 252
opportunity policies. There were also proposals to impose fines for the ‘public promotion 253
of homosexual relations’. A problem that exists throughout the European Union is the 254
lack of mutual recognition of LGBTT partnerships and marriages, and in some cases their 255
complete non-recognition. 256
257
One would expect better from European Union member states, as the inacceptability of 258
discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is specifically mentioned in the most 259
important legal documents of the European Union, the European Union Treaties. Indeed, 260
article 13, which entered European Union law with the Amsterdam Treaty 1997, and is 261
now contained in article 19 of the Lisbon Treaty, gives the European Union the ability to 262
take action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or 263
belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Secondly, all European Union member states 264
have agreed to ban such discrimination in employment by the end of 2003 with the 265
employment directive that was adopted in 2000. On 2nd July 2008, the European 266
Commission proposed a new single horizontal anti-discrimination directive that would 267
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extend the scope of protection for LGBTT people to social protection, social advantages, 268
and access to goods and services. However, this legislation is currently blocked at the 269
level of the Council of the European Union. In order to become European Union law, the 270
proposed directive needs to be adopted unanimously by all European Union member 271
states. Thirdly, the charter of fundamental rights mentions sexual orientation as a 272
prohibited ground for discrimination. Next to these binding measures there are the non-273
binding resolutions of the European Parliament, which carry some political weight, such 274
as the 1994 resolution on equal rights for homosexuals and lesbians in the European 275
Communities. A latest breakthrough, dating from June 2010, is the development of a 276
toolkit, prepared by the Council of the European Union in consultation with civil society 277
organisations, that outlines what the European Union should be doing abroad to defend 278
the human rights of LGBTT people. 279
280
Applicant countries are judged upon meeting the Copenhagen criteria, which include 281
human rights and respect for and the protection of minorities. The accession procedure 282
improved the legal situation in the member states that joined the European Union in the 283
past decade, for instance, in areas such as the decriminalisation of homosexuality and 284
the equalisation of the age of consent. However, it seems that laws did not change at the 285
same pace as attitudes, both of the public opinion and of the political establishment. 286
287
ECOSY – Young European Socialists believes that anti-discrimination legislation is a 288
valuable tool to sanction discriminatory behaviour, which is why we support the proposed 289
single horizontal anti-discrimination directive that would extend the scope of protection 290
for LGBTT people to social protection, social advantages, and access to goods and 291
services. Nevertheless, the many violations of LGBTT rights in the European Union and 292
applicant countries indicate that the current legal framework does not suffice. Nor will the 293
new horizontal anti-discrimination directive suffice, as this measure overlooks the 294
importance of changing the hearts and minds of people through familiarising them with 295
LGBTT issues. Education is key. 296
297
Given the situation outlined above, ECOSY – Young European Socialists: 298
� Calls on European Union member states and applicant countries to include respect 299
for all people, regardless of their sexual identity, ethnic origin, cultural 300
background or conviction in their national education curricula. 301
� Sees as a first concrete implementation of this demand the recognition by 302
(higher) education institutions throughout the European Union and its applicant 303
countries of initiatives by young people and students to form LGBTT associations, 304
societies, and networks, by granting them the same status as other youth and 305
student organisations. For instance, these LGBTT organisations should have the 306
same access rights to campus infrastructure and communication channels as other 307
organisations. The role of these LGBTT associations in empowering young LGBTT 308
people is crucial, and should therefore be supported. 309
310
311
SUPPORT THE PRIDES – SMASH HOMOPHOBIA 312
313
Proposed by SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, Animo Belgium, SDY Serbia 314
315
In many European countries the LGBTT pride day is like its name: it is a day of pride, fun 316
and solidarity. But we can also see contrary tendencies. Prides are often accompanied 317
with homophobic media campaigns and violence against the participants. Often, right-318
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wing extremist and neo-Nazi groups physically attack the parades in order to stop them 319
from taking place. In some cases the police do not protect the prides, but joins in 320
attacking them. Homophobia is in most European countries still a central ideology in 321
society. One part of the fight against it is to support the prides. It is one of the main 322
goals of ECOSY - Young European Socialists to create a society without homophobia! 323
324
ECOSY - Young European Socialists: 325
� supports the LGBTT pride movement all over Europe and the world. 326
� calls on its member organisations to support and attend the national LGBTT prides 327
and LGBTT prides in other countries. 328
� will publish the dates of LGBTT prides on its homepage and provide assistance to 329
member organisations wishing to send delegations to them. 330
331
332
STAND TOGETHER AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM 333
334
Proposed by SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, SJD-Die Falken Germany, SDY Serbia, Mladi 335
Forum Slovenia, Young Labour UK 336
337
Different forms of right-wing extremism have been on the rise since the 1980s in Europe. 338
In several European countries parties of the radical right have recently been relatively 339
successful in national and local elections. To the outside world, their extreme positions 340
may seem to resemble those of the fascist and national-socialist movements of the 341
1930s and '40s, although their positions are brought across in a different way. This is 342
often not done openly, but hidden behind clever rhetoric. 343
344
Right-wing extremist thinking is a combination of simplistic and hateful attitudes, anti-345
semitism, racism, nationalism, sexism, homophobia, authoritarianism and chauvinism. It 346
is often accompanied by a blind belief in the superiority of one national or ethnic group. 347
348
Representatives of these movements sometimes also reject parliamentarism as a way of 349
solving problems in society and as a way of representation of different opinions or 350
diverse social movements. But sometimes they even use the means of parliamentarism, 351
e.g. prestigious positions, in order to legitimise their vision of politics and make their 352
ideology socially acceptable. 353
354
Right-wing extremist parties, in government or not, are a threat for democracy. Not only 355
their policies are dangerous, also their ideas and ideology gain wider acceptance. Right-356
wing extremist parties have often found their way to a central position in society. It is no 357
longer perceived as disgraceful to vote for the far right. 358
359
Right-wing extremist political parties and movements offer simple solutions. For any 360
difficulties or social issues they blame groups of people like immigrants, Jews, Roma, or 361
homosexuals, and they often lead hate campaigns against them. But it would be too easy 362
to state that those parties and groups are only supported by frustrated people. Over the 363
last decades we’ve seen a triumph of neo-liberal economics and in many areas the 364
dismantling of the welfare state. 365
366
The current economic crisis has shown more sharply than ever that where socialists and 367
social democrats are found lacking in their commitment and policies to build an equal 368
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society or have taken their traditional working class support base for granted, all too 369
often the far right have moved to fill that vacuum. 370
371
The decline of ideology within social democracy has led to voters seeking an alternative 372
to support. The search for identity and the increasing individualisation of society have led 373
to an abstract desire for ‘security’ and an opportunity for the rhetoric of the extreme 374
right to gain buoyancy with the electorate. 375
376
The extreme right managed to rhetorically meet the concerns of the working class and 377
lower middle class who face insecurity, unemployment and rapid changes in 378
demographics in their communities, yet find themselves less well equipped to deal with 379
those changes and the welfare state not there to help them come to terms with these 380
changes. 381
382
Young people have been particularly affected: many young people do not trust politics, 383
and a greater number are of the opinion that politicians show insufficient regard for the 384
needs and rights of their contemporaries. The extreme right have capitalised on such 385
fears and have sought to explain complex situations with simple rhetoric. 386
387
Socialism and social democracy must fight with working class people for the interests of 388
working class people: it must stand by their side and show them that the extreme right is 389
not the answer to their problems. It must show them that the only solution to fight 390
inequality and poverty is socialist and social democratic politics. 391
392
ECOSY - Young European Socialists calls 393
� upon all political forces committed to democracy, and especially socialist and 394
social democratic parties to declare a strict non-cooperation with right-wing 395
extremists. They need to be isolated from any influence or contribution to public 396
life. 397
� to fight united against right-wing extremism. It is a threat to freedom and 398
democracy, a threat to the fundamental values of our movement. In order to 399
preserve those values it is our duty to fight the right-wing extremists and their 400
intentions. 401
� upon socialist and social democratic parties to actively fight inequalities and 402
(youth) unemployment. It must be our task to elaborate upon employment, 403
education, housing, migration and integration policies and thereby regain 404
credibility among young voters. It is up to the socialist and social democratic 405
movement to build an equal society. 406
407
408
AUTOMATIC RECOGNITION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGES AND 409
REGISTERED PARTNERSHIPS 410
411
Proposed by JS Portugal 412
413
The major fundamental rights struggle for the recognition of same-sex marriages all over 414
the world represents a firm commitment of all parties within the Socialist and Social-415
democratic family in Europe. Currently, of the ten sovereign countries that have granted 416
equality in access to civil marriage, five are members of the European Union (Belgium, 417
the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) and further 11 EU member states have 418
introduced some form of civil union or registered partnership (Austria, the Czech 419
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Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia 420
and the United Kingdom). 421
422
Although more than half of the EUs member states have already introduced some sort of 423
legal recognition for same-sex couples (albeit only a few have granted marriage rights), 424
the fact that same-sex couples in many EU countries don’t yet have access to legal 425
