- 23 Nov 2016 01:15
#14741179
The main idea behind the Pan-European Movement is to promote positive identification with Europe among Europeans, thus countering divisive anti-EU populism. We see the nations of Europe as belonging to a diverse, pluricentric civilization that has existed in varying forms since Classical Antiquity. We consider the European Union to be the main political heir and bearer of this civilization. We do not adhere to a certain ideology, but orientate towards the following broad principles:
Enlightenment Values – We believe in a secular, democratic, pluralistic society that upholds individual freedoms and rights, gender equality, freedom of religion and the rule of law.
Centrism – We believe in moderate politics; a reasonable balance between liberalism, socialism and conservatism. We reject both the far-right, the far-left and all other parties that want to destroy Europe’s peaceful unity.
Pan-Europeanism – We identify with Europe, her peoples, culture and history and we take pride in our civilization’s accomplishments for humanity. We acknowledge that our European identity goes hand-in-hand with national, ethnic and regional identities.
Despite our outspoken pro-European stance, we do criticize the EU for the current gap between the ‘elites’ in Brussels and ordinary European citizens. We acknowledge that the EU has an ineffective, dull, politically correct, bureaucratic image. With a history so crucially important and a culture so rich, we are astonished that the EU seems unable to promote itself in a more effective way. That is why we decided to help out and present a strong and positive image of the European Union and European civilization at large
Moreover, unlike many EU leaders, we intend to address frankly the controversial but important issues of our times. We point at the dangers of Radical Islamism, not only in the form of terrorism but also as an ideology that is diametrically opposed to the values of the Enlightenment. We call out the Russian regime for what it is, namely a far-right dictatorship and reject its backers inside the EU that are found both on the right and the left fringe of the political spectrum. We acknowledge that mass immigration from outside of Europe has led to tensions, segregation and the rise of anti-EU parties. We believe European societies cannot take in unlimited numbers of migrants and therefore advocate for a stricter immigration policy for the entire EU.
In the eyes of many, the word ‘Europe’ today seems to stand only for bureaucracy, economics and endless tolerance. We think that more and more citizens will feel disenfranchised if Europe continues to be seen this way. We are convinced that Europeans need an emotional connection with their political community in order for it to function properly. Where anti-EU parties have been using emotion in their attempts to divide us for years, we will now start using emotion trying to unite us. In more provocative terms: we intend to fight populism with populism, but ours will be the populism of the reasonable centre. We believe this is the only way forward.
Enlightenment Values – We believe in a secular, democratic, pluralistic society that upholds individual freedoms and rights, gender equality, freedom of religion and the rule of law.
Centrism – We believe in moderate politics; a reasonable balance between liberalism, socialism and conservatism. We reject both the far-right, the far-left and all other parties that want to destroy Europe’s peaceful unity.
Pan-Europeanism – We identify with Europe, her peoples, culture and history and we take pride in our civilization’s accomplishments for humanity. We acknowledge that our European identity goes hand-in-hand with national, ethnic and regional identities.
Despite our outspoken pro-European stance, we do criticize the EU for the current gap between the ‘elites’ in Brussels and ordinary European citizens. We acknowledge that the EU has an ineffective, dull, politically correct, bureaucratic image. With a history so crucially important and a culture so rich, we are astonished that the EU seems unable to promote itself in a more effective way. That is why we decided to help out and present a strong and positive image of the European Union and European civilization at large
Moreover, unlike many EU leaders, we intend to address frankly the controversial but important issues of our times. We point at the dangers of Radical Islamism, not only in the form of terrorism but also as an ideology that is diametrically opposed to the values of the Enlightenment. We call out the Russian regime for what it is, namely a far-right dictatorship and reject its backers inside the EU that are found both on the right and the left fringe of the political spectrum. We acknowledge that mass immigration from outside of Europe has led to tensions, segregation and the rise of anti-EU parties. We believe European societies cannot take in unlimited numbers of migrants and therefore advocate for a stricter immigration policy for the entire EU.
In the eyes of many, the word ‘Europe’ today seems to stand only for bureaucracy, economics and endless tolerance. We think that more and more citizens will feel disenfranchised if Europe continues to be seen this way. We are convinced that Europeans need an emotional connection with their political community in order for it to function properly. Where anti-EU parties have been using emotion in their attempts to divide us for years, we will now start using emotion trying to unite us. In more provocative terms: we intend to fight populism with populism, but ours will be the populism of the reasonable centre. We believe this is the only way forward.