The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) presents a vision for the future of Europe that looks forward without redoing the faults of the past. The debate on the future of Europe must be a turning point: currently the EU is not capable of facing the challenges of the future. For our generation, it is crucial that the debate about the future of Europe leads to a good result because our future will be depending on it.

On a continent so used to war, the European project was founded on the idea of peace and stability maintained through integration and co-operation. The main mission now of the European Union is to combat global problems like pollution and poverty. In the era of globalisation, the European level is the most efficient available structure to solve the current problems. There is a need for controlling the globalisation process to give it an ecological and a social dimension. For us, EU does not only mean Economic Union but also a Union based on solidarity and sustainability.

Our vision of Europe is neither a United States of Europe nor a rejection of supranational elements of the Union as it looks today. Europe and the Union is a mosaic of cultures, languages and traditions. We want to preserve this cultural diversity, but at the same time also increase the co-operation to solve future problems. We see the enlarged EU as a framework for cultural dialogue and an open and tolerant society.

We would like to put forward an alternative for the construction of Europe, where we maintain the different levels of co-operation : local, regional, national, supranational and international, but with a clearer distribution of powers and institutional organisations under democratic control. We should not forget that the institutions and their structures are there for the people and not the other way around. To be able to counteract the democratic crisis in Europe, we must promote a common public arena for the whole of Europe. This should be done through education, media and grass-root activity.

Sustainable development must become reality - next generations should have at least the same opportunities as the current ones. Sustainability should not only be an empty phrase used by politicians to avoid responsibility for the immediate future.

Subsidiarity, transparency, democracy and the balance of powers have to be leading principles in decision making in the enlarged EU. That is why the following measures should be taken:
- Clear catalogue of competences between EU and member states.
- The European parliament has to be enforced through extending the co-decision procedure to all areas of European interest. Better collaboration with National parliaments has to be encouraged. The Parliament has to get the right of initiative.
- The European Commission, as a kind of European government, should be accountable to and appointed by the European parliament, the only European body directly elected by the citizens.
- The European Council must open up its structures and decision-making processes to transparency and public debate. Its competencies should be at the same level as the EP and have to be clearly defined to assure a fairer balance of power. Qualified-majority-voting should be the rule except for very sensitive areas.
- Minimum European standard levels for economy, social and environmental policy. The EU should set minimum levels of taxation, e.g. corporate and emission taxes.
- The final result of the Convention has to be ratified in each member state by a referendum and constitute the new base of the European co-operation. The result should be a European Constitution including a version of charter of fundamental rights.

For more information contact: mailto:fyeg@fyeg.org