Every day, people across Europe struggle with growing poverty and inequality, deteriorating access to healthcare and worrying levels of youth unemployment. Meanwhile, many large companies pollute the environment, refuse to pay their fair share of taxes and wield disproportionate political influence. Urgent problems go unsolved – the climate crisis, air pollution killing hundreds of thousands of residents, refugees and migrants fleeing war treated inhumanely to name a few. Causes the EU once championed, such as gender equality and guaranteeing civil rights and labour rights, have stagnated. Too many people in Europe are being left behind.
Ahead of the meeting of 27 European heads of government in Sibiu, Romania to discuss the future of Europe, 55 civil society organisations wrote to these leaders to urge them to nominate European commissioners who will support and serve present and future generations, and prioritise environment, quality of life and decent work.