Federation of Young European Greens

FYEG would like to express its solidarity with demonstrators that celebrated the International Workers Day. The 1st of May is not and must not be an empty ritual of the past and celebration of past achievements, but linked to the crucial problems of our time, like the growing group of working poor in contingent work and terrible working conditions for workers outside the industrialized countries.

"The questions surrounding this day have never been outdated or overcome", commented Terry Reintke, FYEG co-spokesperson. "With the current wave of one sided austerity measures across Europe, the economic crisis is more and more becoming a social one. Many workers are directly concerned and their social rights threatened. "

FYEG supports legitimate protest about social cuts and inequalities perpatuated by the economic model and policies.

"A response to social needs represents a better goal to us than a short-sighted growth dogma and profit orientation", added Nic Schaefers, FYEG co-spokersperson. "For young people to have a decent future it's important to critically challenge these notions and integrate social and ecological criteria into how we measure economic perfomance."

During this week, people all over the world will be commemorating the tragedy of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Although 26 years have passed, those living in affected areas still vividly feel the effects of the disaster on their land and their people.

Horrific scenarios like Chernobyl do not belong to a bygone era. Nuclear energy is still a gamble. Human error, technical faults, and natural disasters could all trigger a repeat of this devastating episode. Nuclear energy can never be guaranteed 100% safe and never will be.