In April 2017 the European Commission presented its White Paper on the Future of Europe with the objective of launching a wide debate across the 27 EU Member States. The While Paper presents 5 possible scenarios for the further development of the European Union.
You can read the European Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe here.
In response to this proposal, a coalition of around 100 civil society organisations, initiated by SDGWatch Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe, has developed a ‘6th Scenario’ focusing on citizens and environmental issues.
This scenario calls for a sustainable and fair Europe which prioritises the interests of citizens, in the European Union and beyond Europe, with a strong focus on Europe’s core social values – democracy and participation, social justice, solidarity and sustainability, respect for the rule of law and human rights.
You can read the civil society 6th Scenario for a Sustainable Europe for its Citizens here.
The coalition intends to put this ‘6th Scenario’ forward as an alternative and to demand that it be fully considered in national and European discussions on the future of Europe.
More civil society organisations are invited to endorse this scenario. For that reason a tool to collect more signatures has been created: https://www.foeeurope.org/6thscenario
The deadline for signatures for the first public launch is 15th June 2017. In September, just before the State of the Union of Juncker, a final public launch will be made (with even more signatures).
This proposal is in line with many of AGE’s recommendations for it refers to the promotion and protection of human rights at EU and international levels and calls for a European social model that “provides full protection to all workers, all consumers and all generations of people living in the EU”. It goes beyond our scope to include broader issues, such as the planet, trade and taxation, supporting a holistic vision of a sustainable and inclusive European Union.