European Free Alliance

The European Free Alliance (EFA ) is a European political party, includes the national, regional and autonomous parties of the European Union. Today, 35 European regional parties are members of the EFA. The members meet at the European elections and are represented by six members of the European Parliament, where it forms a common fraction with the European Green Party, which bears the name of the Greens / European Free Alliance in the European Parliament. Chair of the EFA is Eric Defoort from Flanders. Chairman of the Group of the Greens, Daniel Cohn- Bendit and Rebecca Harms, the Welsh Jill Evans is as EFA member first deputy parliamentary leader.

History of the European Free Alliance

The EFA was founded in 1981 in Brussels as an association for co-operation of political parties that differ from the traditional policy and provide a comprehensive regionalism and decentralization in the foreground. In 1994, the EFA has constituted 138 A of the treaties of the European Union as a federation of parties in accordance with the provisions of the article. At a congress on 25 and 26 March 2004 in Barcelona was the EFA as a political party, in accordance with the new EU regulations ( EC 2004/2003, decision of the Council and the European Parliament of 4 November 2003), was founded. On 13 October 2004 the European Free Alliance was officially recognized as a political party at European level.

On 11 March 2006, the EFA in a plenary session in Brussels celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Member parties

Member parties with observer status

Former members

Objectives

On 9 November 2000, the EFA has published a programmatic Brussels Declaration, in which state the " stateless nations " of Europe, the principles of their regionalism. Accordingly, the EFA is a European Union advocate free and each other solidary peoples, founded on the principle of subsidiarity. It acts on the senses:

• The Defence of Human and Peoples' Rights,
• Environmental protection and sustainable development,
• A construction of a just society with a political solidarity that promotes progress, social cohesion and equal opportunities,
• A reorientation of the European Union, which is influenced too much by their economic concepts and the very tends to a policy of liberalization, competition and centralism,
• Of non-violence in the pursuit of political objectives,
• The abolition of nuclear power and the development of alternative energies,
• Ensuring the participation of the regions with constitutional authority in the meetings of the Council of Ministers when they deal with matters falling within the competence of the regions, in order to improve the recognition of the historical nations and regions
• Direct access to the historic nations and regions to the European Court of Justice,
• The democratic reform of the European institutions and the strengthening of the Committee of the Regions and
• The defense and protection of linguistic and cultural differences in the European Union.

2007, the principles of EFA have been extended in the Bilbao Declaration. This includes:

• Fight against racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination, xenophobia and Islamophobia and
• Improved naturalization for immigrants or voting rights for migrants.

Advanced Principles - resolutions of the General Assembly in 2007

• Integration of immigrants
• Promoting immigration
• Voting rights for immigrants
• Citizenship for immigrants
• No criticism of Islam or immigrants
• Against racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination, xenophobia, Islamophobia