Visions for the Future of Europe

The Greens in the Bundestag and European Parliament call for a transition from a currency union to a comprehensive economic union to resolve the Eurocrisis. They argue that the Treaty of Lisbon and the 'new fiscal policy pact' are insufficient because they rely on intergovernmental cooperation rather than democratically legitimised EU institutions. The document proposes a 'Green Convention on the Future of the European Union' to debate treaty amendments, including the creation of a European Economic and Finance Minister, a European financial transaction tax, and a 'social progress clause' to protect workers' rights. The authors advocate for a 'Green New Deal' to ensure sustainable and socially equitable growth, alongside greater harmonisation of tax systems to prevent tax avoidance and dangerous competition.

• The authors contend that the Treaty of Lisbon and the 'new fiscal policy pact' fail to equip the EU to handle globalisation and the current crisis because they prioritise intergovernmental cooperation over strong, democratically legitimised European institutions.
• To resolve economic imbalances and the debt crisis, the EU must evolve from a currency union into an economic union, incorporating a modern growth strategy based on the Green New Deal to ensure distributional justice and sustainability.
• The document proposes several financial and budgetary reforms, including the introduction of a European financial transaction tax, the use of Common European Bonds (Eurobons), and the harmonisation of tax bases and rates to end 'dangerous tax competition'.
• The authors argue for a 'social Europe' where a 'social progress clause' is added to EU Treaties to give social protection and workers' rights the same legal status as the internal market and free movement of services.
• To improve democratic legitimacy, the document suggests creating a European Economic and Finance Minister elected by the European Parliament and granting the European Parliament its own right of legislative initiative for the economic union.
• The Greens propose a public debate process culminating in a 'Green Convention on the Future of the European Union' in Berlin on 24th February 2012 to translate ideas into concrete treaty amendment proposals.

APA

Grünen, B. 9. (2012). Visions for the Future of Europe. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/visions-for-the-future-of-europe/

Chicago

Grünen, Bundis 90/Die. Visions for the Future of Europe. Green European Journal, 2012. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/visions-for-the-future-of-europe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Grünen |first1=Bundis 90/Die |title=Visions for the Future of Europe |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 March 2012 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/visions-for-the-future-of-europe/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{grnen2012visions, author = {Grünen, Bundis 90/Die}, title = {{Visions for the Future of Europe}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2012}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/visions-for-the-future-of-europe/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }