ECR MANIFESTO 2024

ECR MANIFESTO 2024

1. Preserving National Identity: Reforming the European Union and Safeguarding Member State Sovereignty (Protect Europe's cherished traditions, freedoms and values).  

• EU should do less but better.
• Reject  any unnecessary centralization of power in Brussels, as decisions should be made as close to the people as possible.  
• Oppose any attempt to further centralize the EU and the extension of qualified majority voting in areas from which it is currently excluded.
• Role of the European Commission should not be mistaken for a government of a European super-state.
• Pledge to usher in a new era of empowered sovereignty for  Member States by leveraging EU Treaty requirements such as the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.

2. Safeguarding Our Citizens: A Strong Defense, United Front

• Fortify Europe's defense industry, engaging directly with armed forces and leveraging EU resources.
• Standing firmly with Ukraine against Russian aggression, we will work to increase aid and ensure that sanctions are effective, empowering nations that are being oppressed through active support.
• Committed to enhancing EU-NATO cooperation by boosting defense budgets, advancing technology, and training forces.
• Strive to affirm NATO as the primary security actor.
• Ensure swift EU action to protect citizens and to combat cross-border terrorism.
• Strengthen transatlantic relations and collaborate with partners in North and South America to champion democracy, uphold the rule of law, and promote-conservative values on the global stage.
• Work towards a safer and more secure future for all.
• Strengthen Europe's defense, technology, and industrial base to ensure the development and production of a full range of military capabilities in sufficient quantities and on short notice for both Member States and their allies.
• Defense and military preparedness should remain the prerogative of the Member States. Highly sceptical about the creation of a defense union at the EU level.

3. Securing Our Borders: A Comprehensive Migration Strategy

• EU must help Member States manage migratory flows and not force their citizens to welcome illegal immigrants without their consent.
• We propose a comprehensive strategy for border security that covers all possible points of entry, including air, land, and sea borders.
• Enhanced border infrastructure financed by all Member States and proactive measures to address the root causes of migration.
• Combat human trafficking and smuggling, increase repatriations, establish regional platforms, and collaborate with third countries on the externalization of migration management.
• Ensure the majority of applications for international protection are assessed directly outside of the EU.
• Block illegal departures through common naval missions.
• Work to counter and prevent the exploitation of migrant flows as a hybrid weapon by Eastern and Southern neighbors, aimed at destabilizing and heightening tensions within the EU.
• Prevent abuse of the asylum system, and granting asylum only to genuine refugees
• Reinforcing agencies like Frontex and Europol to help Member States fortify their external borders to better ensure the safety and security of own citizens, but also those who legitimately seek protection within our borders.
• Internally, emphasize the importance of effective integration that respects and upholds European values and ways of life.

4. Harvesting Tomorrow: Sustainable Farming and Fishing for a Better Future

• Harness the power of science to drive policies in agriculture and reject unfettered green ideology.
• Advocate for a balanced approach that respects the vital role of farmers while advancing sustainability initiatives.

• Conduct a thorough review of both the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the ’Farm to Fork‘ strategy. We have had enough of the bureaucracy of the CAP and will make efficiency our top priority.
• Promote environmental and social sustainability while supporting farmers, their families, and rural communities.
• Demand fair policies for EU enlargement, while protecting our products by adopting further initiatives against unfair practices and championing the exclusive status of EU geographical indications.

• Achieving food sovereignty and making quality food accessible to all European citizens at affordable prices.
• Advocate for globally comparable fishing practices and regulations and insist  that all fishermen are on a level playing field, free from any regulatory disadvantage.

5. Revising the Green Deal: Balancing Climate Action and Prosperity

• Opposite approach on the Green Deal to that promoted by the EU in the last five years.
• Advocate a more balanced, localized climate strategy that does not forget ordinary people and prioritizes socio-economic well-being.

• Prioritize the implementation of existing legislative requirements, and securing the required funding to do so before considering any new regulations.
• Protect citizens, farmers and businesses from the negative impacts of the current over-ideological green climate policy.
• Intend to review the more problematic objectives of the Green Deal.
• Promote 'real'sustainability for our economies that leaves no one behind, revitalising Europe's core industrial sectors and enabling a just transition with support for those affected.
• Support research and technological innovation and propose strategies in agreement with companies and not against them.
• Stand firm in our belief that the internal combustion engine, a testament to the power of European creativity and ingenuity, can remain commercially viable for years to come by embracing cutting-edge technology and investing in ground-breaking research on alternative low-emission fuels.

