22 March 2024

We, civil society organisations and social movements from across Europe, affirm our determination to promote a Europe that is fair, sustainable and based on solidarity. We believe that our future is directly linked to and common with peoples around the world. Addressing our common challenges thus requires cooperation and collaboration.

We affirm the equal right of all people to lead a decent life and emphasise that the fight against all forms of inequality, whether social, gender, racial, or any other, must be the cornerstone of all policies aimed at guaranteeing universal respect for human rights.

We affirm that, in an interdependent world, the only viable political option is respond to global challenges with more multilateral cooperation and international solidarity. That is why we are calling on Europe’s political leaders to make a resolute choice: let us work together, within Europe and with the rest of the world, towards solutions that embrace six profoundly interlinked dimensions: a united response to global challenges; peace, human rights and security; in-depth transformation of our economy; respect for planetary boundaries; migration justice; and democratic participation.

Many of the challenges we face are rooted in an unsustainable economic model based on financialisation and competition. We call on Europe to change its perspective so as to play a leading role in reducing global inequalities, ensuring the stability of the international financial system and combating the race to the bottom on social, taxation and environmental standards, by strengthening democratic control of the markets and limiting the growing power of transnational corporations. Europe must put collaboration, power sharing, human security, environmental integrity and fair access to resources at the heart of its foreign policy; it must aim to universalise the respect for human rights and implement the comprehensive vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At a time when Ukraine is still fighting to put an end to Russia’s invasion of its territory; when the population of the occupied Palestinian territory is the victim of heightened and tremendous suffering as a result of the Israeli war in Gaza; when the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a humanitarian and security crisis with almost 7 million people displaced; and when many other conflicts are raging around the world without attracting the necessary attention from the media or political leaders, we call on Europe to be coherent in its approach towards international conflicts and the respect for international law. The EU should make peace-building and the right of all human beings to live in security key pillars of its foreign policy, in all contexts. This implies actively contributing to conflict prevention through diplomacy, tackling the root causes of conflicts and allocating sufficient financial resources.

At a time when scientists the world over are alerting us to the urgency of climate change and the collapse of biodiversity; when the majority of planetary boundaries are being breached; and when powerful industry lobbies and conservative currents are threatening the achievements of the European Green Deal Green Deal
Pacte vert européen , we call on our political leaders to take a leap of ambition. Europe must make the brave choice to ensure a just transition backed with a redistributive agenda and adequate public and private financial resources. Such a transition, which requires a purpose-driven vision of Europe’s economic and industrial future, should enable everyone to lead a fulfilling life in a low-carbon economy in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

We are convinced that the response to these challenges cannot be achieved by making marginal adjustments to the current economic model, and we are therefore calling for a genuine ecological and social transformation of the European and global economy. In Europe, this will require the return of a strategic State that guarantees public services and assumes its role as a regulator of economic life, a trade policy based on the enforcement of human rights and social and environmental standards, with special and differentiated treatment for low-income countries, a reworking of the Common Agricultural Policy to promote sustainable and healthy food systems, the promotion of the decent work agenda, and concrete steps towards international tax justice.
We cannot remain silent in the face of a fortress Europe that closes in on itself to the detriment of the fundamental rights of migrants, but also of Europe’s own long-term prosperity, and where cooperation with sovereign states may be dependent on migration control measures. People will always seek better lives. We call for a profound rethinking of European migration policies, basing them on migration justice, which is grounded in respect for fundamental rights and solidarity and a positive vision towards migration. Migration justice means first and foremost partnerships for sustainable development, so that every human being can live with dignity where they were born, combined with the opening of safe and legal channels for migration. It requires policies focusing on social integration and non-discrimination in host countries, and consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals and international human rights commitments.

Finally, noting the dangers to democracy and civic space in Europe and around the world, we call on Europe to strengthen its role as a promoter of democracy. This begins within the Union, with strict respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, but also with greater transparency and enhanced citizen participation in political decision-making, including through social dialogue, and innovative bottom-up and community-led initiatives. This also means adopting an ambitious strategy to support civic space globally: Europe must protect the existence of a diverse and autonomous civil society, and strengthen support to human rights defenders, as an essential ingredient of democratic life the world over.

We, civil society organisations, are committed, each in our own specific way, but united around these common messages, to pursue tirelessly and in partnership with organisations that share our vision throughout the world, our work of education, information, mobilisation and advocacy, in the service of a fair, sustainable and united Europe.

With just a few weeks remaining before the European elections, we are calling on citizens and politicians to make the choice of an open and caring society in a fair and sustainable world.
Another Europe is possible, let us make it happen!

The list of organisations signing this declaration will be published at the end of the European Citizens’ Summit on 21 and 22 March 2024 in Brussels.

Signatories