protection constitutes one of the most relevant forms of legal discrimination between 426
homosexual and heterosexual couples, depriving thousands of men and women of the 427
possibility of a stable legal recognition of their relationship, which entails a strong impact 428
on access to social services and other benefits. 429
430
The Bureau of ECOSY has already taken a position on this topic in the past, but the 431
recent increase in member states that recognized marriage rights and/or civil unions to 432
same-sex couples reveals a increase in urgency for action to be take. 433
434
Firstly, ECOSY reiterates its objective for all other member states to join the pioneer 435
member states in implementing changes to their civil legislation that introduced same-436
sex marriage to their legal systems. 437
438
Secondly, the institutions of the European Union must deal with the need to assure those 439
same-sex couples who do marry the possibility to move to other EU countries and have 440
their legal status preserved. It is unbearable that in the context of a common political 441
community which guarantees its citizens free movement as a fundamental right, a basic 442
aspect of a person’s legal status be subject to change based on the place of residence. 443
444
As the EU further develops common procedures in the field of family law, as well as a 445
gradual harmonization of national legislations in the field of the Law of Conflicts, ECOSY 446
once again urges the European Commission and all other European institutions to 447
contemplate the need to implement legislation allowing for same-sex marriages and civil 448
partnerships, valid under the legal system of one of its member States, to be 449
automatically recognized in all others. 450
451
The implementation of such a proposal finds decisive legal grounds not only in the fact 452
that discrimination based on sexual orientation is expressly prohibited by the European 453
Charter of Fundamental Rights, but also in the fact that equality of treatment and liberty 454
of movement are basic guarantees of EU citizens since the very first draft of the founding 455
treaties. 456
457
ECOSY believes that allowing for automatic recognition of same-sex marriages and civil 458
partnerships not only represents an urgent coherent response to the problem in the light 459
of the Treaty of Lisbon and the commitment to ban all forms of discrimination, but also 460
constitutes a significant symbolic recognition, at the highest level of the European 461
institutions, of the need for equal treatment to all Europeans, regardless of their sexual 462
orientation. 463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
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13 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
YOUNG PEOPLE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: RAISE YOUR 471
VOICE! 472
473
Proposed by JSE Spain 474
475
ECOSY - Young European Socialist highlight our support to European efforts to finish with 476
violence against women. In this way, it is fundamental, in our point of view, the 477
work that European Observatory about Violence against Women, recently created, will 478
perform. 479
480
It is basic to develop a policy that make clear the existing situation; to 481
establish the necessary measures in order to let women report aggressions; and 482
impose those measures without any delay. It is also necessary to achieve a total 483
and public awareness in order to publish the real situation for many women in 484
Europe and all over the world. 485
486
The main problem that we have to solve comes since the first years: it is important in 487
our society to set a priority in educational policies to promote the respect, the equality 488
and to establish the right roles. At the same time, awareness across the mass media, 489
highlighting the real cases and the public campaigns, with public help and policies 490
have become right practices that should be implemented in European countries. 491
492
But it is also certain that it is not enough with the institutional protection, although it 493
exists and it is bigger each time: reporting is the only way empower the protection 494
system, with the police and judicial systems. Silence is the best accomplice for 495
abusers, giving them a total impunity and a wide freedom to make their brutal 496
aggressions. 497
498
Due to the importance of setting a European society with both men and women 499
with the same obligations and with the same rights, European Young socialist and social 500
democrats keep a spirit that serve us like aim: a constant report and the work to 501
eradicate any discrimination, and to achieve the stronger prosecution to the violence 502
against women under any circumstances. 503
504
The violence against women is the first cause of death among women aged between 15 505
and 44 years old, rather than war, traffic accidents or the different kinds of cancer. It 506
goes beyond cultures, level of incomes, geographic areas, and it happens all over the 507
world. It is not a problem of adult people: first signs appear in early relationships 508
with the control over friendship, threats, sexual impositions, control over look or 509
clothes... 510
511
However, it is claim in several studies that young people don’t see some of these 512
behaviors like threats or like situations of non-physical violence, so education 513
continues being a fundamental work in this issue in early ages. 514
515
ECOSY – Young European Socialists: 516
� Demands more effectiveness in the police and judicial cooperation in Europe for 517
the prosecution against those who make violence against women. 518
� Demands a complete involvement of local, regional and national administrations in 519
the introduction of values of equality and mutual respect since the first levels of 520
the primary school. 521
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14 10th ECOSY Congress
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� Show our stronger condemnation to the male chauvinism like a kind of violence 522
that is incompatible with a modern, democratic and progressive society. 523
524
525
GENDER IDENTITY LEGISLATION AS A HUMAN RIGHTS PRIORITY 526
527
Proposed by SDY Finland, SONK Finland, JS Portugal 528
529
The times we are living in are of great economic and social struggle. In a moment when 530
Europe is facing serious problems in dealing with youth unemployment and when 531
economic and financial struggles dominate the news and set the agenda of the European 532
Union and its member states, it is important not to forget that the construction of Europe 533
has always been about values. Values that have set the difference and offered standards 534
to the rest of the world. 535
536
But in these times of economic crisis, can we still claim that the Europe we know is up to 537
its challenges? If we look at the European political landscape at the moment, we are 538
confronted with the predominance of right wing parties in government. If we further 539
analyse their performance in government, we realise how their policies have not only 540
lead us to the situation we are currently in economically, but also how their vision tries to 541
influences the core values of Europe, preventing progressive values to prevail. The 542
attitude of most right-wing governments towards the transgender and transsexual 543
community eloquently reveals this fact. 544
545
In recent years, all over Europe, Socialists and Social-democrats have been fighting hard 546
for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender/Transsexual rights and, in several countries, 547
have even managed to approve legislation introducing same-sex marriage. The rights of 548
transgender people, however, have not always received the same coverage and attention 549
within the LGBT agenda, representing one of the most challenging issues in Europe. 550
551
On the one hand, conservatives attempt to correlate negative moral and emotional 552
implications to the problem, usually associating them to lack of information and prejudice 553
in order to succeed in ignoring the issue. On the other hand, the questions at hand raise 554
many complex legal implications, that require careful debate and decisive action. It is 555
therefore no wonder that in many countries a huge legal blur surrounding the rights of 556
the transgender and transsexual people still subsides, making this a question that urges 557
to be cleared and solved. 558
559
Most recently, the Portuguese socialist Government initiated a legislative procedure 560
aiming at passing a gender identity law, simplifying the recognition of sex-change 561
procedures. Unsurprisingly to many, it met fierce opposition on the right and a veto from 562
the right-wing President - even though it had achieved broad parliamentary support that 563
surpassed the left-wing parties and was recognized by experts (lawyers, medical doctors 564
and activists) as a significant step forward, in the line of the legislation in Spain or the 565
UK. 566
567
The Portuguese example shows that even if there is still a lot of work to be done 568
regarding the end of prejudice and in opening up the minds of the population, this type 569
of legislative initiatives has one main goal: to make the process of name and sex change 570
in civil registration much easier for those who underwent or are in the process of 571
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15 10th ECOSY Congress
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undergoing sex-changing procedures, improving the quality of life of thousands of 572
people. 573
574
In fact, these apparently insignificant modifications to civil identification laws represent a 575
huge step forward for transgender and transsexual people in defining their lawful 576
identity, as well as allowing their inner self to match their legal identity. It simultaneously 577
solves two major problems faced by the majority of transgender and transsexual people: 578
� Ending bureaucratic and legally complicated and lengthy procedures regarding the 579
recognition of sex and name change; and 580
� Promoting an easy and trouble-free integration for transgender and transsexual 581
people in society. 582
583
Considering that these political and legal changes are vital to improving the protection of 584
human rights in Europe and to fighting discrimination, ECOSY therefore embraces the 585
need to influence the political agenda and promote the urgent adoption (or improvement) 586
of the necessary legal framework in every European country. 587
588
ECOSY will remain at the upfront of the fight to ensure human rights protection and the 589
end to discrimination, thereby improvement the quality of our democracy, and making 590
sure that the conservative prejudice that is undermining the best European tradition in 591
this field does not triumph. 592
593
594
ADDRESSING LABOUR MIGRATION 595
596
Proposed by Animo Belgium 597
598
As long as the world is divided by inequalities, people will migrate in search of a better 599
life. In order to relieve the prevailing pressure on asylum procedures all over Europe, 600
ECOSY – Young European Socialists makes a case for new channels of economic 601
migration. The crucial question in this regard is how to organise a balanced system for 602
labour migration, which meets the demands of destination countries, whilst respecting 603
the needs of poor countries in the South. 604
605
The European Commission has calculated that Europe will need to attract approximately 606
56 million new labour migrants in order to tackle the issue of an ageing population and to 607
fill the available job openings. Today, it is extremely difficult for people from outside the 608
European Union to get a job in Europe. Employers are required to give priority to 609
employees from within the European Union, and have to prove that they were not able to 610
find any European Union citizens to take the job before being allowed to hire non-611
