INTRODUCTORY INTERVENTION TO THE EGP COUNCIL IN MADRID “RECLAIM THE FUTURE”
It is often said that the period of crisis can be a defining moment of change and change for the better. We Greens are convinced of this and we believe that we have been working hard and in many cases together to find proposals and solutions that could get the EU out of the current black hole. A black hole, which is not only economic, but is increasingly and dangerously becoming a crisis of values ad of sense, that we should by no means underestimate. Even before addressing the issue of our good proposals to develop a new economic system and to design new social policies for the times of crisis, I believe we also need to give some thought to this very issue of values, perceptions, coming back of old prejudices, which have the potential of disrupting our chances to get our message through and are infecting every day more the European debate.
The situation of brutal, multiple crisis is made deeper by the increasing lack of interest and understanding from the part of media and public opinion of new, innovative and sometimes common sense solutions and initiatives to start getting out of it. Four years after the beginning of a crisis, which was not generated in Europe, the mainstream answer is still that the fault is mostly of public spending, which resulted in large cuts in welfare and at the same time the delaying of an aggressive regulation of the financial market; it resulted also in a worrying “naming and shaming” of entire peoples, - which in some cases were made morally responsible and therefore deserving a hard lesson, and in others cases are considered “en block” as the evil ones who profit of others disgraces with their banks with the support of the wicked Brussels beaurocracy. Old industrial and “polluting” lobbies are back in business and find extremely attentive ears in Brussels and in the capitals, as the worrying development of the energy debate is clearly showing. There are no problems in pointing on the costs of renewables or efficiency and their impact on competitiveness, but strangely enough, extremely controversial, expensive or not yet ready technologies like fracking, oil drillings, CCS are back in fashion and risk to give a mortal hit to the development of sustainable industries.
So at the moment, the crisis is also bringing back in fashion old ideas, old industries, old prejudices. The Green Revolution is not yet irreversible. Our challenge is to represent a realistic but also exciting alternative able to defeat the pessimism and the going back to old solutions. We need to be able to speak also to the heart and be able to be seen as an alternative to the present system: even if this means in some cases to go against increasingly false truths, like the one that EU is guilty of all the troubles we are in. This is true for peoples deeply touched by the crisis but also for the others, which trust more and more anti-establishment and disturbingly extremist parties, which beside from bringing back terrible memories of past conflicts are incapable to find real solutions to the crisis.
The present situation shows clearly that people like very much shortcuts; easy solutions; hope to make it without too much suffering. They like to hear that somebody will take care of their worries present or future. Now, the trouble is that we know that there are no easy solutions.
Easy messages can help win elections, but not to solve problems. Grillo won the elections in Italy with the idea “get them all out” and obtained the great result of pushing for a grand coalition bringing a crony like Berlusconi back in business; in Spain, the big push of the “Indignados” did not avoid the massive victory of Rajoy which is doing anything but “change”, notably in environmental and social terms; in Greece the old ones are back in business; even in Germany an anti-euro party could make it in Parliament in September: the common element of all these political movements is of course: go after Brussels!
It is certainly true that the “austerity only” politics supported by the EU Commission and MS brought us recession. But let’s face it. Perhaps almost 20 years of Lega Nord government with Berlusconi brought anything but pain and complications to Italians? They believed to their simple, racist and deeply disruptive proposals: out all foreigners, stop paying taxes, be free to pollute and hiring black work: where did all this bring the country? And in which sense would Britain, Finland or Hungary be better off outside the EU, in a world in which the whole of the EU represents barely 7% of the world population?
We Greens must in the next year be very clear with ourselves and understand if we really believe that a European campaign can really help us to get votes. As our American friends know, in order to be convincing, you need to be convinced yourself. I believe that the real challenge of us Greens in the next year is exactly this: to convince as many people as possible that it is possible to get out of the crisis: to do this we need both a better and more integrated Europe, and radically different economic, social policies; we need to give to Europeans a new sense of why we need to be together and to give a positive contribution with some of the very good proposals we have been developing over the past few years.
