Out of options? Nope. Vote Volt.

Blog, 15/02/2025, by Sven Franck (en français , in Deutsch)

Since the Maastricht treaties in 1992, governments of the right and left neglected to significantly advance the European project and to make the EU the federal Institution, which we would need today. Why should it be any different after 23.02.? From Defense to Immigration, parties only think national. Europe will only happen with European parties. Volt is the only European party. Time to enter the Bundestag!

Sabotage!

Who still recalls the advances of France and their president Charles de Gaulle in 1963 with Élysée-treaty to disentangle Europe from the US with an independent European foreign policy? Of course nobody, because it failed. The then German foreign minister and pro-american Gerhard Schröder (not to be mistaken with the putinist Chancellor) undercut french ambitions with a preamble, that cemented the transatlantic relationship. Europe under French guise didn’t work in 1963. And since 2017, Macron has failed just as well to transform the EU into a France-XXL.

This is in a way the dilemma of Europe. Member states want to remain in full control: from appointing Ursula von der Leyen to be Commission president in 2019 sidetracking the official candidates to the European Council - the Council of State leaders - which does not only stir confusion with regards to its naming - there should only have been the Council of the European Union of state ministers - but who also wants to be calling all the shots thereby permanently undermining European authority.

The European people are represented in the Parliament. The governments are represented in the Council of Ministers. Our heads of state fabulate relentlessly about European resilience and strategic autonomy, but are they really willing to delegate responsibilities to the EU? Hell no! And this permanent European sabotage is water on the mills of Putin and Trump. They know how to divide and conquer, while we are “United in diversity” only on paper. Europe is lost in transition, until member states are willing to take a step back for the EU to move forward - which happens to be one of the raison d’être of Volt.

Why Bundestag?

Because, as just described, Europe today is made on a national level. We need a strong pro-european voice in national parliaments. A voice that advocates for a federal Europe and further integration. A voice that takes the opposite end of the spectrum to extreme nationalism and the far-right. Mind you, the same far-right is for the same reason mostly absent on EU level unless democratic parties open doors for them. Why should they be there? Making or breaking Europe happens on a national level. And this is why Volt’s voice is needed there today more than ever.

New parties will force old parties to do new politics. And it doesn’t require much. Damian, Volt’s first MEP in 2019, told of a meeting years ago where a conservative politician approached him to concede that it was time to begin copying Volt’s ideas - because the citizens are starting to vote for Volt.

One MEP already had so much impact. Now we have five. Imagine having 30 deputies entering the Bundestag. Volt would not only turn heads and also butt heads with the AfD. Just what our democracy needs today. New faces. Courage and a fresh breeze and positive outlook in the Bundestag.

Destiny and 5%

Established parties label every election to be the election to decide our fate. after the same parties messed up again and failed to find an answer to contain rising nationalism. Hint: it could be a federal Europa. Five years down the road, we’ll again have a vote for our destiny, this time with the AfD not at 20% but at 30%. How many chances do established parties need to make our democracy more resilient? Sadly they think first and foremost about securing their own positions - like when raising the minimum threshold to 2% in the next European election.

The current European parliament is functional - just as many national parliaments - without a 5% threshold. We should all call their bluff. Worse, just image: starts-up not receiving financing because we don’t want to threaten existing industry incumbents. Imagine new medical solutions not being brought to the market because it would threaten profits of older solutions that no longer work. That’s the reality in politics! Competition is kept out with the result that incumbents are out of their water, no longer finding effective solutions against the extreme-right, nor against any of the challenges Germany and Europa are facing.

We will only break this cycle of repeated elections for destiny with trust. Trust in a party that has a realistic chance to enter the Bundestag. Trust in a positive future, which we will claim back. And trust in a happy end. For each one of us. For Germany. And for the European Union. I’m voting for the future.

I’m voting for this future. I’m voting Volt. Not in five years but on February 23rd.