citizens. 612
613
In the past few years, a number of initiatives have therefore been taken at European 614
Union level to liberalise economic migration policies. With the European ‘Blue Card’, 615
employees from non-European Union countries can come to work in Europe for a fixed 616
period. ECOSY – Young European Socialists opposes this concept of ‘circular migration’, 617
which allows people to work in Europe for a short period, but requires them to then 618
return to their country of origin with the option of re-applying for yet another temporary 619
work permit. ECOSY – Young European Socialists believes it is not realistic to expect 620
people, who have been living in Europe for a longer period, and whose children have 621
been going to a European school for a number of years, to return to their so-called 622
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16 10th ECOSY Congress
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homeland, and wonders if Europe will not be confronted with the same phenomenon as in 623
the late eighties, when it became clear that the ‘guest workers’ from the fifties and 624
sixties would never return home. In contrast to those days, new migrants are now 625
expected to integrate as soon as possible, by learning the host country’s language and 626
assimilating to its customs. In that sense, it is only understandable that people, who 627
gradually have become ‘rooted’ in our societies, are not ready to swap their life in Europe 628
once more for an often poor existence in their country of origin. In the end, we are 629
talking about people, not commodities. According to ECOSY – Young European Socialists, 630
the concept of ‘circular migration’ underestimates the human side of the story and 631
implies a form of economic utilitarianism, inviting people to work here when we need 632
them, but sending them back as soon as they no longer are of use. We can never accept 633
this. As such, ECOSY – Young European Socialists pleads for more permanent forms of 634
migration. Labour migrants, who are given the right to live and work here, must have a 635
secure status which allows them to build up a new, stable life. New migrants are 636
consequently given a real chance to become part of our societies, with as a result that 637
their integration, certainly in combination with civic integration courses, will be less 638
problematic than before. 639
640
In addition, ECOSY – Young European Socialists demands measures to compensate for 641
the devastating phenomenon of so-called brain drain. Concretely, ECOSY – Young 642
European Socialists calls for employers who wish to hire high-skilled workers from 643
development countries to be required to pay a ‘brain drain tax’ for each highly educated 644
employee that they effectively offer a job. The turnover would then be added to the 645
budget for development cooperation. This tax would preferably be introduced at 646
European level. 647
648
649
THE FUTURE OF PENSION SYSTEMS IN EUROPE: THE NEED TO 650
ADDRESS THE RIGHT QUESTIONS 651
652
Proposed by SJÖ Austria, VSStÖ Austria, Animo Belgium, MJS Belgium, MJS France, Mladi 653
Forum Slovenia 654
655
The future of pension systems has become a crucial question in Europe, all the more so 656
in the context of the economic crisis. In most Member States, far-reaching reforms have 657
been adopted, which are based on a similar idea: the combination of improved life 658
expectancy, low birth rates and baby boomers' retirement creates a serious demographic 659
imbalance, that jeopardises pension systems, and the only solution to save them is to 660
incite people to work longer. by raising the legal retirement age, increasing the length of 661
pension contributions in time and/or modifying the calculation of pension rights. 662
663
For ECOSY - Young European Socialists, what is presented to European citizens as a 664
purely logical reasoning is in reality highly ideological and takes a narrow view of things, 665
as if the problem of pensions could only be solved through changes in pension law. 666
ECOSY – Young European Socialists, on the contrary, believes that any serious reflection 667
on pensions must encompass a wider range of issues and policies, in particular 668
employment policies, fiscal policies and labour law. 669
670
In its Green Paper entitled "Towards adequate, sustainable and safe European pension 671
systems", the European Commission draws an alarmist picture of the demographic 672
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
17 10th ECOSY Congress
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situation in Europe and advocates, although in rather veiled terms, the raising of the 673
legal retirement age. 674
675
ECOSY – Young European Socialists believes that this approach is not only biased, but 676
also economically and socially questionable. As the European Commission itself 677
underlines, "less than 50% of people are still in employment by the age of 60". In 678
addition it is known that in a large majority of cases, people do not choose to leave the 679
labour market early: they are forced to do so because of redundancies or health 680
problems. Therefore, the main effect of the deferment of the legal retirement age will be 681
to worsen the economic and social situation of the most vulnerable and to transfer the 682
financial cost from pension systems to unemployment benefit systems. Besides, if the 683
average life expectancy is increasing in Europe, the time people may reasonably be 684
expected to live in good health remains much lower and huge inequalities exist: in France 685
for example, an executive can hope to live in good health 10 years longer than a manual 686
worker. 687
688
ECOSY – Young European Socialists is convinced that it is possible to achieve socially fair 689
and economically sustainable pension systems as long as the right questions are 690
addressed: 691
� the best solution to improve the pensioner-to-worker ratio and to increase 692
pension contributions is the implementation of ambitious employment policies. 693
The biggest threat to our pension systems is unemployment, so the main 694
objective should be to make sure that every single person who wants to work (at 695
whichever age) can actually have a job and thus participate in the financing of 696
pensions. There is indeed something wrong with the fact that so many people 697
leave the labour market early, but raising the legal retirement age is useless when 698
the real problem is senior citizens' employability. Many actions could be taken in 699
order to enhance the latter, especially in the countries where senior citizens' 700
employment rates are particularly low: better follow-up processes during the 701
entire career, specific training programmes, adapted working rhythms and 702
methods, incentives to encourage businesses to employ older workers, and so on. 703
Another way to broaden the base of contributors to the pension system is to 704
guarantee that everyone who is in a job is paid and has a decent contract. This is 705
one of the reasons why ECOSY – Young European Socialists is against unpaid 706
internships and calls for the introduction of minimum incomes. 707
� the burden and cost of the pension systems cannot only be supported by workers 708
as it is the case in most past and current reforms. The burden must be fairly 709
shared, which for instance implies that certain types of income which do not yet 710
participate, or very insufficiently, in the financing of pensions should be 711
contributing (bonuses, golden parachutes, income from capital, and so on) and 712
that Member states should re-examine all existing exemptions. 713
714
715
REDISTRIBUTION AGAINST POVERTY 716
717
Proposed by Animo Belgium, SJD-Die Falken Germany, SDY Serbia, Mladi Forum 718
Slovenia, Labour Students UK 719
720
Poverty is symptomatic of societies where there is inequality. Generating wealth and 721
distributing this wealth in a fair and equal way should always be the core of poverty 722
reduction. It is a good thing that with the European year for combating poverty and 723
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
18 10th ECOSY Congress
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social exclusion, the European Union attempted to place poverty reduction in the 724
spotlight during 2010. However, ECOSY – Young European Socialists believes that 725
European policy should always be aimed at reducing inequality, rather than just during 1 726
single year. 727
728
In the European Union, around 80 million people, among which 19 million children, are 729
living below the poverty line. These people have severely restricted access to 730
employment, education, decent housing, and social services. There are criteria for 731
measuring the purely financial aspects of poverty: the ‘poverty line’ is put at 60% of the 732
median national income. Poverty is not only not having enough money to get by, it also 733
encompasses social exclusion, a lack of access to social services, which has an impact on 734
poor people’s health, housing, access to communication services, and participation in 735
community life. 736
737
ECOSY – Young European Socialists reiterates its commitment to full employment, and 738
furthermore notes that, even more than to have a job it is important to have a job that 739
guarantees a decent life.19 million people in the European Union are poor, despite being 740
in employment. Since so many people with a job have trouble to make ends meet we can 741
only conclude that working conditions, including salaries, are worsening, that many 742
people are not finding the necessary support from our social services, and that not all 743
jobs are decent jobs. 744
745
The crisis has hit young people particularly hard. Around 21% of all young people under 746
25 in the European Union are unemployed. According to the European Commission, in 747
November 2010, youth unemployment was at its highest level since the beginning of the 748
economic crisis, and is still increasing. Unemployment is not the only threat for young 749
people: as many young people who did find some sort of job during the crisis can testify, 750
many of those jobs were certainly not decent jobs but rather precarious short-term 751
contracts, unpaid or badly paid internships that replace real jobs and do not fulfill their 752
educational purposes, or so-called part-time positions that require a full-time dedication 753
with only half the salary. 754
755
9 out of 10 Europeans are of the opinion that it is the responsibility of their governments 756
to take action. More than half refer to their own government as the main responsible 757
entity for dealing with poverty. And almost three quarters of the European population 758
believe that the European Union has an important role in fighting poverty. It is clear that 759
there should be action against poverty and social exclusion from governments, both at 760
national and European level. 761
762
The European Union’s social policy could certainly use an extra boost. The European 763
Union’s attempts to reduce the gap between rich and poor regions through funds such as 764
the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. There is also 765
the poverty target in the Europe 2020 strategy, which is to have at least 20 million fewer 766
people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This is a very weak target, as the 767
remaining 60 million people in poverty seem largely out of the picture from the very 768
start. There is much room for improvement if we really want to create a social Europe. 769
ECOSY – Young European Socialists therefore proposes the following actions against 770
poverty: 771
� A European Union-wide guarantee for a minimum income is necessary to help 772
people throughout the European Union to get out of the poverty trap. Some 773
people are born into poverty and will find it very hard to get out of it. That is 774
