DEMOCRACY DECLARATION

AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE 'BERLIN DECLARATION'
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE SIGNATURE OF THE TREATY OF ROME
25th March 2007

For fifty years the European Union has been an idea aimed at erasing Europe's national democracies to create a centralised European state. That out-dated idea has almost been fulfilled.

A post-war Europe of democracies and the fall of a centralised Soviet state made peace and prosperity in Europe possible. The EU project, in removing decision-making from democracies, is today counteracting these achievements.

Each member country has helped to build the EU, by giving up the democratic rights of their peoples and handing over their ability to govern.

Thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe is now consigned to the past. But EU unification, in steadily undermining democracy in Europe, shows that some have not learnt the painful lessons of a history marked by bloody conflict.

Today we live together as would be perfectly possible without the burden of the EU. We, the peoples of European countries, could easily co-operate for the better without its political union agenda.

I.

In the European Union, we are turning our rich diversity into bland euro-conformity.

We are striving for peace and freedom, for democracy and the rule of law, for mutual respect and shared responsibility, for prosperity and security, for tolerance and participation, for justice and solidarity.

That is why we must replace the European Union with the democratic interaction of our countries, to better achieve these ideals.

The European Union is founded on 'ever closer union' - an out-dated objective of integration, not co-operation. Respect for member countries’ diverse interests is neutered by qualified majority voting.

We wish to preserve the identities and diverse traditions of Europe's countries. But the EU is working to undermine the lively variety of Europe's rich cultures, towards building the European identity necessary to support the out-dated goal of an EU state.

There are many goals which we cannot achieve on our own, but only in concert. We support co-operation, but regret this is not the EU's agenda. With every new treaty, more powers are handed to the European Union by the member countries and their regions and local authorities.

II.

We are facing major challenges which do not stop at national borders, nor even the borders of Europe. The European Union is too rigid, slow-moving and narrow in scope to be an effective response to these challenges.

Only working together and establishing alternative, more flexible structures for co-operation can we preserve democracy in future for the good of all European peoples. We recognise that there is no European model - of economy or society. How European countries combine economic success and social responsibility is diverse and should be subject to the will of the people in each country, expressed in votes for their governments.

The common market costs more in regulation than it has delivered - the euro has pushed up prices. European countries have diverse attitudes towards the increasing interdependence of the global economy and ever-growing competition on international markets. We respect that diversity and recognise that fruitlessly striving for a uniform approach distracts from taking prompt action.

Europe's wealth lies in the knowledge and ability of its people; that is the key to growth, employment and social cohesion - not centralised regulation.

We will fight terrorism and organised crime together - through
co-operation, not by passing more powers to the EU.

We stand up for liberties and civil rights also in the struggle against those who oppose them. Racism and xenophobia must never again be given any rein. The EU must not unnecessarily duplicate wider international initiatives than it can achieve - such as the Council of Europe's European Convention on Human Rights - simply to extend its own power.

We are committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world and to ensuring that people do not become victims of war, terrorism and violence. We recognise that democracy is the ultimate guarantor of peace, but that EU-led centralisation is undermining accountable government in Europe.

The European Union wants to promote freedom and development in the world, but is ineffective. We want to drive back poverty, hunger and disease. We want to continue to take a leading role in that fight, so we require alternative means of doing so than the EU.

We intend to lead the way in energy policy and climate protection and make our contribution to averting the global threat of climate change - necessarily with wider horizons than just European countries.

III.

The European Union will continue to wither, as an idea left behind by global change. 'Openness' is not a substitute for accountability. The Laeken Declaration showed the will of member countries for the return of powers from the EU to elected governments.

European countries will continue to promote democracy, stability and prosperity beyond their borders, even if the EU's existence means such ideals are being compromised within them. In EU unification, a dream of a couple of men in earlier generations has become a problem for everyone of today's.

Our history reminds us that we must protect democracy for the good of future generations. For that reason we must always review the political shape of how Europeans co-operate in keeping with the times.

That is why today, 50 years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, we are united in our aim of dismantling over-centralised EU structures that have become out-dated, are working contrary to our aims and values, and whose vast expense is draining Europe of financial resources that could be used to improve the quality of life of those who need it most.

For we know, while Europe is our common future, the EU doesn't have to be.

READ MORE:

• Text of the real Berlin Declaration more >>
• DM's Vision Europe campaign mini-site more >>