In order to do this we need to be able to credibly carry solutions, which are represented by credible people with a distinct European flavour. And an important part of this Council will be devoted exactly to understanding how far the EGP members are persuaded of the outline of the campaign proposed and on the main issues we have constantly adopted in papers and resolutions, which can be summarized in three points:
1. No to new visible or invisible borders in Europe.
2. Green New Deal
3. Europe and Democracy can go together.
1. No to new visible or invisible borders:
In these days I was in the US, right at the border with Mexico. I walked near the wall and watched the constant passing of people through the border; the cities of EL Paso, one of the safest in the US and Ciudad Juarez, the most dangerous city in the world, are just 7 or 8 meters away, the width of the Rio Grande. That wall was able to stop people, but not drugs and criminality. It happens in Europe, where the impact of organised crime goes well beyond the usual suspects; in the recently published report from Europol1, it is stated than 3600 organized crime groups are active in EU; organized crime absorbs 1,5% of the global GDP. The wall did not prevent thousands of people dying in the barren desert. Less though, it has to be said, than the 12.000 people estimated to have lost their life in the Mediterranean see in the last year.
The difference between the two parts is startling; and still one, El Paso, takes some advantage from the other, since the times when El Paso made its wealth from selling equipment to both sides of the Mexican revolution.
Watching the wall, I came to think that the very first issue that we have to characterize the Greens for is exactly the rejection of the creation of new visible and invisible barriers among Europeans. We should avoid to be destabilized by very strong and simplistic messages that seem very catchy and tempting, but that we know do not help to get us out of the crisis. And we should also be rigorous and able to “use” the fact that the European Green Party exists to bring into the national debates the EU dimension. And not because we think that EU is beautiful in itself: but because we know that there cannot be an ecological reconversion of economy and society only at national level and we need a large scale transformation to be able to have an impact also at global level.
2. Green New deal: Jeremy Rifkin spoke of the "European dream" as a much more attractive and much better suited to the "future" of the American one. The problem though is that most of those who should have this consciousness, the Europeans, did not yet realized it and systematically underestimate their potential in terms of their capacity to bring forward a model of economic and social development, which, based on the need to lift pressure on limited natural resources and tackle climate change, already showed it is possible to create new jobs, develop new technological solutions and organise new economic activities able to give EU industries new competitive possibilities. It is a fact now widely recognized that the eco-conversion produces green growth of GDP, creates more jobs than that which is lost in traditional sectors, and 'more efficient in the conservation of the natural heritage - breaking the traditional contradiction between ecology and economy-and the fight poverty. All this of course does not fall from the sky, needs investment, a firm political leadership and a clear regulatory framework. This is the core of our proposals: already now we know that in Spain, for example, there are about 150.000 direct or indirect jobs in the renewable sectors. And by reaching the 20% target, some 125.000 more jobs till 2020 could be created. Unfortunately, the current Spanish government made a radical U-turn and is threatening about 20.000 jobs. In the battered building sector in this country, the potential of rehabilitation of about 500.000 homes can result in 100.000 more jobs in the next few years. 122.000 jobs could be created in the public transport sector…etc. None of the other industrial sectors, from nuclear, to fossil fuels, to heavy traditional industry have such a potential of quality and stable jobs. We need to bring to the public attention this huge potential, which is currently not clear to all.
3. Europe and democracy can go together:
The only way for the EU to regain legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens is to demonstrate its ability to focus its resources on policies and tools at the exit from the crisis and to promote employment and innovation through adequate investment. We need also to give the people the feeling that they can decide the direction of the EU policies. Behind the little participation to the EU elections there is the wrong idea that nothing much is decided at EP and EU level. We know that this is not the case, but it is a fact that the democratic deficit at EU level is certainly not solved and we are the ones that can and should make a big point of this: because we will have a united and democratic Europe.
Finally, I want to say how happy I am to be here in Madrid. After a long work, we have today a new party, which will join the European family: and this is an excellent news for all of us! Welcome to EQUO and let us make of this new member a success for all.
It is often said that the period of crisis can be a defining moment of change and change for the better. We Greens are convinced of this and we believe that we have been working hard and in many cases together to find proposals and solutions that could get the EU out of the current black hole. A black hole, which is not only economic, but is increasingly and dangerously becoming a crisis of values ad of sense, that we should by no means underestimate. Even before addressing the issue of our good proposals to develop a new economic system and to design new social policies for the times of crisis, I believe we also need to give some thought to this very issue of values, perceptions, coming back of old prejudices, which have the potential of disrupting our chances to get our message through and are infecting every day more the European debate.