Solidarity Programme
An emergency Solidarity Programme to guarantee access to basic goods for every European resident
We propose an emergency Solidarity Programme to fight extreme poverty and guarantee access to basic goods for every European resident. We will radically expand the budget for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), increasing its reach into underserved communities and offering stronger support for NGOs that already provide food assistance.
Eradicating Child Poverty
More resources to guarantee healthcare, housing, nutrition, and education to every child
The crisis of child poverty in Europe is severe: a quarter of all children are experiencing or at risk of poverty and social exclusion. European Spring will introduce a Plan to Eradicate Child Poverty that will commit more resources from the European Social Fund to guarantee access to healthcare, housing, nutrition, and education to every child. The Plan will place a target for child poverty reduction in the 2020 Strategy and call for close monitoring of member-state progress in the European Semester.
European Health Standard
We propose to commit EU member-states to rapid improvement of healthcare provision
We propose a European Healthcare Standard to commit EU member-states, in collaboration with the EU, to rapid improvement of healthcare provision. The standard will be defined as a basket of minimum healthcare services, with targets for healthcare investment in Member States and special provisions for historically marginalized groups and disabled people. We will direct funds from the EU budget to support regions that struggle to reach those standards.
Housing Security for All
A multilateral agreement to fund and guarantee decent housing to every European resident
Decent housing is a human right, yet millions of families in Europe live in substandard conditions and at risk of eviction. We are calling for all European countries to come to a multilateral agreement to fund and guarantee decent housing to every European resident. In addition, we will introduce a number of new regulations to fight gentrification, displacement, and tenure insecurity. We are calling for a harmonised system of tenant protections, including limits on rent inflation, minimum tenancies, and protections against evictions. We will introduce a Europe-wide housing standard that directs resources from the European Social Fund toward the renovation of inadequate social housing. And we will reclaim vacant buildings in high-demand areas for housing the homeless.
Right to Water
A new “Right to Water and Sanitation” and a moratorium on all liberalisation
We believe that all people have a right to clean water and sanitation. We will enshrine a “Right to Water and Sanitation” in the Water Framework Directive, and we will introduce a moratorium on all liberalisation of water and sanitation services. We will introduce legislation that requires all member-states to invest in public water resources and provide additional support to households that cannot afford to pay for water privately.
Solidarity for People with Disabilities
EU-wide provisions for people with disabilities to live decent and independent lives
The EU has failed to address the needs of people with disabilities. We will propose new legislation that provides greater resources to eliminate all forms of architectural barriers in public buildings, guarantee healthcare for all forms of disability, ensure that all EU member-states provide decent and appropriate education, and provide for people with disabilities to live independent lives. We believe that these are not simply questions of access — they are questions of justice.
Decriminalizing Drugs
Europe should lead the way toward a sane and sensible drug policy
Europe should lead the way toward a sane and sensible drug policy. We are calling for the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of drug consumption, more broadly. Systems like Portugal’s, in which the marijuana is decriminalized but marijuana consumption is against the law, are unsustainable. We must legalize it, and provide medical assistance to all drug users seeking treatment, rather than incarcerating them.
