DiEM25
 DiEM25       | |
|---|---|
 Yanis Varoufakis (left) looks on as Julian Assange speaks via a live broadcast at the official launch of DiEM25 | |
| Founder | • .jpg){kind=small} Yanis Varoufakis•  Srećko Horvat |
The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025, or DiEM25, is a pan-European political movement founded in 2016 by a group of Europeans, including former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and Croatian philosopher Srećko Horvat and was officially launched at ceremonial events on 9 February 2016 in the Volksbühne theatre in Berlin and on 23 March 2016 in Rome.[1]
DiEM25's launch in Berlin featured speeches from Barcelona’s mayor, Ada Colau, British Green MP Caroline Lucas, representatives of Germany’s Blockupy movement, as well as musician Brian Eno, philosopher Slavoj Žižek and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Medium-term goal
Yanis Varoufakis said the DiEM25 group would lobby for more transparent processes in European decision-making, including live-streaming of council meetings and full disclosure of trade negotiation documents:
“Our medium-term goal is to convene a constitutional assembly where Europeans will deliberate on how to bring forth, by 2025, a full-fledged European democracy, featuring a sovereign parliament that respects national self-determination and shares power with national parliaments, regional assemblies and municipal councils. “One simple, radical idea is our motivating force: to democratise Europe in the knowledge that the EU will either be democratised or it will disintegrate at a terrible cost to all.”
Can DiEM25 succeed?
Asked what made him feel sure that DiEM25 could succeed where other movements had not, Varoufakis replied:
“Absolutely nothing. But it’s the only way I can wake up in the morning and feel energised.”[2]
The acronym DiEM alludes to the Latin phrase carpe diem. To highlight the urgency of democratising Europe before reaching a point of no return, DiEM25 sets the horizon for the year 2025 to draft a democratic constitution that will replace all the European treaties that are in force today.
Five years after its foundation, the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 declared that it has over 117000 members in more than 195 countries and territories.[3]
COP OFF
As our planet’s clock approaches midnight, world leaders are set to converge next month in Glasgow at COP26 in order to come up with new excuses, new symbolic targets and new ways to silence the real progressive voices who oppose them.
Climate change is real, it’s here, and it’s an emergency. But history has shown us that those who were supposed to lead us out of this crisis are so blinded by capital and powerful private interests that they’ve decided Earth itself is a small price to pay for the yachts, mansions, private jets and record profits of the 1%. They will gather, mingle over dinner and drinks, and preach their commitment to insufficient goals and targets. Then fail to meet even those.
We refuse to sit in the back while no one drives. This November, join Noam Chomsky, Yanis Varoufakis, Caroline Lucas and many other progressives in saying: COP OFF!
In a three-day online event, DiEM25 will gather progressives from around the world to discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time, with ideas you won’t hear at COP26. Why? Because of the danger they pose to business-as-usual: real change, real goals and real solutions.[4]
Statement on Assange
On 24 January 2022, DiEM25 issued this statement:
"We welcome the UK High Court’s decision to allow Julian Assange to appeal his extradition to the US, whose government wants him for revealing its crimes, exposing its lies and informing the public – in other words, invaluable journalistic work. Today marks a small – but crucial – step in the fight for Julian’s life, and his appeal will now be sent to the UK/Supreme Court. Now, more than ever, is the time to raise our voices to prevent what would be an incredibly dark precedent being set for journalists, activists, and all of those who dare confront power. We urge you to join us in that fight."[5]
References
- ↑ "Democracy in Europe: DiEM25 in Rome with Yanis Varoufakis"
- ↑ "Yanis Varoufakis launches pan-European leftwing movement DiEM25"
- ↑ "DiEM25 declared that it has over 117000 members in more than 195 countries and territories"
- ↑ "COP OFF: DiEM25’s Alternative Climate Conference, Nov 14 – 16"
- ↑ "Statement on the UK High Court’s ruling on Julian Assange"
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