exactly where a guarantee for an adequate minimum income in all European 775
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
19 10th ECOSY Congress
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Union member states could make the difference. There are proposals to put this 776
guarantee for a minimum income at 60% of the median national income of each 777
member state separately. At the moment, not all member states have minimum 778
income schemes, and where they exist, they are not accessible to all people in 779
poverty. The minimum income can also be connected with minimum criteria for 780
pensions. The case for a minimum income as a right, as solidarity and as 781
redistribution of wealth, as opposed to charity, is also made by the European Anti-782
Poverty Network, which unites around 50 national networks and European 783
organizations with a focus on poverty reduction and social exclusion. 784
� Given the high rates of youth unemployment throughout the European Union and 785
the prevailing precarious working conditions of young workers, the proposal for a 786
European Youth Guarantee, which aims at “securing the right of every young 787
person in the European Union to be offered a job, an apprenticeship, additional 788
training or combined work and training after a maximum period of 4 months’ 789
unemployment” is one that ECOSY – Young European Socialists wholeheartedly 790
supports. However, this proposal should be complemented with that for a 791
European quality charter on internships, which would ideally set out “minimum 792
standards for internships to ensure their educational value and avoid exploitation, 793
taking into account that internships form part of education and must not replace 794
actual jobs. These minimum standards should include an outline of the job 795
description or qualifications to be acquired, a time limit on internships, a minimum 796
allowance based on standard-of-living costs in the place where the internship is 797
performed that comply with national traditions, insurance in the area of their 798
work, social security benefits in line with local standards and a clear connection to 799
the educational programme in question.” Given their convictions and political 800
ideology, left-wing political parties, social and environmental NGOs and companies 801
that claim to have an ethical business model are in the perfect position to put 802
their words into practice by providing decent contracts for young workers. 803
� Since poverty also means social exclusion and a lack of access to social services, 804
which has an impact on people’s health, housing, ability to use communication 805
and to participate in community life, poverty should also be measured by these 806
indicators, and legislation should be assessed by its impact on poverty. This 807
‘poverty benchmark’ is necessary in order to do away with hidden barriers in 808
society for people in poverty. If this poverty benchmark is taken seriously and is 809
implemented at the beginning of the legislative process, it can be a good tool to 810
make poverty visible in each policy field. 811
812
Poverty can only be eradicated when societies redistribute wealth in a fair and equal way. 813
In sum, for ECOSY – Young European Socialists eradicating poverty is not about pity or 814
charity. It is about rights and solidarity. 815
816
817
MORE PROGRESSIVE TAXATION 818
819
Proposed by SDY Finland, SONK Finland 820
821
In terms of real economy, the worst is over in the financial crisis. Although there is a 822
shadow hanging over the Euro system, the economic stability of European economies is 823
better. This is partly because of the harsh recovery efforts both at European and national 824
levels. 825
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20 10th ECOSY Congress
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When we start to recover we must have a solid plan for paying back the debts of 826
recovery. Reducing public debt is a necessity in order to reduce the debt per GDP-ratio 827
since there are no signs of high growth rates in the near future. Therefore it is probable 828
that many European economies are compelled to make drastic budgetary cuts and raise 829
taxes. 830
831
Gathering an adequate amount of taxes for funding public services and stabilizing 832
budgets reflects our core values. The raising of taxes in a way that increases the share of 833
progressive taxes and reduces the share of proportional and regressive taxes is essential 834
for fair distribution of income. The weakest suffer from recession already when they lose 835
their jobs. It is our social responsibility to ensure that these people do not pay a larger 836
share of the bill of recession, proportionally to their income, than the people who are 837
better off. 838
839
840
FOR SOCIAL BASICS IN ORDER TO START THE ECONOMIC 841
RECUPERATION 842
843
Proposed by JSE Spain 844
845
The economical crisis has had his biggest effect in by raising youth unemployment, which 846
is situated almost double than the general unemployment rate in all over Europe. 847
The precariousness situation that young people has been suffering the past years 848
has provoked that with the increasing unemployment rate, young people were the 849
first to become unemployed. 850
851
The economical recuperation should be useful for the European institutions and 852
the Member States to settle the basis for the new production and competitiveness 853
model, where the education, the sustainability and the social an labor rights prioritizes 854
over the neoliberal values that have driven us to the actual financial and labor situation. 855
ECOSY – Young European Socialists consider fundamental to start treating the issue of 856
youth unemployment as a basic agenda point in the European policies. It is true 857
that Europe Strategy 2020 states as a key issue the employability of young 858
people, but we consider that we can not be used as mere working force. Most 859
of the measures established within the initiative promoted by the European 860
Commission, Youth on the Move, tend to improve education and provide with new tools 861
for the so called “jobs of the future, or new jobs”. We as young socialists and social 862
democrats consider that it is really important for the European Union to establish the 863
basics for the education and preparation of citizens, people compromised with their 864
environment, people participating from the projects in the society they live in, but 865
also in the reality that there is away from our European borders. 866
867
The actual crisis that we are living in, has its major reason in the loosing of values and 868
the lack of direction when the economical and finance policies had to be taken. We can 869
not let this happen again. 870
871
When the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion has just finished, 872
we are aware of the common responsibility that we have in order to avoid thousands of 873
people going into this situation every day. The solution is not only more education to 874
work longer, is education to achieve a Europe with citizens with values and 875
criteria over the individualism and the consumerism without limits. That is why we 876
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21 10th ECOSY Congress
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share the worry to establish the basic literacy of the European citizenship as a priority, 877
due to the access to culture is the principal milestone to create an active citizenship. 878
879
ECOSY – Young European Socialists, consider that this moment has to be the opportunity 880
that we were all waiting to achieve the needed change; to be able to make the 881
conciliation between the personal, familiar and labour life a reality, and make possible 882
that jobs as a way to emancipate people and give them tools to empower them to 883
participate actively in the society. This way we will be able, with the help of all of us, to 884
build a Europe based in the equal opportunities. 885
886
We demand that: 887
� The basis for the economic recuperation should have young people and our 888
rights in the heart of the reform that has to be done, and those reforms should be 889
oriented to end with precariousness and make possible a stable life project. 890
� The European economy has to raise its competitiveness with bigger effort and 891
funds in R,D&I and in a better education and qualification of the workers. 892
We should not get into an intern competitiveness, in other words, the human 893
resources and the education might not become factors of competitiveness within 894
the EU countries, as the right is pretending, their idea is to generate a first 895
and second class Europe. 896
� The measures that we will adopt today, developing them in the year 2012, as 897
European Year for Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity, related to 898
the future of the public retirement systems should settle over transition 899
periods that might help reevaluating the pensions, in an other hand, the 900
assurance that the increase of age in the population that is going to 901
happen until 2050, young people today will be able to access public and 902
decent pensions. 903
904
905
ENERGY FOR ALL: 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY IN EUROPE BY 2050 906
907
Proposed by Animo Belgium, Labour Students UK 908
909
Today we face two enormous problems concerning energy consumption. Firstly, our 910
energy mix is mainly based on natural, hence depletable, resources (oil, coal, gas and 911
nuclear fuel). This poses serious threats concerning the availability of these resources. 912
The era of cheap oil lies already in the past, and also for the other natural resources 913
potential peak use is in sight and the prices can at any time explode. In light of the rise 914
of China and other new economies that primarily use older technologies as energy 915
consumers, cheap coal, gas and even nuclear fuel will soon be history. In many European 916
countries energy prices are already on the rise. Without affordable energy one cannot 917
live a decent life. For us as socialists and social democrats energy availability is a social 918
right, a necessity for all as opposed to a luxury for some. To ensure energy for all we 919
have to move away from our dependence on natural, hence depletable, resources. 920
921
Secondly, the unnaturally high emissions of carbon dioxide that came along with our 922
industrial use of fossil fuels pose serious problems for our planet as a whole. The 923
concentration of carbon dioxide (in parts per million) in the earth’s atmosphere is directly 924
correlated with global warming. The third assessment report of the Intergovernmental 925
Panel on Climate Change warns us that it is impossible to predict what will happen if the 926
temperature on earth rises by 2 °C in comparison to pre-industrial times. Beyond that 927
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22 10th ECOSY Congress
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threshold, climate change can become an independent mechanism that is beyond human 928
control. The increasing occurrence of floods, droughts, forest fires and powerful 929
hurricanes that we experience today are an indication of things to come. Scientists warn 930
that we are already halfway to the 2°C threshold. Furthermore, evidence is growing that 931
to quote a temperature increase by 2 °C as ‘safe’ was too optimistic, and we should limit 932
global warming to an increase by 1.5 °C. As socialists and social democrats, global and 933
intergenerational solidarity oblige us to prevent further global warming. A complete 934
transition to an energy production that is completely carbon-free is our only chance to 935
prevent this. 936
937
To tackle both challenges we face, we have but one option. By 2050 we will have to 938
evolve into a society that is completely independent of fossil and depletable resources. 939
