Feb 9, 2016

Varoufakis Leads European Left to Reclaim Democracy From "Authoritarian Technocrats"

Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 seeks to find 'common solutions to common problems,' says former Greek finance minister
By Nadia Prupis / commondreams.org
Varoufakis Leads European Left to Reclaim Democracy From "Authoritarian Technocrats"

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Tuesday announced the launch of a pan-European progressive movement to "democratize" the continent and promote alternatives to austerity and authoritarianism.

Along with pro-democracy allies from across the continent, Varoufakis—known for his candid rejection of European Union austerity politics during Greece's financial crisis—chose to announce the "Democracy in Europe Movement 2025" (Diem25) at the historic Volksbuehne theater, which is known as a landmark in German leftist activism.

"We've chosen Berlin precisely because nothing can change in a progressive direction without the full participation of Germany in our European endeavors," he said during a press conference in the theater. "We want to strengthen democracy and prevent the EU's disintegration."

The movement, which will act as a social forum to share ideas on democratizing the continent, describes its immediate priorities in its online manifesto:

Our immediate priority is (A) full transparency in decision-making (e.g. live-streaming of European Council, Ecofin and Eurogroup meetings, full disclosure of trade negotiation documents, publication of ECB minutes etc.) and (B) the urgent redeployment of existing EU institutions in the pursuit of innovative policies that genuinely address the crises of debt, banking, inadequate investment, rising poverty and migration.

Our medium-term goal, once Europe’s various crises have been stabilised, is to convene a constitutional assembly where Europeans will deliberate on how to bring forth, by 2025, a full-fledged European democracy, featuring a sovereign Parliament that respects national self-determination and sharing power with national Parliaments, regional assemblies and municipal councils.

Varoufakis first revealed plans to establish the movement late last year, and said in January that he hoped it would enable progressives throughout Europe to take back power from what he described as a "shadowy world of bureaucrats, bankers, and unelected officialdom."

"A political movement that starts everywhere in Europe at once, across borders, independently of prior political party affiliations, that has one simple objective: to get Europeans around a metaphorical table, digital table, in forums like this one tonight, to discuss as Europeans their common problems and what we want are common solutions to these common problems to be," he said Tuesday.

In its manifesto, Diem25 criticized the EU's "opaque decision-making process" which prevents Europeans "from exercising democratic control over their money, finance, working conditions and environment."

Varoufakis left his position within the Syriza government last July amid dramatic negotiations with EU creditors, refusing to accept a third financial aid package that came along with rigid austerity terms.

On Tuesday, he told reporters that Europe was being controlled by "authoritarian technocrats."

The Diem25 manifesto continues:

Our goal to democratize Europe is terribly urgent, for without a swift start it may be impossible to chisel away at the institutionalized resistance in good time, before Europe goes past the point of no return. We give it a decade, by 2025.

If we fail to democratize Europe within, at most, a decade; if Europe’s autocratic powers succeed in stifling democratization, then the EU will crumble under its hubris, it will splinter, and its fall will cause untold hardship everywhere – not just in Europe.

A day before the initiative launched, Varoufakis joined Portuguese leftist presidential candidate Marisa Matias, Polish political critic Sławomir Sierakowski, and Italian trade union Fiom Cgil Nazionale international representative Valentina Orazzini for a discussion of economic and democratic alternatives in Europe. Watch below:

Economics   Politics   Social Issues
Rate this article 
Economics
Trending Videos
Anonymous Issues DIRE WARNING To MAGA | The Kyle Kulinski Show
11 min - Anonymous has released a new video warning about the growing threats posed by Trump, JD Vance, and Elon Musk. They outline how economic policies, mass firings, and regulatory rollbacks are...
Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980)
780 min - Astronomer Carl Sagan's landmark 13-part science series takes you on an awe-inspiring cosmic journey to the edge of the Universe and back aboard the spaceship of the imagination.The series was...
Trump's Tariffs Could Cause Huge Global Crisis, Warns Economist Michael Hudson
50 min - Donald Trump’s tariffs could destabilize the global economy, warns economist Michael Hudson. US protectionist policies could cause financial crises, as many currencies depreciate and countries...
How Peter Thiel Got Rich | Second Thought (2022)
12 min - Billionaire Peter Thiel won big in the midterms, buying himself a Senate seat in Ohio. So what does Thiel want? Unfettered corporate power and the destruction of government institutions. This...
HyperNormalisation (2016)
161 min - We live in a time of great uncertainty and confusion. Events keep happening that seem inexplicable and out of control. Donald Trump, Brexit, the War in Syria, the endless migrant crisis, random...
‘I Don’t Like Chaos’: More MAGA Voters Turn On Trump | The Kyle Kulinski Show
17 min - Today, we examine a rather predictable development: the gradual disillusionment of Trump supporters as the material consequences of his policies begin to manifest. This is not...
You Need To See This Incredible 17–Minute Film Set Entirely On A Teen’s Computer Screen
17 min - Noah, a short film that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, illustrates the flitting attention span and lack of true connection in digital culture more clearly than anything else...
Trending Articles
Call Outs, Canceling, Shaming and More: Activist Tactics That Need a 2nd Look
Inspiring Short Films
Subscribe for $5/mo to Watch over 50 Patron-Exclusive Films
Subscribe $5/mo View All Patron Films

 

Your support keeps us ad-free and financially independent

Our 10,000+ video & article library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patron subscribers!


Want to donate extra? You can subscribe and donate an extra $5/mo or more.