“Humanists have a lot at stake with the threat of a relapse into nationalism in the EU and in Europe. They will have to work towards finding viable – and above all new – European solutions to Europe’s urgent problems,” emphasized the President of the Humanist Association of Germany, Frieder Otto Wolf, at the meeting in Brussels, which took place as part of the regular dialogue with the ideological communities, as provided for in Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). In addition to Wolf, around a dozen representatives of the EU institutions, including the Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, as well as other representatives of secular organizations from the states of the European Union took part in the talks. The discussions revolved around the question of how the values and attitudes that unite the European community can be defended and realized in the face of refugee movements and the increasing presence of right-wing populism and racism. Most recently, on 7 June 2016, the European Commission launched an action plan that is intended to present a renewed and comprehensive approach to the integration of migrants into European societies and emphasizes the following aspects: the promotion of education and civil society awareness of the values that unite the European Union as well as the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogues. The Action Plan also emphasizes the need to maintain, develop and build inclusive societies that are free from discrimination, racism and xenophobic statements or actions. One observation that was shared as a consensus by the representatives of the European Union and secular organizations is that diversity in European society will continue to grow in the coming years as a result of immigration. At the same time, integration processes are not simply a one-way street, as the development of open and inclusive societies requires active engagement on the part of both EU citizens and immigrants. After all, rights always go hand in hand with the assumption of responsibility. What can be expected and demanded from the parties involved? Where are the limits? How can integration processes be better anchored in the framework of values that also unites the European communities? And how can the wind be taken out of the sails of right-wing populist and xenophobic groups in the EU member states and the fears of the majority society be reduced? These and other questions dominated the top-level discussion in Brussels on Thursday. “At present, the central challenge for any serious European policy is to find integrative European solutions to these acute problems, which have already begun ‘on the ground’ everywhere – in the communities and in civil society initiatives. But governments must also finally take up these impulses,” said Frieder Otto Wolf, himself a former Member of the European Parliament.
And the commitment of all citizens with secular and humanist views of life in the EU member states is also necessary here, as the European Union will only be able to overcome the deep crisis expressed by the Brexit vote “if it consciously and purposefully addresses its ability to solve people’s real problems,” Wolf continued. Moreover, in his view, it is not enough “to remain level-headed and reality-based, as the German Chancellor is currently doing, for example, refusing to engage in the dramatizing clamour that can ultimately get us nowhere”, Wolf said. “Rather, it will soon be a matter of pointing out and implementing real alternatives to the ‘business as usual’ of current EU policy, which unfortunately quite rightly frightens many people. And all Europeans, including the new arrivals, are called upon to do this today,” emphasized the President of the Humanist Association. He therefore described it as crucial that the Union’s current crisis situation “triggers a surge in democratic European political commitment at all levels. This is the only way to cut off the false populism that mendaciously promises to relieve people of the burden of political debate by propagating bogus solutions to Europe’s urgent problems or simply denying them,” emphasized Frieder Otto Wolf at the meeting in Brussels.
On the topic
“Europe: crisis and end?” – The new book by French philosopher Étienne Balibar was recently published in a translation by Frieder Otto Wolf by the publisher Westfälisches Dampfboot. In this volume, Balibar focuses his thinking on the central question: How can this crisis be made the starting point for a democratic new beginning in European politics? In other words, within the framework of a policy that is no longer decreed “from above”, but which establishes a real hope for an alternative development of Europe. Balibar’s contributions intervene in current debates and aim to establish a realistic perspective. Étienne Balibar: “Europe: Crisis and End”, 276 p., ISBN: 978-3-89691-842-0