Luckily scientists are on our side. Multiple studies show that this shift to 100% clean and 940
renewable energy production in 2050 is possible and would lead to a 90% decrease in 941
carbon dioxide emissions. 942
943
Basically, three conditions need to be fulfilled to make this shift possible. Firstly, we need 944
to stop wasting energy. The available technology allows us to make houses and buildings 945
self-sufficient in energy, or even to transform them into small-scale energy producers. 946
Industrial processes can also be made far more energy-efficient. Energy efficiency can 947
provide already half of the solution. Secondly, we should use the natural potential that 948
we have in Europe to reach 100% renewable energy production. According to the 949
European Commission, offshore wind energy in the North Sea alone could provide for 950
46% of Europe’s energy needs. Combined with other wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal 951
energy production sites and many small ‘prosumers’ (e.g. people living in ‘active’ houses: 952
house that produce more energy than they consume) makes 100% an absolutely 953
achievable goal. Thirdly, we have to come to a more active bidirectional energy grid in 954
Europe. This so-called ‘smart grid’ can be compared to the internet, with alongside big 955
‘providers’ a lot of small ‘uploaders’, that all use only what they need when they need it 956
and that contribute whatever they can. This requires a network that can give and take. 957
In addition, in order to be able to average out the energy supplied by a large multitude of 958
small, variable producers spread out over a large area into a continuous energy supply, 959
the smart grid will have to be able to transport energy over large distances at high 960
efficiency: for this, further developments in the technology of high-voltage direct current 961
systems are necessary and must be invested in. The advantages of such a strategy are 962
clear: 963
� The huge investments that are necessary (among others stimulating technological 964
developments and installing the smart grid) of 2.800 billion euros by 2050 are 965
largely compensated by the savings in costs caused by carbon dioxide emissions 966
that will hit 3.800 billion euros by 2050 according to a study by the European 967
Renewable Energy Council. 968
� By 2050, 6.1 million Europeans can be working in the renewable energy industry. 969
� European energy independence ensures access to affordable energy to everyone, 970
independent of geo-political and natural supply problems. 971
� Individual energy dependence (smart grid, active houses) benefits the whole of 972
society and the weakest most: their relative gains if they become ‘non- or 973
prosumers’ are more substantial. 974
� As a zero-carbon society, Europe will live up to its obligation of international and 975
intergenerational solidarity in combating global warming. 976
977
Bearing in mind that we face both a social (energy availability) and a societal problem 978
(global warming), and recognizing that renewable energy is the only realistic alternative 979
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
23 10th ECOSY Congress
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and studies show that a transfer to 100% renewable energy by 2050 is possible, ECOSY 980
– Young European Socialists demands that the European Commission and the European 981
Parliament take all the necessary steps to come to a Europe with 100% renewable 982
energy by 2050. 983
984
THE PRIVATISATION OF GROUNDWATER MUST END 985
986
Proposed by SDY Finland, SONK Finland, JS Portugal 987
988
The privatisation of nationally owned assets is normally proposed as a solution to the 989
indebtedness of European states. The attempts at the privatisation of groundwater 990
supplies have been encouraged by European right-wing governments. The groundwater 991
supplies are a valuable national asset, not to be sold at a low price to multinational 992
corporations. 993
994
Water is not, and should not be, a commercial product to be sold to the highest bidder. 995
Approximately 3 % of the Earth’s water supplies is freshwater, a big proportion of which 996
is already polluted. 997
998
In Britain, the privatisation of national water resources has gone on for a long time. In 999
Estonia, the privatisation of freshwater supplies was started after the turn of the century. 1000
Both in Britain and in Estonia the price of water has experienced an increase after the 1001
privatisations. A rise in the price of pure water can have drastic consequences for 1002
ordinary people. For instance in Brazil, one litre of drinking water costs around 10 euros. 1003
1004
In the developing countries, the consequences of privatisation of national water supplies 1005
are even more manifest. Six thousand children a day die as a result of inadequate 1006
hygiene. Over a billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. 2.6 billion 1007
people live without proper sanitation. The European Union, the World Bank and the 1008
International Monetary Fund have all endorsed the privatisation of world’s freshwater 1009
supplies. In the Dominican Republic the European Union has facilitated the privatisation 1010
of local freshwater supplies through the Cotonou Agreement. 1011
1012
The world’s freshwater supplies should not be privatised. The control of water resources 1013
should remain in the hands of democratically elected national governments. The world is 1014
already experiencing a shortage of clean water. The privatisation of water supplies would 1015
only worsen the problem. National water supplies can be, and should be, democratically 1016
controlled. Private companies should not be allowed to gain the possession of such a vital 1017
national resource. Instead, more focus should be put on the efficient, equitable and 1018
sustainable use of water resources. 1019
1020
ECOSY – Young European Socialists opposes the privatisation of the world’s groundwater 1021
supplies. 1022
1023
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
24 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
WATER OF LIFE FOR EUROPE: AUTONOMY, COHERENCE AND 1031
SUSTAINABILITY 1032
1033
Proposed by FGS Italy 1034
1035
Youth. Often, when we think about it, we conjure in our minds the image of its legendary 1036
fountain, remembering us fairy tales of characters facing amazing adventures in order to 1037
retake the lost vigor, the strength of a young body: in the same way we have to product 1038
new energy for a tired Europe, nowadays not as young as when Jupiter desired her. 1039
We must consider three markers to reach a right energetic policy: environmental 1040
sustainability, economic growth and foreign relations. The first one, widely pointed out in 1041
Lisbon Declaration, give us the opportunity to expand and develop an innovative 1042
industrial sector, in which Europe could obtain a primate with consistent economic 1043
advantages, and to improve life conditions of European citizens, reducing public health 1044
expense in these years of growing debt. The second one, cornerstone of a general 1045
improvement, might consider the link between Public energetic capitalism, represented 1046
by the Public Companies indulging in old but lucrative mechanisms, and the 1047
augmentation of public found to research other energetic alternatives. The third is 1048
unfortunately often the sad appendix of the previous one. 1049
The energetic independence is a hot issue for each nation in the world, even more so for 1050
European Union. The natural resources are still often concentrated in not fully democratic 1051
countries, dictatorships or adversaries. 1052
Europe can’t depend on the imperialistic China, and it can’t support rash mining, digging 1053
and quarrying. 1054
The energetic question is the synthesis of European needs, interests and values. Europe 1055
cannot renounce to a full and farsighted growth without autonomy and coherence. If 1056
Europe will renounce to only one of these markers, we won’t lose just a full and 1057
farsighted growth but the entire Mission, and European Union will be remembered as one 1058
of the several failed adventures in mythology, like the “Water of Life” of the Fountain of 1059
Youth. A innocent dream of a childish humanity. 1060
1061
1062
ON THE CONFLICT IN THE WESTERN SAHARA 1063
1064
Proposed by JS Portugal 1065
1066
The conflict in the Western Sahara represents one of the last remaining chapters of the 1067
struggle for self-determination in the African Continent. Militarily occupied by the 1068
Kingdom of Morocco since 1975, the Western Sahara has endured decades of violent 1069
repression of civil liberties, human rights violations and gradual exhaustion of Saharawi 1070
natural resources by its occupying power. Furthermore, according to most recent 1071
estimates, the number of Saharawi refugees in neighboring Algeria and displaced people 1072
within the borders of the territory may reach more than 150.000, in precarious and 1073
unstable conditions. 1074
1075
After several years of positive expectations, following the 1993 Security Council 1076
Resolution that opened the way for a referendum on self-determination on the basis of a 1077
UN-negotiated truce between the POLISARIO front and the Moroccan authorities, the 1078
current status of the peace process is of stagnation and lack of optimism. As recently as 1079
in November 2010 we have witnessed an increase in violent repression of Saharawi 1080
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
25 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
demonstrations in several points in the territory, representing a serious setback for those 1081
who believe that bridges of dialogue can be built between both sides. 1082
1083
ECOSY believes that the European Union’s external agenda towards the Sahara needs to 1084
experience a radical transformation, abandoning the passive attitude that has 1085
characterized its positions in recent years and allowing it to assume a much overdue role 1086
as regional stabilizer and promoter of peace. Short term commercial gains need to be 1087
analysed not in the scope of an accountant’s eyeglass, but within the framework of the 1088
guiding principles of the EUs foreign and neighbourhood policies. 1089
1090
The renewal of the 2006 Fisheries Partnership Agreement between Morocco and the 1091
European Union represents an eloquent example of the need to put the EUs practice in 1092
line with International Law and its doctrine of respect for human rights. As the Legal 1093
Service of the European Parliament has recently pointed out in an opinion presented in 1094
July 2009, the inclusion of Western Saharawi waters within the scope of application of 1095
the Fisheries Agreement directly violates the need to respect “international law 1096
concerning the rights of the Saharawi people over their natural resource[s]), principles 1097
which the Community is bound to respect”. 1098
1099
The need to maintain good neighbouring relations with the Kingdom of Morocco, on 1100
political, diplomatic and economic levels, and to actively support the recent efforts in 1101
introducing democratic reforms, will not be jeopardised by an increase in attention to 1102
the situation in the Sahara. On the contrary, good neighbours should provide good 1103
counselling and promote the peaceful resolution of lasting conflicts. 1104
1105
The very similar case of East Timor, where an incomplete decolonization process was 1106
followed by many decades of illegal occupation by its neighbour Indonesia, has proven 1107
that effective negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations, and oriented by the 1108
relevant principles of the UN Charter and the international community, such as the 1109
search for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, respect for self-determination and for the 1110
protection of human rights, can effectively work and put an end to decades-long 1111
conflicts. 1112
1113
Therefore, ECOSY urges the European Union’s institutions, particularly its High 1114
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and its member States: 1115
� To place the peaceful resolution of the conflict on the top of its agenda, in line 1116
with UN Security Council Resolution nr. 809 (1993), by promoting the fulfilment of 1117
the referendum on self-determination, if necessary through additional mediation 1118
and by providing human and material resources to that effect; 1119
� To withdraw from and refrain from celebrating any internationally binding 1120
agreements in violation of the status of the Western Sahara as an occupied, non-1121
autonomous territory; 1122
� To demand that the Moroccan government fully respects human rights and 1123
restores civil liberties to the Saharawi people. 1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
26 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
END NATO – FOR A SECURE AND PEACEFUL WORLD 1132
1133
Proposed by Jusos Germany, SJD-Die Falken Germany 1134
1135
The Nato founded as a security and defense alliance after the second world war, played 1136
an important role during the cold war. With the end of communism the defense alliance 1137
actually lost its original meaning. Nevertheless no disarmament took place. Instead of 1138
reducing the military capacities a rearmament process started. The Nato did a double 1139
expansion, they increased their competencies and the areas in the world they are 1140
working in. Nato was also pushing the qualitative armament process of the member 1141
states. 1142
1143
Against her former promises, she enlarged her territory closed to the former Russian 1144
area of influence. The resulting frictions still effect today relationships. Due to the 1145
Russian surrounding with Nato states the Nato organizes a feeling of insecurity for Russia 1146
what causes further armament in Europe. Originally founded as defense alliance, the 1147
Nato has increase her working fields to other non military risks, like Terrorism, nuclear 1148
proliferation, avoid migration movements or the access to resources and trade routes. 1149
These so called article non article 5 actions are a strategic change away from a defense 1150
alliance to an aggressive military alliance. 1151
1152
The Nato itself and the US administration erodes the influence of the United Nations by 1153
defining action as a security issue what are not original defense actions, or build military 1154
coalitions evading UN bodies. Security is not based on military alliances, but on civil and 1155
sustainable cooperation. The history of the Irak war shows that the USA only use the 1156
Nato under certain circumstances. Instead they were looking for willing partners in and 1157
outside the Nato. This war shows as an example the disability of the alliance to agree on 1158
a common position and the unwillingness to respect international law. Even if the Nato 1159
accepted officially the binding role of the United Nations in international conflicts, they 1160
tend to ignore it. In the case of Irak it was ignored by several members, in the case of 1161
Kosovo by the whole organization. The new strategic concept of the Nato implies that the 1162
Nato will ignore the UN Bodies in the future as well. Out of area and out of treaty 1163
interventions are not acceptable for Young European Socialists. It is necessary that the 1164
alliance moves back to the original base of the agreement: respect to the UN Bodies, 1165
abandon aggressive interventions and restriction to defense actions. At the same time 1166
the bodies of the United Nations need to strengthen their democratic process: The Veto 1167
rights need to be abolished. The recognition of the United Nations must be strengthened 1168
therefore it is necessary to keep the mandate to decide over military interventions only 1169
with United Nations. 1170
1171
Additional to the UN security mandate an d the role the United Nations can play in 1172
regional conflict handling, regional structure and interaction need to be strengthened 1173
make peace politics sustainable. Regional alliances like EU or OSZE showed that a 1174
regional cooperation on economical or political basis showed a way to make an armed 1175
conflict unthinkable. In that way the European Union is a role model, what could be a 1176
good example for other regional like south America and an alternative to Nato 1177
integration. On the other hand regional alliances are in danger to be militarizes step by 1178
step. The subtle armament of the EU to an European defense alliance is an obvious 1179
example. This causes an increasing separation, especially against migrants and an 1180
offensive orientation on regional interests. This is a dangerous combination with high 1181
risks for global conflicts. Therefore it is necessary to strengthened integrative alliances. 1182
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
27 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
Only these alliances are sustainable peace building instruments. All efforts to militarize 1183
the EU or other regional alliances is denied by Ecosy young socialists. 1184
1185
Conflict prevention is better than a conflict solution, especially at international level. As 1186
long as the majority of people lives in poverty, this long conflicts between rich and poor 1187
will exist especially in the exploited countries of the south. These conflicts might be 1188
regional conflicts or show up as ethnic or religious conflicts. In the end the reason of 1189
mosts conflicts is revolt against social inequality. To solve these conflicts pre emptive 1190
wars can not help. To sustainably solve the worlds conflicts we need a global economy 1191
and developments politics and a fair distribution of wealth. 1192
1193
To cover the loss of use Nato had after the end of the cold war, Natos Duties were 1194
systematically extended. Instead of a disarmament process in Eastern Europe weapon 1195
capacities rose. With the extension to action areas what can not be solve with military 1196
strategies, like terrorism, Web crimes, migration movements, new problems are created. 1197
Additionally to that Nato defined in her Strategy the goal to secure goods transportation, 1198
or ban migration, what is a clear strategy supporting the interests of the developed 1199
countries. Military intervention without UN mandate shows that the alliance is not longer 1200
a peace alliance. The USA can misuse the alliance to plan and organize the military 1201
interventions they wish. The inclusion of former Soviet Union States provocates conflicts 1202
with Russia. All this does not cause peace and disarmament, but for more conflicts and a 1203
higher chance of military intervention in conflicts. 1204
1205
Therefore ECOSY Young Socialists demand: 1206
� End Nato. We need a politic of collective security instead of exclusive defense 1207
alliances. A politic of multilateralism is necessary, what prevents and not 1208
intervents. Conflicts need to be solved early with civil method, that you do not 1209
need military intervention at all. It should be a goal for all Social democrats at 1210
international level to covercome Nato by a cooperative conflict solution. 1211
� As long as Nato exists it shall be a defense alliance only. It is defiantly necessary 1212
to return to Natos founders agenda, to solve conflicts first peacefully, and 1213
afterwards use military options. Any extension of Nato duties or members we 1214
deny. 1215
� Disarmament in Nato states must be pushed, without pushing the armament of 1216
single states. That means we need disarmament contracts between Nato states to 1217
accompany the process. 1218
� Russia shall be included in the process and included in the future security 1219
architecture. Russia is a very important strategic partner for Europe’s security in 1220
the world. Only with the inclusion of Russia the armament circle between west 1221
and east can be finished. 1222
� We want Collective Security instead of global aggression. The United Nation own 1223
the principle of peaceful international conflict solution. The alternative to Nato 1224
already exists, we only need to bring it to live. Therefore a successful UN reform 1225
is necessary, including democratization, ban of any veto right in security council, 1226
and better Finances. On the way to implement a stable system of collective 1227
security regional an political alliances can help, if they organize a non military 1228
integration. This type of alliances Ecosy Young Socialists want to support. 1229
1230
1231
1232
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
28 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
ESTABLISH AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION TO ABOLISH 1233
NUCLEAR WEAPONS 1234
1235
Proposed by SSF Sweden, SSU Sweden 1236
1237
About 65 years ago, at the end of the Second World War, the US President Harry S. 1238
Truman issued an order to attack Japan with nuclear weapons. The result of Truman’s 1239
order was a collective death warrant for the people of two Japanese cities. The first 1240
nuclear bomb was dropped over Hiroshima the 6th of August 1945 at 8.15 a.m. More 1241
than a hundred thousand lives were immediately wiped out and the spread of radioactive 1242
particles have killed ten thousands of people in succeeding generations since. 1243
1244
Two days after the catastrophe in Hiroshima the second American nuclear bomb 1245
detonated in Nagasaki and caused the death of an additional 70 000 people. The city was 1246
put into ruins. 1247
1248
We have to remind each other of these tragedies. As long as there are nuclear weapons, 1249
the terrible history can repeat itself. 1250
1251
Since the end of World War II nuclear weapons have made up a growing threat against 1252
mankind. This threat fortified during the Cold War and escalated the period after the era 1253
of terror balance. Many states have nuclear weapons. The primary nuclear weapon 1254
states; the US, Soviet Union (today’s Russia), France, Great Britain and China are more 1255
recently accompanied by Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea. The fact that military 1256
powers possess weapons that can be used as threatening means in negotiations 1257
compromises the work for peaceful global cooperation. No one can win a nuclear war. 1258
The only predicted result of such a war is mutual destruction. 1259
1260
In 1970 the non-proliferation-treaty (NPT) entered into force. The treaty forces the 1261
nuclear weapon states to disarmament. The treaty also prohibits states that are lacking 1262
nuclear weapons to get these arms. Despite the treaty, four more states have developed 1263
nuclear weapons. Today there are 22 000 nuclear weapons with a common capacity that 1264
could destroy all life on earth numerous times. Many of these weapons are constantly 1265
ready to fire. The present treaty is therefore non-sufficient. 1266
1267
Sweden, in cooperation with other European states, has been working for peace and 1268
disarmament. In 2003 the Swedish government established the so called Blix commission 1269
on initiative of Anna Lindh. The commission was, as its’ name implies, lead by Hans Blix 1270
who presented their report in 2006. The report contains 60 recommendations to the 1271
International community. 30 of them considering nuclear weapons. The commission 1272
recommended a prohibition against keeping nuclear weapons outside the own territory 1273
and proposed an eventual future prohibition. The US was recommended to end all test 1274
detonations of nuclear weapon charges. The Blix commission also suggested Sweden to 1275
become the host for a secretariat for the NPT to monitor and work for disarmament. 1276
1277
ECOSY must show the path towards a world free from nuclear weapons and embrace the 1278
suggestions of the Blix commission. The European Union is an important political 1279
