I have represented Another Europe within Citizens takeover Europe for five years and recently wrote a report back on our joint work. This has been posted on the Another Europe’s web site. I talked about tracking the Conference on the Future of Europe, the political denouement of CoFoE, the 2024 EP elections, the growing strength of the nationalist and far-right in the EP, citizens assemblies, the EU democracy plan and opportunities for & threats to improvement.
I review the continued use of citizens’ assemblies and CTOE’s attempts to institutionalise them and its continued work on democratising the EU. I look at the recent batch of ECI petitions that have reached the threshold mandating a Commission response.
I look at the EU’s democracy action plan, for free and fair elections, zero foreign interference and disinformation and a free and independent press and media. I mention Eastern european’s distaste for state backed fact checking sites and note that,
Combatting disinformation requires comprehensive cyber-security capabilities and laws. The Digital Services Act gives the enforcement authorities the power and places obligations on the, mainly US, companies to report and react. Much of the political focus remains on the Russian state. It must be recognised that European and British democracy is vulnerable to attacks from both East and West as shown by the Brexit referendum.
I look at the US’s new digital colonialism and its extension into export sanctions on the ICC and visa refusals for European politicians and civil servants involved in the digital services act. I repeat my argument that AEIP must continue to argue that the government should be seeking to join the European Union single digital market and implement the DSA in the UK. It should also argue for membership of the customs union and single market now, and call on the political parties to commit to rejoining at the next election.
I note that the growing need for co-ordination in defence and foreign policy exposes an EU, its member states and British democratic deficit which is an opportunity and threat for establishing more democracy.
I sort of conclude, on the topic of what sort of constitution the EU needs. Copying the US constitution would mean copying its weaknesses such as the Senate, tax collecting laws and the singular executive. Within the coalition, AEIP argues for broadening the principle of subsidiarity to become a citizen right, not a member state right, and for a more democratic Committee of Regions.