European Alliance for Freedom and Democracy
WHO WE ARE?
The European Alliance for Freedom and Democracy is a European party that endorses the European Union’s values, namely the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
Mislav Kolakušić
Dorien Rookmaker
The European Union must change
The EAFD offers a bold alternative vision of a reformed European Union as a community of nations cooperating in shared confederal institutions in areas where they have some common interests that can best be advanced by working together. A new institutional settlement should therefore be sought that recognises that the Union’s democratic legitimacy derives principally from its member states alone and that the concepts of subsidiarity, proportionality and conferral must be fully respected.
OUR VISION FOR EUROPE
RULE OF LAW
1
The rule of law is one of the fundamental values of the Union, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. It is also a prerequisite for the protection of all the other fundamental values of the Union, including for fundamental rights and democracy.
ANTICORRUPTION
2
Corruption is the abuse of power for private gain. Corruption takes many forms, such as bribery, trading in influence, abuse of functions, but can also hide behind nepotism, conflicts of interest, or revolving doors between the public and the private sectors.
FREEDOM
3
Freedom of expression is crucial to democracy. It means that everyone can take part in political discussions, and the media can hold those who are in power to account.
HUMAN RIGHTS
4
Human rights are protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. These cover the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, the right to the protection of your personal data, and or the right to get access to justice.
MEMBER PARTIES
MANIFESTO
Corruption is a serious problem for many Member States that threatens the quality of life for millions of Europeans. Reports from independent international institutions show that the European Union is not doing enough to systematically combat corruption, and that many Member States are stagnating or even backs down in anti-corruption activities. Billions of euros of European taxpayers dedicated to the development and well-being of citizens unfounded go into the hands of individuals and organisations through corrupt channels created by individual Governments of the Member States.
The rule of law as one of the fundamental values of the European Union is in serious crisis. European Union citizens face a serious collapse of the rule of law principle in a number of EU Member States, but also within the institutions of the European Union. Today, the institutions of the European Union, influenced by the main European political parties, recognise and sanction violations of the rule of law selectively, using ideological rather than legal criteria, which undermines trust in institutions and undermines the credibility of the entire Union.
Freedom of thought and expression are the fundamental freedoms of every human being. They are essential for individual dignity and fulfilment, and also form the essential foundations of democracy, the rule of law, peace, stability, sustainable inclusive development and participation in public affairs. The European Union must enable all its citizens to exercise their right to freedom of thought and expression.
The idea of equality is woven into all fundamental documents of the European Union and is a driver of the unification of Europe. Equality as a fundamental value of the European Union drives common concern for human dignity and is an integral part of our understanding of fairness and justice. Equality enables the participation of all citizens in economic, social and cultural life. Without equality between all citizens of the Union and all Member States of the Union, Europe is losing its meaning of existence. Today, the European Union is still not a Union of Equals.