platform in the work for peace. By common actions we should work for a complete 1280
disarmament of nuclear weapons in the European countries. EU should be a nuclear free 1281
zone and become the role model for the rest of the world. Consequently Great Britain 1282
and France have to get rid of their nuclear weapon arsenals. 1283
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
29 10th ECOSY Congress
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In order to realise a successful struggle for a world free from nuclear weapons we need 1284
to work for the forming of an international convention that prohibits nuclear weapons. 1285
Today there are conventions against chemical and biological arms, as well as conventions 1286
prohibiting cluster weapons, mustard gas and certain mines. Despite this fact there is no 1287
convention prohibiting the most dangerous weapon of them all. 1288
1289
A world without nuclear weapons is a better, safer and more free world. The 1290
disarmament will liberate enormous amounts of resources that can be used to fight 1291
poverty. We have to put a strong pressure on those in power in order to make a nuclear 1292
free world possible within our lifetime. It is not only necessary; it is also, by all means, 1293
possible. 1294
1295
Therefore we demand the following: 1296
� That ECOSY continues the struggle to make the European Union a zone free of 1297
nuclear weapons 1298
� That ECOSY works for the creation of an international convention that prohibits 1299
nuclear weapons. 1300
� That ECOSY works to encourage nuclear weapon powers to avoid keeping any 1301
forms of nuclear weapons on foreign territory in accordance with the Blix 1302
commission’s proposal number 4. 1303
1304
1305
THE EUROPEAN UNION IS NOT ALLOWED TO REINTERPRET 1306
INTERNATIONAL LAW TO BE ABLE TO FISH IN WESTERN 1307
SAHARIAN WATERS 1308
1309
Proposed by SSF Sweden, SSU Sweden 1310
1311
Since the European Union in 2006 concluded a fishing agreement with Morocco, the 1312
European commission has repeatedly stated that it does not violate international law. 1313
Sweden maintained the opposite, based upon an analysis made by the UN’s former head 1314
of law, Hans Corell. Sweden was the only EU-country voting against the agreement. 1315
Should the European Union continue to buy fishing rights for a total amount of 30 million 1316
Euros annually from an occupying power and illegitimate owner? 1317
1318
The view that the agreement is violating international law is widely supported amongst 1319
lawyers. For example the juridical unit of the European Parliament has not accepted the 1320
agreement. Despite that, the European Commission continues to withhold its standpoint. 1321
For example through a letter from the fishing commissioner Damanaki to the Western 1322
Sahara Resource Watch. 1323
1324
According to international law an occupied or colonised people has inalienable rights and 1325
permanent sovereignty over its natural resources. These rights are protected in many 1326
UN-declarations that the administrator of the area shall respect, regardless if it is an 1327
occupying power or not. The natural resources are only allowed to be used for 1328
investments carried out in cooperation with the people living in these territories and in 1329
accordance with their wishes. The aim shall be to support socio-economic development. 1330
Yet the European commission is constantly misinterpreting Corell’s analysis: The use of 1331
natural resources is forbidden only if carried out without respecting the needs and 1332
interests of the people in the area. Hence the European commission leaves out the 1333
cooperation, the wishes, and the supporting of socio-economic development from the 1334
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
30 10th ECOSY Congress
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analysis. There has been no cooperation with representatives from the Western Saharian 1335
community, neither when the agreement was concluded nor later. On the contrary both 1336
Polisario, by the UN recognised representatives of Western Sahara, and all significiant 1337
human rights organisations in Western Sahara, have clearly opposed the fishing 1338
agreement. 1339
1340
The commission has not specified how the agreement benefits the owners of the 1341
resources, the Western Saharian people. For example Finland demanded this when the 1342
agreement was concluded, as well did the Swedish Minister for Agriculture later on. 1343
1344
The European commission points at new infrastructure, an enlarged number of local jobs 1345
and improved know-how. But worth noting is that the large-scale fishing in Western 1346
Saharan waters, dictated by Moroccan and foreign interests, has almost totally 1347
superseded the traditional fishing close to the coast. To the small extent it exists, it is 1348
carried out by poor Moroccan settlers, not Western Saharians. 1349
1350
We need to be able to trust the information from the European Union. The shortcomings 1351
of the commission’s argumentation have been pointed out for a long time. That an 1352
improvement is nowhere to be seen is a frightening sign of a deliberate withholding of 1353
information from member states, Parliament and the public! 1354
1355
We therefore demand: 1356
� That ECOSY clearly stands up for international law and against reinterpretations 1357
that allow unrestrained exploitation of protected areas. 1358
� That ECOSY commit to the abolition of the Moroccan occupation of Western 1359
Sahara and that future fishing agreements between the EU and Morocco must 1360
leave out Western Saharian waters 1361
� That ECOSY works for a European recognition of Western Sahara as a sovereign 1362
state. 1363
1364
1365
REFORMING THE SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL, AN URGENT 1366
NECESSITY 1367
1368
Proposed by Animo Belgium, MJS France, JS in de PvdA Netherlands, Mladi Forum 1369
Slovenia, Labour Students UK 1370
1371
The popular uprising in Tunisia triggered shockwaves throughout the Mediterranean Sea 1372
area, most notably in Egypt. The images of mass demonstrations captured the world’s 1373
attention. We strongly sympathise with these courageous people’s cause: the fight for 1374
democracy and a more equal distribution of wealth. Therefore, we think it is a disgrace 1375
that the governing parties in both Tunisia and Egypt were, until very recently, members 1376
of the Socialist International. As the Socialist International declares itself to be “an 1377
association of political parties and organisations which seek to establish democratic 1378
socialism”, membership in the Socialist International immediately accords an aura of 1379
legitimacy and respectability. Therefore, ECOSY – Young European Socialists calls for an 1380
urgent reform of the Socialist International, with as an immediate first step an initiative 1381
from our mother parties to thoroughly examine and assess the list of members of any 1382
membership status of and of all new applicants to the Socialist International with regard 1383
to their democratic socialist values. In case parties are found not to meet the required 1384
standards, their membership should be terminated. 1385
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
31 10th ECOSY Congress
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It all started in Tunisia, where there has been social unrest since mid-December 2010. 1386
The suicide of a 26-year-old was the beginning of widespread popular protest, in which 1387
young people took the lead. This is hardly surprising, as youth unemployment is rife, 1388
while a corrupt ruling class was amassing riches. The political, social and economic 1389
causes of the uprisings are present in many countries in the Mediterranean Sea area: 1390
corrupt and authoritarian rule, poverty caused by an unequal distribution of wealth, rising 1391
food prices and the precarious situation of young people. Suppressed rage, social media 1392
and young energy proved to be a powerful mix for a revolution. It already had as a 1393
consequence that Tunisia’s dictator, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, fled the country. The 1394
democratic fire spread from Tunisia to Egypt, and given the common features of many 1395
countries in the region one wonders which country will be next. 1396
1397
What these dictatorships at the doorsteps of the European Union also had in common is 1398
the support of some leaders of European Union member states. Messages of support to 1399
Egypt’s dictator Hosni Mubarak continue to be sent by European leaders, referring to him 1400
as “courageous” or a “force for good”. Hundreds of dead, thousands of wounded, armed 1401
forces that attack praying and unarmed people with the water cannon. Such is the 1402
‘courage’ of the ‘brave’ Mubarak and his allies. It seems some of our leaders have been 1403
hanging out with the wrong crowd. 1404
1405
As young people from socialist and social democratic organisations we can only condemn 1406
that a body belonging to our own political family, the Socialist International, has 1407
tolerated the presence of parties such as the Tunisian Constitutional Democratic Rally 1408
and the Egyptian National Democratic Party for so long, and still tolerates the presence of 1409
a number of evidently dubious parties such as the Ivorian Popular Front. It seems quite 1410
unlikely that the Socialist International only recently discovered that these parties are 1411
undemocratic, or is yet to discover this. This disgraceful situation should be a wake-up 1412
call for all member parties of the Socialist International that consider themselves to be 1413
democratic socialists. 1414
1415
Given the situation outlined above and given that the Statutes of the Socialist 1416
International stipulate that the Socialist International is “ an association of political 1417
parties and organisations which seek to establish democratic socialism”, ECOSY – Young 1418
European Socialists: 1419
� would like to remind the Socialist International of its mission of establishing 1420
democratic socialism and that membership in the Socialist International accords 1421
parties an immediate aura of legitimacy and respectability. 1422
� calls for an urgent reform of the Socialist International, and in particular of the 1423
workings of the SI Ethics Committee. 1424
� thinks this process of reform should start with the immediate first step of an 1425
initiative from our mother parties to thoroughly examine and assess the list of 1426
members of any membership status of and all new applicants to the Socialist 1427
International with regard to their democratic socialist values. The membership of 1428
parties found lacking in this respect should be terminated. 1429
1430
1431
1432
1433
1434
1435
1436
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
32 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
FOR TURKISH INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION 1437
1438
Proposed by Animo Belgium, EDEK Youth Cyprus, MSD Czech Republic, Jusos Germany, 1439
PASOK Youth Greece, Mladi Forum Slovenia 1440
1441
ECOSY – Young European Socialists aims for the European Union to respect the charter 1442
of fundamental rights of the European Union, which is based on indivisible and universal 1443
values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity. Furthermore, ECOSY – Young 1444
European Socialists strongly believes in the purpose of the charter of the United Nations 1445
in declaring states shall seek amiable and peaceful relations, work on international 1446
cooperation and resolve global problems of an economical, social and cultural nature, and 1447
support and empower respect to human rights and basic freedoms for all without 1448
distinction as to race, sex, language, creed or any other factor. 1449
1450
ECOSY – Young European Socialists believes the European Union must be open to the 1451
accession of other states respecting the aforementioned values. The European Union 1452
must aid these states and their inhabitants in fulfilling common goals. Turkey is 1453
considered a key partner of European Union. Europe and Turkey share a common past 1454
that gives a firm basis for closer cooperation. ECOSY – Young European Socialists 1455
welcomes Turkey’s aspiration to join the European Union, and states its support for the 1456
membership of Turkey in the European Union. ECOSY – Young European Socialists 1457
believes that the accession of Turkey to the European Union, upon fulfilment of the 1458
required criteria, will contribute to stabilization concerning human rights and the social 1459
situation in the region and result in a cultural gain for Europe as a whole. 1460
1461
Self-evidently, Europe must expect Turkey to fulfil the Copenhagen criteria and comply 1462
fully with the acquis communautaire before it may join the European Union. Still, ECOSY 1463
– Young European Socialists considers that the accession process itself can – and has to 1464
– continue, in order to also guide Turkey to improve its human rights standards and its 1465
economic situation. 1466
1467
The main remaining problems are situated in the realm of Turkey’s domestic politics and 1468
constitutional framework. The freedom of the press, religious rights and freedoms, 1469
women’s rights, minority rights, the role of the army, and the ban of torture remain to be 1470
effectively enforced. The freedom of press is essential: no journalist should be 1471
persecuted or tortured for their writings. Some reforms in the right direction have taken 1472
place already with the constitutional reforms in 2005 and 2011 and the mitigation of 1473
article 301 of the Turkish penal code in 2008, but still the freedom of press is not fully 1474
secured. Other aspects of the Turkish legal system and judiciary are likewise in need of 1475
further reform: nevertheless, many important steps such as the abolition of capital 1476
punishment have already been taken. The constitutional reform due to take place in the 1477
next period has to lead to a more independent judiciary, rather than to a new round of 1478
competition among the government and the military for their influence on justice. 1479
1480
The situation of trade union rights in Turkey remains dismal. Even though all Turkish 1481
workers now have the theoretical right to be unionized in a union of their choice, and 1482
most have the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike (except public service 1483
workers), these rights continue to be exercised within a highly restrictive framework. In 1484
addition, government-backed trade unions have been set up in order to undermine the 1485
collective bargaining process. 1486
1487
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
33 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
The role of the Turkish military is double-edged.. Historically, its role started as a 1488
guarantee for secularism in Turkey. However, in the last decades, its big autocratic 1489
political power in the state and the way it has been using it in the country’s domestic 1490
politics – often beyond democratic principles – has been highly questionable. In order for 1491
Turkey to join the European Union it must be absolutely clear that the military no longer 1492
exercises this undue influence. The gap the diminishing military influence leaves needs to 1493
be closed by an increasing democratic influence of civil society. 1494
1495
Minority rights have a high standing in the European Union. Regional cultures and 1496
languages have extended rights and are especially protected. These standards need to be 1497
implemented for the Kurdish population and other ethnic minorities in Turkey, with 1498
absolute respect for Turkey’s territorial integrity. ECOSY – Young European Socialists 1499
demands an immediate end to the judicial persecution of politicians and political parties 1500
who stand up for Kurdish language rights in a fair and peaceful way, while continuing to 1501
condemn all violence from both Kurdish insurgents and the Turkish state. 1502
1503
EU being an area of peace and cooperation, Turkey – like any other country aspiring at 1504
EU integration – has to show its commitment to peace and cooperation as a major 1505
chapter of its EU accession, namely on the field of good neighbourhood relations, 1506
especially with current EU member states. Although the relations with Greece seem to 1507
follow a positive path in the last period, also due to the big efforts of the socialist Greek 1508
government, there are still questions to be solved (p.e. the regular violation of Greek 1509
airspace, or the conflict about the sea shelf in the Aegean ). Furthermore, Turkey has to 1510
implement the Ankara Additional Protocol to its SAA regarding Cyprus, opening its ports, 1511
territorial waters, airports and airspace to all EU member states, including Cyprus. In line 1512
with its specific resolutions on the situation in Cyprus, ECOSY – Young European 1513
Socialists calls for immediate increased efforts from all parties involved to reach a 1514
solution to this specific problem: particularly, ECOSY – Young European Socialists calls 1515
upon Turkey to ratify the additional protocol and open normal diplomatic and trade 1516
relations with Cyprus, and upon the European Union to honour its commitment to lift its 1517
trade embargo against the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus. 1518
1519
Compared to other countries in the region, Turkey is relatively progressive in the area of 1520
women’s rights: as an example even parties with a religious background have female 1521
candidates on their lists. However, there is still much to be done as the actual influence 1522
of women in Turkish society is smaller than the formal parameters indicate. Under 10% 1523
of actually elected members of parliament being female, very scarce representation in 1524
trade unions, over 20% of gender pay gap, are just a few examples of this. In fact, 1525
changes still need to be implemented in order for Turkey to meet the European Union’s 1526
standards of anti-discrimination. Turkey needs to take serious actions to protect women 1527
against domestic violence and honor crimes, issues where many of the European Union’s 1528
current member states need to improve as well. 1529
1530
It is quite clear that Turkey would as yet be a net beneficiary in the European Union. The 1531
Turkish agricultural sector falls short of European standards in terms of competitiveness, 1532
the unemployment rate is relatively high – especially for young people – and the 1533
distribution of wealth is highly unequal. In addition, there is a huge difference between 1534
the regions in western and eastern Turkey. ECOSY – Young European Socialists calls for 1535
the European Union to already integrate Turkey into its program that could reduce 1536
current social disparities while it holds candidate status. On the other hand Turkey’s 1537
economy has very strong growth rates in the last years with double-digit growth in 1538
2005/2006 and a fast recovery after the 2009 crisis. Turkey is catching up fast. Looking 1539
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
34 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
at Turkey’s size an integration of the Turkish economy into the European market would 1540
mean an instant improvement to the European Union’s overall growth rate, given the 1541
relatively low growth rates in most current member states. Turkey has already agreed to 1542
accept a transition period for the implementation of the free movement of workers, which 1543
can facilitate the process and alleviate fears of mass immigration in current member 1544
states. Given the structure of Turkish agriculture, it should also be noted that one of the 1545
preconditions for the European Union to be able to successfully integrate Turkey is a 1546
reform of the European Union’s common agricultural policy in order to avoid Turkish 1547
agriculture unduly straining the European Union’s budget. 1548
1549
ECOSY – Young European Socialists notes furthermore that the fear of European 1550
conservatives to integrate a Muslim-majority society is one of the big reasons for 1551
stopping Turkish integration in the EU. Different conservative parties in Europe such as 1552
the German Christian Democratic Union and the French Union for a Popular Movement 1553
have abused the debate about Turkish full membership to collect voters with racist and 1554
islamophobic arguments, and have proposed a privileged partnership as a alternative 1555
solution for Turkey. ECOSY – Young European Socialists strongly denounces these highly 1556
offensive and insulting proposals for a second-class role for Turkey. It has to be noted 1557
that even though the official position of the European Union remains the same, these 1558
arguments have already had devastating effects on support for European integration 1559
among the Turkish population. ECOSY – Young European Socialists appeals for the 1560
European Union to set a clear roadmap within which Turkey can expect to join and to 1561
give Turkey a clear guarantee that, once it fully complies with the Copenhagen criteria 1562
and the acquis communautaire, it will become a full member of the European Union with 1563
the same rights and responsibilities as all other member states. 1564
1565
Today, the integration process which has been started in 2005 has almost been stalled, 1566
and a new step forward is needed. 13 of the 33 chapters of the acquis have meanwhile 1567
been “opened”, but only one has been “closed” (completed), and all except 3 of the 1568
remaining chapters have been formally frozen, mostly because of the Cyprus issue. 1569
ECOSY – Young Socialists calls for a faster integration process. Both the European Union 1570
administration and Turkey need to increase efforts to move the remaining obstacles out 1571
of the way and make a successful membership possible. 1572
1573
1574
ITALIAN UNITY IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT 1575
1576
Proposed by FGS Italy, SG Italy 1577
1578
2011 is Italian unification’s 150th anniversary, an important step toward the constitution 1579
of an European cultural Identity. The Italian Resurgence was a struggle against the old 1580
imperialisms, the clerical interferences and the ancient feudal privileges, to give, to a 1581
huge and varied population, the same institutions and guarantees of legal and civil 1582
equality, in the name of interdependence and common identity. The birth of Italian 1583
nation, French Revolution, catalan Renaixença, Wiedervereinigung, etc, have been 1584
political and cultural victories of the European progressive forces against the reactionary 1585
powers and, with due reservation, a sort of redemption of the people against the rulers. 1586
Socialists, democrats and progressives can’t leave the “Amor di Patria” (own country's 1587
love) to conservatives, real representatives of human divisions and negative ideas. For 1588
this reason we should take care, with critical ability, of national and local memories, to 1589
claim them, when it is the case, as battles for progress, civil rights and individual 1590
liberties. In history it always happened that when the progressive forces have struggled 1591
ECOSY – Young European Socialists www.ecosy.org
35 10th ECOSY Congress
Bucharest, 31st March – 3rd April 2011 Draft Resolutions & Declarations
for just internationalist objectives the agents of reactionary right have used the national 1592
roots as weapons to deprive the left of its place in the history of the countries, to 1593
demonize the progressive ideas as enemies of their rhetorical visions of people.W If 1594
nationalists revivals are foes of progress and foreboding of political violence and racial 1595
hate, on the other hand cultural heritages are pieces of the puzzle towards a single 1596
human nation. 1597
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