Today, our European Union has become the target of hostile forces, both inside and out, who are hell-bent on destroying our historical, peaceful, rules-based and democratic project, which has improved people’s lives for decades and has offered opportunity and hope to many fleeing their countries. We are facing an international alliance of extreme right-wing and nationalist forces who seek to divide us and destroy our collective achievements. We know all too well that, in a world of political and economic giants, global power competition, and Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine, and with the situation in the Middle East, no single European country on its own has the strength to provide a safe haven for its people. This dangerous extreme-right and nationalist agenda would drive Europe into the ground, damage our democracies and leave Europeans exposed to the autocrats and oligarchs around us, who are targeting our democratic systems and the idea of Europe itself as a rules-based project. This is why, for us, security is not just about building the necessary defence capabilities, but also about defending our European social model, securing quality jobs, fair wages, decent housing and high-quality healthcare, while preserving our planet.
Protecting people, the rule of law and our democracy
In the recent European elections, we made the promise to fight for people and for a Union that fights for them.
We will continue to defend our democratic values including diversity, gender equality and women’s rights, making sure that women, who account for over half of the population, are empowered to live an autonomous and independent life, with control over their own bodies.
We will continue our fight for freedom and democracy and to protect people from dis- and misinformation, and in particular to protect our children, off- and online.
Only by remaining committed to this pro-democracy, pro-European and pro-people agenda can we ensure the future of the European Union as a successful economic, social and political project. We will fight for regular migration as an opportunity for prosperity, economic growth and for addressing demographic challenges.
We can only protect our democracies and achieve our goals by further developing European sovereignty. Without this Europe will not be able to play a key role in shaping a global order based on our values of peace, global justice and stability. This will require strong cooperation and an autonomous European defense capacity to protect our territorial integrity.
Promoting our socioecological model and jobs
We, social democrats, stand for a European Union whose primary goal must be to empower ordinary people to live a good life as they study, work and care for their families, or enter old age, and to ensure everyone can exercise their rights and freedoms. We reaffirm the need to boost quality jobs with fair wages, support workers in a changing environment, eliminate poverty, strengthen the role of trade unions and collective bargaining, bring the bills down, ensure decent housing for all, in particular for young people, reinforce public health and health services, and empower our youth through free access to education so that they can have a future which allows them to flourish. This is who we are.
We must maintain our commitment to our environmental and climate objectives while advocating for a fair, just and inclusive transition for the many, not the few. This means supporting people in this transition, including by providing clean and affordable energy, guaranteeing healthy, safe and affordable food, and clean and affordable mobility.
Invest, invest, invest!
Europe cannot do more with less. We need major common public and private investments enabled by a stronger EU budget and a permanent capacity to invest in public goods. We stand for the modernisation of our economy, to be competitive for the future and in a way that serves people, businesses and the planet alike, provides secure public infrastructure, and lifts up workers and communities. We need thriving industry, based on our European social model, to help provide more and better jobs and become more competitive and fit for the future. As part of this modernisation, the rich must pay their fair share of taxes.
We commit to working together to find a common path that will achieve all of these objectives, as they are part of our shared, unique European fabric. This is the only way to secure the well-being of all Europeans in the years to come. This is the only way for the European Union to remain a peaceful actor, to maintain a just world order, and to find the political strength to defend its interests in a fiercely competitive global context for the benefit of its people. Above all, we work tirelessly to restore faith in our politics and instil renewed hope for the future.
