"Beyond EU Citizenship" political statement

We, the participants of the GEF Seminar “Beyond EU Citizenship” organized with support of FYEG meet in Bucharest from 13-17 of October 2011, taken into consideration the conclusions of the Paris Seminar in May 2011 and the Resolution The Roma Minority in Europe: A nomad path to exclusion approved by FYEG general assembly in 2007, have the following concerns.

The socio-economic crisis cannot be an excuse to stop fighting for a more inclusive and cohesive society. Actually, the crisis is increasing the discrimination against minorities and migrants, who are the most vulnerable. We young greens believe that to achieve social justice we need to re-thinking the concept of citizenship, guarantee human rights of minorities and migrants and fight against discrimination and racism.

We claim the reconceptualization of the EU Citizenship

We want a meaningful European Citizenship, thus we want to reconceptualize it. Citizenship has to be available to everyone who lives in a region or country, regardless of his or her origin and nationality. Indeed, social, political and economic rights still basically depend on national citizenship. Thus, we claim a residency citizenship.

We believe all persons living in the EU must have equal employment opportunities, basic social rights such as health care, free education and social security and the possibility to vote and be elected on all levels in their current place of living.

At the moment there is a legislative gap which hinders people to fully access their rights as European citizens. There is no real freedom of movement of people in the EU as it is restricted to 90 days [1]. Following this period, people without employment or other economic mean face insecurity concerning their status and their right to stay. This is discrimination towards economically vulnerable people.

Only with a stronger European Integration in terms of social policy, education, housing, health care and employment EU citizenship can be enacted and made a useful tool in the inclusion of minorities. We need to build a strong European welfare system.

Invisibility and not having any identifying documents is a huge problem for creating cohesive societies, so we demand that barriers and bureaucratic processes in order to obtain papers should be abolished around Europe. Every EU citizen should have an identity card which is issued for free and be accessible for everybody.

The recognition of minorities and diversity

Minority issues are not easily discerned and usually have a low priority in the political agenda of EU governments. The EU should bring minority issues to the forefront and engage in a number of strategies that will ensure that people belonging to minorities are considered and treated as European citizens.

We believe in an intercultural society, where everybody feels HAPPY! With the diversity Value of diversity , heterogeinity of minorities. The diverse conditions and needs of minorities should be recognised in order to allow effective policy planning and implementation.

EU should acquire a strong voice concerning minorities issues that will allow the development of a clear framework of policies, guidelines and best practices which requires a close collaboration between EU institutions and their member states.

EU strategies towards minorities should not be constrained only to funding but also create a control mechanism that will reassure the best results, transparency and involve the minorities within the policy-making process as well as the implementation.

Fight against discrimination

We young greens fight against all kind of discrimination. Even violence against minorities and migrants have increased in the last years, due to the crisis and the extreme-right populism. We need preventive measure and strong re-actions from civil society and public institutions.

Fighting against discrimination requires break down stereotypes, as a main preventive measure. For this goal, formal and non-formal education and the role of the mass media and politicians is crucial.

We call for a legal framework to break down stereotypes. It must be based on diversity of minorities and human rights, as well as a system of sanctions. Moreover, intercultural education must be incorporated in the curricular. The mass media have a responsibility to provide an unbiased picture of the minorities.

There shouldn’t be room for hate speech and offensive statements in political and public debates.

We strongly oppose any kind of institutional discrimination which is expressed by additional legal barriers for minorities. We need positive actions to empower members of minorities. Governments and legal systems should offer the models for just and caring society. Forced eviction and resettlements are examples of promoting inequality and increasing racism.

There are parallels between anti-gypsism and anti-Semitism. We should learn from the history and fight phenomena of anti-gypsism and anti-Semitism from the roots. Anti-gypsism is a systematic discrimination that mainly create segregation and creation of ghettos must be stop.

We young greens are Anti-Fascist and we call for solidarity among different antifascist movements. We believe in a proactive fight against fascism.

Crimes against minorities fall basically under impunity. The legal system must not turn a blind eye to ethnical-racial motivated crime. Special expertise is needed to mediate and persecute crime related with minorities. Alternative measures to re-integrate criminals into society have to be implemented.

To achieve a non-discrimination society, we need the incorporation of the minorities into politics. Thus, we call for the implementation of quota and guarantee full access to their political rights to all the members of the communitites. We call for direct democracy and the elimination of hierarchical models that perpetuate exclusive representation by a dominant figure.

Women’s rights

Double discrimination, like forced marriages and violence against girls and women, is based on extremely patriarchal culture of our society including its minorities. Thus, empowerment of women is the key point to reverse this situation and move towards a real equal society.

Women from different minorities should have particular education activities to get to know their rights and emancipate. Mediation in conflicts by women is also crucial. However, a strong police and judicial system have to be real implemented to protect women’s rights.

[1] See EU Freedom of Movement Directive.