Libertas - the newest political party in Europe

The Spirit of Rome Treaty

Libertas representatives from all EU member states decided to work together for the future of democracy and to strengthen political freedoms and citizens' participation in the EU. Choosing Rome for this event was symbolic - this is the place where Europe was born on 25 March 1957, when Europeans signed its founding treaty establishing the European Economic Community


By OVIDIU PALCU
from Athens, GREECE


A new political party aiming to "bring more democracy" to the EU has been launched in many European countries and plans to fight for every seat in June's European election. Today more Europeans live in democracies than ever before but despite this unprecedented and favourable context, there is a widespread dissatisfaction with the practice of "real" democracy in Europe.

On Friday, May 1st, more than a thousand delegates from 27 member countries of the European Union gathered in Rome for the founding convention of the Libertas movement. The public debut of Libertas, the newest European party, impressed his audience at the Rome's Auditorium when the speakers set out Libertas political visions for the first time in front of delegations from all the EU member states.

Libertas representatives from all EU member states decided to work together for the future of democracy and to strengthen political freedoms and citizens' participation in the EU. Choosing Rome for this event was symbolic - this is the place where Europe was born on 25 March 1957, when Europeans signed its founding treaty establishing the European Economic Community.

Libertas is precisely that Europe revives the spirit of the Treaty of Rome, with Europe as its founding fathers wanted. The opportunity to Declan Ganley from Ireland, founder of Libertas, to reaffirm its opposition to Europe in Brussels and called for "an effective and democratic institutions". Philippe de Villiers, Frédéric Nihous carrying the colors of freedom in France during the next European elections, have also called for Europe to take the three turns at 180 degrees to stop the negotiations with Turkey, ending with the Treaty anti-democratic Lisbon and return to a protectionist European fair in the spirit of the Treaty of Rome.

But the guest at the spotlight during the convention was the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former Polish President Lech Walensa. Again, a symbol, so those of resistance, the man who stopped communism. Sharing his vision of Europe with members of Libertas, he particularly regretted the cancellation of the European nations face of globalization.

In Rome for the party's first convention, Mr Ganley gave the media a sneak preview of the programme at the Foreign Press Club: "Libertas is the pan-European movement dedicated to creating a new, democratic and open European Union. Libertas wants a strong and successful Europe. A Europe for, and of, the people. This is not how Europe is today."

"Unelected and unanswerable bureaucrats in Brussels are making laws, behind closed doors, that change your life. But you cannot change these laws. Europe once gave us hope, but now it is failing. Brussels is renowned for its red tape, corruption and inefficiency," reads the programme introduction.

Libertas's name shows the meaning of his project. This is to uphold the freedom of every European nation. This is done by respecting the votes of citizens when they speak. Like this we have more democracy. It is also to uphold the freedoms within each nation. Uphold individual freedoms,to respect the differences which arose enrichment. Europe is a necessary dimension of our future. For years, it works too technocratic and anti-democratic served the original fathers of Europe. The Brussels commission drift towards greater centralization, leaders and dogmatism. Lack of transparency remained the key topic of EU citizens' complaints to the European ombudsman last year, with Maltese, Luxembourg, Cypriot and Belgian citizens having the most grumbles. Libertas is interested in fostering a new impetus to Europe through greater flexibility, more local, more freedom for more efficiency. When it comes to savings, Libertas argues that "every cent" spent by EU institutions should be published on the internet.

States should also be free to "compete with one another as regards tax levels, tax structures and levels of public service spending", while the number of EU meetings in Brussels should be cut by half by 2010.

The construction of Europe, with all its political and social repercussions, pushed towards the constitution of this party. It was founded by Irish entrepreneur Declan Ganley in December 2008 with a view to the nomination of the party in European Parliament elections in June 2009. Libertas initially started as a reservoir of thought in 2006, to inform the Irish public on the Treaty of Lisbon, stating clearly that the votes against. The referendum was defeated by 53% of Irish voters.

European co-operation should be based on a short treaty of no more than 25 pages which every citizen can read, understand and use. Only elected representatives should make EU law. Following its success in Ireland, Libertas announced his candidacy in the European Parliament elections in June 2009. From that moment, began the Libertas pan European election campaign.

Libertas plans to field candidates in every EU state in June, calling for radical reform of its institutions to make them more democratic and accountable.


(Published: 10.05.2009.)