6. Igniting Economic Growth: Unleashing the Potential of the Single Market and Europe's Small Businesses

• Primary objective in the economic sphere is to revitalize industrial policy and reinforce the Single Market. Unreasonable objectives, misplaced priorities, and impractical rules have led to a significant loss of competitiveness and the de-industrialisation of our continent.
• Vow to ignite economic growth in the EU by slashing red tape and ensuring regulations bring tangible benefits, fostering a level playing field in state aid and simplifying the service market.
• Committed to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by cutting down on unnecessary red tape, calling for a temporary halt on new EU rules for small businesses, instead directing resources towards implementing and enforcing existing legislation, and modernizing the EU's digital landscape to spur innovation and investment in cutting-edge technologies like AI, 5G/6G, and quantum computing.
• Strive for a regulatory framework that fosters healthy competition and entrepreneurship, championing the freedom of enterprise for every citizen while preserving Member States' fiscal autonomy and non-interference in tax issues.
• Creating a conducive environment for SMEs to thrive.
• Safeguard and advance our unique identity in a globalized world by preserving and promoting traditional artisanal skills and methods.

7. Energize and Innovate: Lighting the Path to a Resilient Future!

• Committed to revolutionizing energy security and driving innovation that sets the stage ablaze.
• Strengthen the autonomy of the EU by paying particular attention to logistics infrastructures, new technologies, and energy and raw materials supply.
• Bring back strategic productions to Europe, following the principle of being ’open as possible, as closed as necessary’.
• Emphasize the importance of each Member State's autonomy in determining their own energy mix
• Strongly advocate for a technology neutral approach that champions nuclear energy and makes us a trailblazer in geothermal power to enable us to maintain a competitive edge in the energy sector, as well as promote energy security and sustainability.
• Drive research and innovation, fueling strategic investments in top-tier transport infrastructure.
• Turbocharging EU connectivity, we will work to connect all regions of the EU, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for growth and development.
• Rallying European research efforts and welcoming European technologies into the common market with open arms.
• Swiftly turning inventions into tangible European products and companies.

8. Driving global economic growth: A Bold Vision for Trade

• Strive for rules-based, mutually beneficial engagement to unleash our economic potential and advocate for comprehensive trade relations with a wide range of partners in order to diversify our trade relations, reduce our over dependencies and build a resilient supply chain mix, while addressing unfair trade practices with finesse.
• Prioritize de-risking and adopt a firm approach in our relationship with China.
• Seek to reform the World Trade Organization (WTO), and foster dynamic partnerships with strategic allies, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and in Latin America as well as the Indo-Pacific Region to propel global growth.

9. Smart Spending, Smart Future: Revolutionising the 21st Century EU Budget!

• Reforming the EU budget to reforming it to make it more efficient and effective, without requiring new own resources.
• Prioritize performance-based budgeting, which means every Euro spent will achieve more.
• Transparency and rigorous scrutiny, meaning we will stop at nothing until every action is accounted for. Bid farewell to excess and usher in a new era of precision budgeting, where every Euro is spent wisely and with maximum impact.

10. Charting Europe's Course: Strengthening Global Security and considering further enlargement in the new geopolitical environment

• Consider further EU enlargement to strategically important countries, based on merit and compliance with the Copenhagen criteria.
• Categorically reject any automatic deepening of EU political integration as a direct result of enlargement.
• Look to strengthen ties between the EU, the Global West, and the UK, particularly in security and defense cooperation, intelligence sharing, energy, migration and other policy areas.
• In navigating relations with China, recognize both the need for engagement and the imperative to address human rights violations, while advocating for stronger ties with Taiwan and other like-minded partners in the Pacific region.
• Advocate for a more assertive policy towards Iran, focusing on its nuclear programs and state-sponsored terrorism.
• Prioritize the protection of persecuted Christians worldwide and defend religious freedom.