« Antidemocratic and xenophobic forces of Europe have always been attracted by the European unity dream, the mystic of the imperial Rome»
(FB - 1998)
" Being a citizen is a voluntary act "
(FB - 2009)
"Thinking about the future only makes sense if it is aimed at improving one’s thinking about the present and about the trends at work"
(FB - 1998)
"The European project is not a dream, but a hope. It is rooted in rationality, which is not the case with dreams. We Europeans have seen our dreams end in nightmares too often not to be suspicious."
(FB - 2005)
"The strength of a network is judged at the information level of the weakest link, or more precisely the link furthest from the centre of the network."
(FB - 2004)
"Europe's destiny is escaping the two "Greats" and it will come knocking on the door of the Europeans."
(FB - 1989)
"The history of Europe is a bit like a multifaceted diamond. Everyone sees the same diamond... but no one sees exactly the same facets."
(FB - E-storia project, 2004)
"Let us dare the future as the founding fathers of Europe did"
(FB - "From EU to Euroland", 2001)
"The European citizenship can not be decreed. The European citizen can only be born..."
(FB - 1992)
"Every state is a minority in the EU. In any case, let’s not forget that if all our states went into building the EU it is because they all felt too small to face alone both their future and the rest of the world."
(FB - 2003)
"From a single (EU) Currency to a single (EU) Citizenship. The euro is only an instrument."
(FB - 1997)
"An empire is always providing platforms where conflicts and wars prolife­rate... an empire needs enemies, whilst a Community requires partners."
(FB - 1992)
"Europe’s history has taught us that dreams and nightmares are the two faces of the same coin"
(FB - “Europe is Peace” 2006)
"Everybody wants to have a successful enlargement whereas it is a successful enlarged EU which is important."
(FB - 2002)
"It is clear that the existing national political parties can not serve two masters: national and European."
(FB - IDE, 1989)
"It takes teamwork to make Europe move forward."
(FB - 2005)
"There is nothing like one European. The European is a team of Europeans... the only way we can imagine a European, it is a team of people from different countries, not a single man or woman."
(FB - Enschede (NL) 2012)
"On the horizon with a heaven of freedom and a land of responsibility, this is perhaps the soul of Europe."
(FB - 1992)
"The future challenge for the European project is not about Europe anymore, it is about the Europeans."
(FB - 2005)
"The more Brussels speaks English, the less Brussels understands the Europeans"
(FB - 2004)
"Occupy the Future of Europe!"
("What do YOU want as a future for AEGEE?" Franck Biancheri at the 2012 Agora in Enschede)
"To combine new technologies and democratic principles to succeed in the entry of European integration in the 21st century or e-democracy at the service of Euro-democracy"
(FB - EUSV, 2001)
"In the years 00 of the 21st century, democratization can only take place in the perspective of the democratic election of a European executive that remains to be invented."
(FB - EUSV, 2001)
"We must build the European Community, otherwise Europe will soon be culturally Americanised, politically Finlandised and technologically Japanised"
EGEE I, 1984

European Transnational Lists, a real good progressive idea! (Marianne Ranke-Cormier)Listes transnationales européennes une vraie bonne idée progressiste! (Marianne Ranke-Cormier)

Because future belongs to European ideas and projects in politics as well as in other domains (Franck Biancheri in “Eurocitoyens versus national parties, the game has started” – 1987)

I will not even mention the link to the article “Transnational Lists, a false good idea”, published by the Taurillon, to which I decided to react today. An article signed by a Swiss author, as if in Europe we no longer had thinkers and intellectuals capable of imagining the tools which would be best for us to manage the invention of centuries: European democracy.

Yes, the Swiss, and they are not the only ones lecturing Europe about how to manage a 500-million-citizen democracy. Switzerland, with its 8 million inhabitants, whose citizens refuse to join the EU, but at the same time profiting largely from its financial woes; citizens who suffer from all forms of extremism and citizenship issues, the death of their traditional political parties by abandonment, whose cantons are totally unable to agree on immigration policies …

And which European parties are they talking about? From this aggregate of political groups in the European Parliament… whose deputies are not even the representatives of the majority of their own country … who can’t even agree on the same social, liberal political lines and whose voting rules are anything but democratic!

Well, that is precisely what Switzerland is willing to offer, the emergence of populism, extremism and sovereignism within the next European Parliament as the first European party. They should not even try to draw a common line for European citizens, just to hear one another how to unravel Europe.

Progressive Europe, Europe of the future, must be able to invent certain new tools in order to ensure to all Europeans the future they actually want to choose. This thing can only occur through the invention of new political processes adjusted to its own size; new forms of voting campaigns; new citizen representatives of post-Erasmus European generations, and so on.

The EU Europeans, if they truly want to survive, must reinvent themselves and emerge from the shackles of an agonising world, which these European political parties belong to. Whether we like it or not, the French march was the first example, with its reversing of all the ideas taken from the last century*.

