Peace & Solidarity Pact
Reject EU militarization and ends Europe’s role in violent conflict around the world
The European Union is militarizing at an alarming rate: the Commission is proposing a €13 billion Defense Fund that will increase the size and scope of EU military capabilities. We propose a ‘Peace and Solidarity Pact’ that rejects EU militarization and ends Europe’s role in violent conflict around the world. We are calling for the immediate end of all arms sales to states with records of rights violations, and more stringent regulations on all arms exports. We will fight the ‘military-industrial complex’ by demanding transparency in lobbying by defense contractors in Brussels. And we call on all member-states to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons in order to end the global arms race.
Ending Tax Havens
Block the flow of capital to tax havens within Europe and outside of it
We demand tax justice. Each year, the EU loses over e one trillion to corporations and individuals dodging their taxes. We must put an end to this unfair system. European Spring will challenge the laws that allow jurisdictions like Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Ireland to enable tax evasion. We will also clean up Europe’s banking sector. We will introduce a simple rule: banks that do not disclose what they do in tax havens cannot operate in Europe. Finally, we will investigate all European corporations and individuals with accounts in blacklisted tax havens outside the EU. If they are caught engaging in tax evasion, we will revoke their property rights.
Just Trade
A plan to enshrine ‘just’ trade as the basis of EU trade policy
We believe that ‘just’ trade should be the basis of EU trade policy, not ‘free’ trade. We will fight to end the system of ‘dumping’ on developing countries. During any trade deal negotiations, European Spring will defend higher standards to protect the environment, human rights, public health, labour rights, public services, animal welfare, and consumer rights. Finally, we will fight to terminate existing agreements like TTIP that pose a threat to high standards and human rights.
Ending Investor Privileges
We will oppose Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and the Investment Court System
European Spring rejects all mechanisms that create special privileges for multinational corporations. We will oppose Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and the Investment Court System, which give international investors unfair legal powers to sue local authorities. We will also reject any attempt to create a Multilateral Investment Court. Instead, we will ensure full regulatory freedom for environmental and social policies without the threat of international investment litigation.
Fair Intellectual Property Rights
Right to healthcare comes before the profits of pharmaceutical corporations
We believe that the right to healthcare comes before the profits of pharmaceutical corporations. European Spring will challenge all intellectual property protections that interfere with the universal access to basic goods such as nutrition and medication.
Holding Trasnational Corporations Accountable
Multinational corporations must be accountable for their human rights violations
Multinational corporations must be accountable for their human rights violations. European Spring supports the UN’s Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights. We call on the UN to push for an enforceable mechanism that allows affected people to bring corporations to court.
International Clearing Union
Rebalance and stabilize the global economy
We will link up with progressive movements from around the world to call for an International Clearing Union (ICU) in order to rebalance and stabilize the global economy. The ICU would provide the same benefits as the European Clearing Union, but at the global level: it would measure each country’s trade balance, tax countries with high levels of surplus, and invest these resources in areas that lack access to investment. The International Monetary Fund would administer the ICU, and ensure that the rules of the Union were fair, multilateral, and democratic. Rather than serving the interests of a few nations, the ICU will increase the equity, output, and stability of the whole global economy.
Taming Finance
A new macroprudential framework to reduce risk and encourage investment
In order to prevent the reckless banking that led to the last financial crisis, we are calling for a new macroprudential framework to reduce risk and encourage investment among Europe’s banks. We will raise the minimum equity ratio in order to increase banks’ resilience. We will limit the total assets that banks are allowed to accumulate in order to prevent them from becoming “too big to fail.” And we will ban toxic financial products that distort banks’ balance sheets and put our economies at risk.
Bolstering EU Accession
New criteria to encourage the EU’s neighbours to respect fundamental rights and protect democracy
We believe that the EU should uphold high standards for accession in order to encourage its neighbours to respect fundamental rights and protect democracy. We will call for new criteria of accession to the EU to include social security among citizens, levels of inequality, and working conditions, among others.
