European Regional of the HP – Madrid, July 7th 1999
Speech of Giorgio Schultze

Estimated Secretary General and President of the Humanist International,
Representatives of the HP of Europe,
Observers of the HP of the countries of various continents,
Authorities of the Latin-American Regional,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s event is not only the formal constitution of the European Regional, but also an important moment of synthesis of an aim to build the network in which we have been working intensively during this incredible 5 months since the launching of our proposals for the future.

As the Secretary General already mentioned, we decided after the meeting of Milan, on the 13th of February, to be political interpreters of a difficult topic that is difficult and has little “propagandistic” effect: the affirmation of human rights in all Europe. 
It was interesting to see how at the same moment in which the HP of the different countries started to define clearly their “political profile”, exposing their proposals and underlining their differences, the system started to respond. They tried to stop us with everything: disproportional requirements of signatures or money, paralyzing bureaucracy, and afterwards, when we overcame all the obstacles, there appeared the void of information, sometimes the degradation without the right to respond, and finally the total occupation of all the media on behalf of the parties in power: TV, radio, advertising, posters. Some might interpret this as signs of the strength and potency of the system. In reality, we see in this behavior the most external symptoms of the profound weakness of our adversary. 
The system could strengthen the bi-party-system or generate political fragmentation, but in all cases it will create dependency of the political forces and will not allow anybody to  express something which is not homogenized and does not fit within its international economical and financial web.
Its biggest fear is that a choice would manifest with force outside of its “schemes”, gathering the discontented who exist today in more then 70% of the population.
The data of voter abstention are evident and demonstrable: election after election the abstention is rising, reaching in some cases 80%. This leads to the situation that the strongest party is the party of the indifferent and the “blank vote”. The self-designated majorities in reality don’t reach 50% of the population. The permanent and constant presence of an unmanageable and undominable HP materializes their fear. 

Only the governments disguised as “leftist” or “progressive” have been able to do what the neo-liberal right always wanted to do: accomplish the world bank, the IMF and the World Trade Organization’s decisions, with the most unpopular sacrifices since the last world war.

Only governments which have domesticated the trade unions and the opposition could conceive and build:
•	The Europe of Maastricht and the Euro. A Monetarian Europe in a common market financed by the privatization of the health and educational systems; the privatization of basic services (light, gas, water, telephones, etc.); the stealing and privatizing the pensions and social security systems; increasing unemployment.
•	The Europe of Schengen. A closed fortress where the racial end ethnic conflicts have reached their limit; where all forms of exploitation are returning; where new forms of slavery are being created, reaching the shame of detention camps and Lager for foreigners.
•	The Europe of NATO. A base of departure of war and death. Not only in the Balkans, but also in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The aggressive police always give heed to the American war industry. What was called a “humanitarian war” was in fact  a testing ground for the new technologies of death. 
•	The Europe of Dioxin. This represents the greatest expression and clearest example of the speculative interest that has been implanted on this continent. The thirst for profits has no limits and will not stop itself before it endangers the health and life of millions of people.

Traitors, primitives and murderers.

These economic “experts” are politically irresponsible, and have not been able to resolve one of the social, economic and ethnic problems in Europe. For more than 3 months they have bombed the houses of Serbian and Kossovar people. For a much longer time they have been bombing our consciousness, trying to kill our hope.

This Europe, “Military-Fortress” and “Financial-Bank”, will go down in History as the Europe of the Euro and the Bombs. This Europe will never be remembered as the Universal Human Nation which was built by a free people and with an open vision of the future of the Human Being. This is not the Europe that we want. This is not the Europe in which we want to live. We want to live: 
-	In a Europe that fully responds to the most basic necessities of the Human Being, such as health, education, housing, work, nutrition, quality of air and water. With attention as well to their most profound aspirations.
-	In a nation that is solidarious, non-violent, non-discriminatory, anti-racist, welcoming and cooperative.
-	Where a Serbian, Croatian, Kossovar or Irish birth will not be a fatal geographical mistake; and to be a Muslim, orthodox, Jew or atheist will not be a cause of discrimination or prejudice.
-	Where people learn not just to get along but also to develop the capacity to see diversity as an indicator of progress.

For all of the above the Humanist Parties of Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Island, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary and Russia constituted in the European Regional of the Humanist International on the 7th of July 1999 in Madrid:
-	Denounce the governments of the European Nations for their betrayal of the Declaration of Human Rights, signed in December 1948 and after 50 years still not respected.
-	Propose to all conscious persons, individually or collectively, to adhere, uphold and contribute to the enrichment of the following points of the common European platform:

1.	Change of the macro-economical parameters of Maastricht to determine the “quality of life of the nations” for the indicators applied to human rights.

a)	The right to social security and the satisfaction of economic rights (Art. 22) with the introduction of a basic social subsidy;
b)	The right to work and the free choice of work (Art. 23). Creation of interest free banks for the development of means of production. Taxes on speculative profits. Development of participatory ownership by the workers.
c)	The right to leasure (Art.24) with the progressive reduction of work hours, where there is work for all with equal rights, dignity and equal opportunities.
d)	The right to have an adequate standard of living (Art.25) which includes: free health and education of good quality for all people without reagrd to their nationality, religion, place of origin, age or gender. A guarantee of a good diet and healthy environment for adults, young people, seniors and present and future children.

2.	Refocusing of the immigration-emigration theme from the recognition of the “right to exist” and the “human being” and not from the “geographic right” of birthplace, and following resignation from the Schengen treaty.
a)	Application and extension of the right to asylum of persecuted people (art. 14), also applied to economic and social factors and not just for political reasons.
b)	Closure of the detention centers.
c)	The passage of immigration responsibilities from the ministry of internal affairs to the new ministry of human rights and international cooperation.

3.	Proposing a real democracy in terms of participation and political responsibility and a consequent elimination of the laws of minority exclusion.

a)	The law of political responsibility that allows all citizens to control the actions of the elected politicians and the dismissal, by the same electorate, in the case of noncompliance with their assumed promises.
b)	Revision of the national electoral laws which establish the equality of conditions and requisites that guarantee maximum participation in election process (Art.19), access to the means of information and representation of the distinct groups following a proportional system. 
c)	No limits or discrimination concerning legalization of political parties, as long as they do not violate the human rights.
d)	The law of support to associations and political parties, supplying them with services and infrastructure (meeting centers, publications, travels, materials, etc., but not with money), always taking as a reference the activities carried out at the social base.

4.	Definition of the international issues in terms of peace and cooperation and a consequent denunciation of those governments that have formented war. 

a)	The exit of NATO from all European countries and the immediate dismantling of all North American bases on European soil.
b)	Initiative a progressive, proportional and simultaneous disarmament policy of all European countries.
c)	Closure and reconversion of the military industry and immediate inversion of military expenses to those activities that rebuild the countries bombed in the Balkan war.
d)	Investment of 1% of the GNP in international aid and cooperation.
e)	Cancellation of the external dept contracted by the European banks in the countries of Latin America, Africa, Asia and eastern-Europe.

In conclusion:
The powerful and the governments of today should be very alert because in the clamor and the thunder of their bombs, in their deafness, they don’t perceive the murmuring of the river of a new humanity that is being born, growing and advancing. That this 7th of July 1999 should be recorded in history and in each one of us as the meeting of free man and women who, uniting their singular strength and best intentions in an extraordinary act of solidarity and hope, opened the dikes of this uncontainable river.

I end using the words of Silo spoken on the 7th of January in Santiago de Chile and that reinforce us in our conviction to continue forward: “The Regional of Humanist Parties that today is put in march has the force and the dynamic of the integrating winds that blow in their favor”.