Ever since the launching of the IDE party in 1987 and up to the Newropeans campaign in 2009, Franck Biancheri has always defended the emergence of trans-European political parties as tools for Europe’s democratisation, as political tools to teach us how to best make use of the European space, decide and control our future, but also as a bulwark to all rising populism and extremism. Let’s face this challenge together!

Let’s dare to meet this 21st century of democracy. Let’s dare to have the transnational and not the multinational European political lists (this will change all perspectives). Let’s dare to start a real transnational citizen debate by going beyond the national level, by calling on our politicians to assume a genuine community dimension and launch themselves on the European stage**… Let’s give new impetus to politics in Europe. Take the #CitizensRoute73! Occupy 2019!

Marianne Ranke-Cormier, 31/08/2017

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* The French president Emmanuel Macron has just asserted this tendency to political break-up: “Macron wants transnational lists in the European elections” – Source Europe1, 29/08/2017

** the#CitizensRoute73 suggests the creation of a European mobile platform, on the horizon of the European elections of 2019; a European marathon for politicians, men and women, who have decided to embark on the creation of transeuropean political parties. The first step will be set in Toulouse within the Erasmus Students Festival, October 13-15, where 10,000 students are expected to come!

Parce qu’en politique aussi, l’avenir appartient aux idées et aux projets de taille européenne (Franck Biancheri in “Eurocitoyens contre partis nationaux, le match commence” – 1987)

Je ne citerai même pas le lien vers l’article “Listes transnationales une fausse bonne idée” publié par le Taurillon auquel je réagis aujourd’hui. Un article signé par un auteur Suisse, comme si nous n’avions plus chez nous en Europe de penseurs et d’intellectuels capables de réfléchir sur les outils qui nous seraient les plus adaptés pour gérer l’invention des siècles: la démocratie européenne.

Les Suisses, mais ils ne sont pas les seuls, donneurs de leçon à l’Europe sur comment gérer la démocratie d’un ensemble de 500 millions de citoyens. La Suisse, de 8 millions d’habitants, dont les citoyens refusent d’adhérer à l’UE, tout en profitant largement de ses mannes financières, qui subissent toutes les dérives extrémistes et citoyennes, la mort de leurs partis politiques traditionnels par abandon, dont les cantons n’arrivent pas à s’entendre sur les politiques d’immigration…

De quels partis européens parle-t-il? De cet agrégat de groupes politiques du PE? dont les députés ne sont même pas les représentants de la majorité de leur propre pays? qui n’arrivent même pas à s’entendre sur une même ligne politique sociale, libérale… et dont les règles de votations sont tout sauf démocratiques!

Voilà ce que nous offre la Suisse, l’émergence des populistes, extrémistes et souverainistes, au prochain parlement européen comme premier parti européen, parce que eux n’ont pas besoin de tracer de ligne commune pour les citoyens européens, juste à s’entendre comment détricoter l’Europe.

L’Europe progressiste, l’Europe de l’avenir, doit pouvoir s’inventer de nouveaux outils pour assurer le futur que tous les Européens veulent se choisir, et cela ne peut passer que par l’invention de nouveaux processus politiques adaptés à sa dimension, de nouvelles formes de campagnes électorales, de nouveaux représentants citoyens des générations européennes post-Erasmus.

Les Européens de l’Union européenne, s’ils veulent survivre doivent se réinventer ensemble, et sortir des carcans d’un monde à l’agonie, auquel appartiennent ces partis politiques européens. Que l’on aime ou pas, la France d’en marche en a été le premier exemple en reversant toute les idées reçues du siècle dernier*.

Depuis le lancement d’IDE en 1987 jusqu’à la campagne Newropeans2009, Franck Biancheri a toujours défendu l’émergence de partis politiques transeuropéens comme outil de démocratisation de l’Europe comme outils politiques pour apprendre à utiliser l’espace européen, disposer de vrais moyens pour décider et contrôler leur futur, et comme rempart à tous les populismes et extrémismes rampants. Relevons ensemble ce défi!

Osons le 21ème siècle de la démocratie. Osons les listes politiques européennes transnationales et non pas multinationales (çà vous change toutes les perspectives). Osons un vrai débat transnational entre citoyens en débordant le niveau national, en appelant nos politiciens à revêtir une véritable dimension communautaire en se lançant sur les tribunes européennes**. Osons donner un nouvel élan à la politique en Europe. Prenons la #CitizensRoute73! Occupons 2019!

Marianne Ranke-Cormier, 31/08/2017

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* Le président français, Emmanuel Macron vient d’ailleurs d’affirmer cette tendance à la rupture: “Macron veut des listes transnationales aux élections européennes” – Source Europe1, 29/08/2017

** la #CitizensRoute73 propose à l’horizon de l’élection européenne 2019 une tribune mobile européenne, marathon européen des femmes et hommes politiques qui ont décidé de se lancer dans la création de partis politiques transeuropéens. La première étape sera à Toulouse sur le Erasmus Students Festival du 13 au 15 octobre. 10.000 étudiants sont attendus!

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