EUROPE’S TIME. IN VIEW OF 6/9-J
In view of the European elections on 6/9-J, the International League of Religious Socialists appeals to citizens in general and to people of religious inspiration in particular:
1.- These are crucial elections. Euroscepticism, xenophobia and the eco-feminist negationism of the far-right forces could jeopardise the European Union project. Neither populism nor simplification nor ethno-nationalist retroutopia have real solutions to the complex challenges facing Europe and the world.
2.- Continue trusting in Europe. Europe, in the midst of the global concert, has managed to articulate a system that is enviable in the world for its guarantee of individual freedoms, economic prosperity and levels of social cohesion. All this has been possible after the Second World War, thanks to a cooperative effort, which, under a federal model, without renouncing the sovereignty of national states, has been able to build a “shared sovereignty”. It is not time to retrace the path, but to turn “de facto” federalism into “de jure” federalism. It is time to tackle more agile modes of decision-making, overcoming the unanimity-based procedure, which places the EU at the mercy of the blocking strategies of a single country.
3.- A welcoming and inclusive Europe. Immigration, far from being perceived as a threat, should be valued as the best alternative to the economic, employment and social consequences of the inversion of the demographic pyramid. But there are also ethical and anthropological reasons that characterise the dual inspiration of the European project: the Enlightenment – freedom, equality, fraternity – and the Judeo-Christian: what God wants is for you to protect the immigrant. It is necessary to regulate flows. It is even more necessary to promote policies of reception, inclusion, citizenship and intercultural coexistence.
4.- An eco-feminist Europe. Effective equality remains a challenge. Gender violence, micromachisms, domestic co-responsibility, conciliation, wage gap… all require firm policies, without dilettantes or denialism. The climate crisis is a true planetary emergency. The greater the responsibility for carbon emissions, the greater the co-responsibility for reducing them. There is an urgent need to sustain and strengthen policies to tackle climate change. Decarbonising housing, industrial production, mobility, consumption, energy sources… is a great collective challenge for companies, civil society, families, religions and citizens. It needs great European leadership. It is not a time for denialism or procrastination, but for effective action.
5.- With Ukraine and with Palestine. We cannot allow the rule of brute force in international relations. Against the invasion of Ukraine and the Palestinian genocide, Europe must be an actor for peace in international relations. Conflicts are dealt with through dialogue and negotiation. Unfortunately also with deterrence. The rise of warmongering in the world requires a more united and stronger Europe in the face of threats from totalitarian and autocratic regimes. A Europe committed to democratic consolidation and Eastern enlargement: Ukraine, Moldova, the Balkans and Armenia.
6.- In memory of the religious socialist Jacques Delors. The historic President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, a Catholic socialist and the driving force behind the European Union, passed away on 27 December. Like the fathers of the European Union, Adenauer, Schuman and De Gasperi, he based his commitment on the belief in a God of peace and fraternity. Our experience of God leads us to share the equal dignity of human beings and fraternity as a guiding principle of human coexistence. Far from the instrumentalisation of religion for ethno-nationalist, exclusionary and xenophobic projects. It is time to mobilise and to vote.
EC ILRS
3rd June 2024