Libertas.eu

Libertas was a political party at European level, which rejected the Lisbon Treaty. It was born of a citizens' initiative, which took place on the occasion of the Irish referendum on this treaty in the summer of 2008. Founder and main financier of the citizens' initiative, as well as president of the party was Declan Ganley. In early 2009 met Libertas briefly the conditions for recognition as a European party, but she was already withdrawn a little later the status.

In the European elections in 2009 Libertas competed in several European countries and reached France in a seat addition to her but did not belong to another member of the European Parliament to which was chosen in Finland, on a list of Libertas. End of 2009, the Party their activities, without, however, formally dissolve.

Campaign against the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland

Libertas appeared first time in 2008 as a citizens' initiative on the occasion of the Irish referendum on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty to the public. On March 12, Libertas presented a campaign under the slogan facts, not politics ( " facts, not politics " ) before, in which she campaigned for a No in the referendum. The campaign invested around 1.5 million euros for the Libertas by its own account, acknowledged that membership of the European Union would be beneficial for Ireland. However, they criticized the fact that the Irish influence would diminish the decisions in the EU by the Treaty of Lisbon, as there will no longer should provide a private member of the European Commission each country. In addition, Libertas warned of new competences of the EU, which could be forced by the new Treaty to an increase in corporate taxes as Ireland. Although these claims were rejected by the European Commission as well as by the Irish Government to be untrue, the campaign of Libertas was extraordinarily successful. On 12 June 2008, the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum by 53.4 % of voters was rejected.

In September 2008, however, the European Parliament came to an investigation into the financing of the No campaign, after indications of irregularities had appeared in it. So to have been funded by Libertas through a loan from Declan Ganley activity, the contrary to Irish law in its height. The CIA and associated - In addition, the activities Ganley with the U.S. Department of Defense were - with the Ganley's company Rivada Networks, which produces military technology, is in business relations. These allegations were, however, rejected by Ganley as well as John D. Negroponte, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and are now reviewed by the Irish authorities (February 2009).

Founded as a European political party

Following the rejection in the referendum in mid-June Ganley announced on 15 July 2008 at his plan to convert Libertas in a political party at European level and to compete for the European elections in 2009. Prerequisite for the establishment of a political party to provide MEPs or MPs in national or regional parliaments in at least seven Member States was. In January 2009, visited Ganley Poland; In addition, there was a conversation between him and the Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus when he was on a state visit to Ireland in November 2008. Ultimately Libertas could meet the criterion in early February 2009, when it is the party membership of the British House of Lords member David Alton (independent), the French MEP Philippe de Villiers and Paul -Marie Coûteaux (MPF ), the Greek MEP Georgios Georgiou ( LAOS ), the Finnish member of parliament Timo Soini (Peru -S), the Estonian deputies Igor Gräzin (RE), the Bulgarian parliamentarian Mincho Hristov (independent) and the Polish regional parliamentarian Cyprian Gutkowski (LPR ) announced. On 2 February 2009 Libertas was recognized by the Bureau of the European Parliament as a European political party. She was thus the first European party that was not based on an infrastructure of national parties, even if they later concluded alliances with so-called affiliate parties. With the recognition of Libertas standing to a funding of just over 200,000 euros from the budget of the European Union. Libertas, however, declared that it would not use the EU funds before the 2009 European elections.

Shortly after its founding as a European party, however, argued Igor Gräzin and a little later Mincho Hristov from publicly that they had given their consent to a membership of Libertas. This Libertas would no longer meet the criteria establishing a European party. EU Parliament President Hans -Gert Poettering opened an investigation into whether Libertas was assigned this status wrongly. The party status was provisionally suspended and not subsequently granted because of the discontinuation of the activities of Libertas again.

Program

Libertas described himself on her website as a pro-European party, but the current structures of the European Union and in particular the Lisbon Treaty as " undemocratic" refused. Instead, urged the German section of Libertas - a pan-European program of the party did not exist - a new EU basic treaty and named as additional objectives, among others, subsidiarity, transparency, democracy and citizens. As concrete possibilities for their realization in the field of EU legislative process Libertas Germany suggested, among other things, that the European Parliament should be involved in all policy areas in the legislation in the future and at the same time EU legislation in the EU Council in principle with a majority of three-quarters of States should be adopted, which would also account for half of the EU population. At the same time the national parliaments should each annual pre- approve a proposed by the European Commission " legislative program " for the European institutions. Ultimately, it should remain so up to the national parliaments, whether they give EU requirements for a legally binding character; the EU would thus is no generally binding supranational directives and regulations may adopt more.

While the party regularly stressed its fundamental support for the EU in its official pronouncements, various known sympathizers of Libertas, about the Czech MEP Vladimir Zelezny, call in January 2009 as one of the first Central and Eastern European parliamentarians its willingness to Libertas membership declared itself as a " Eurosceptic ". Also the beginning of February 2009 featured party members were mostly known as a right-wing conservative critics Europe; so were the three MEPs de Villiers, and Georgiou Couteaux the Eurosceptic Europe Parliamentary Group of independence and democracy.

Elections 2009

Libertas wanted to compete for the 2009 European election for the first time in Europe for election, but served in a number of countries do not qualify for ballot status. That's why they started to close electoral alliances with small national parties (so-called affiliate parties ) who were allowed to operate with their name campaign. So Libertas occurred in Spain in an alliance with the Catalan party Ciudadanos and in Germany with the conservative Christian UP party. In some countries such as the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden, Libertas kicked it to yourself. Successfully she was ultimately only in France, where under the name Libertas an alliance of parties and MPF CPNT took and won a seat for Philippe de Villiers. It was also chosen in Finland Timo Soini, who is also a member of Libertas. He was, however, not taken up on a list under the name Libertas, but as the leading candidate of his national party True Finns. Both de Villiers and Soini joined the Group for a Europe of freedom and democracy.

Results of the parties and lists that competed for Libertas:

Cessation of activity

After the Irish in a second referendum by a two -thirds majority of the Lisbon Treaty, agreed, there was no further cooperation between political parties more. The party Libertas has not officially disbanded, but not longer appear. The associated websites now no longer exist.