Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

It is a movement for true democracy and participation, for the right of the people to decide for themselves and have their mandate respected and reflected in policy making, for the duty to confront a system which favors a privileged minority on the backs of the majority. A movement to place human rights, civil, political, social, economic, cultural and democratic rights, at the heart of the european project, as an intrinsic part of democracy.

Since 2011, the streets, squares and workplaces of Europe have become the cradles of democratic struggles for rights; struggles that have shaken and shaped the social and political scene.

Europe’s movements have been clashing with the ensemble of institutions and policies which today constitute the European Union. The deeply anti-democratic nature of these institutions reflects their original and current purpose: to serve the interests of the corporate and financial sector and the various elites, constituting today’s oligarchies.

They operate in darkness and opacity, out of view of Europe citizens.

They are subservient to the corporations and financial firms that deploy armies of lobbyists. They are negotiating new treaties in the name but against the interests of Europe’s peoples.

We demand transparency to shed light on how they reach decisions affecting our lives.

We challenge the most unrealistic and irrational claim of all: that Europe can repay its public and private debts.

We affirm the sovereign right of the people to audit the debt and to refuse to repay illegitimate and illegal debts.

Europe’s establishment, the Brussels and Frankfurt institutions preach austerity for the many while spending trillions on the few. There is not just “austerity” in Europe: there is a class war, with the looting of our citizens’ rights and of the commons by ruling elites determined to redistribute income and wealth from the rest of society and the states to themselves. Their model is one of huge unemployment and precariousness, which generates poverty and increases inequalities, pushing workers against each other, perpetuating violence against women, ruining the environment and destroying the social tissue. A model against the social welfare state and social justice.

We do not accept any more sacrifices for a currency which is outside any democratic control. It is our duty and commitment to forge a plan which will empower us, when in government, to defend our people from the use of the euro and/or liquidity Liquidity The facility with which a financial instrument can be bought or sold without a significant change in price. as weapons against them. We will not allow a repetition of last summer’s coup against a sovereign people and a clear democratic mandate.

We demand democratic control over the banking system and transparency in its operations.

We shall resist the illegal and undemocratic practices of the ECB ECB
European Central Bank The European Central Bank is a European institution based in Frankfurt, founded in 1998, to which the countries of the Eurozone have transferred their monetary powers. Its official role is to ensure price stability by combating inflation within that Zone. Its three decision-making organs (the Executive Board, the Governing Council and the General Council) are composed of governors of the central banks of the member states and/or recognized specialists. According to its statutes, it is politically ‘independent’ but it is directly influenced by the world of finance.

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/html/index.en.html , the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund IMF
International Monetary Fund Along with the World Bank, the IMF was founded on the day the Bretton Woods Agreements were signed. Its first mission was to support the new system of standard exchange rates.

When the Bretton Wood fixed rates system came to an end in 1971, the main function of the IMF became that of being both policeman and fireman for global capital: it acts as policeman when it enforces its Structural Adjustment Policies and as fireman when it steps in to help out governments in risk of defaulting on debt repayments.

As for the World Bank, a weighted voting system operates: depending on the amount paid as contribution by each member state. 85% of the votes is required to modify the IMF Charter (which means that the USA with 17,68% % of the votes has a de facto veto on any change).

The institution is dominated by five countries: the United States (16,74%), Japan (6,23%), Germany (5,81%), France (4,29%) and the UK (4,29%).
The other 183 member countries are divided into groups led by one country. The most important one (6,57% of the votes) is led by Belgium. The least important group of countries (1,55% of the votes) is led by Gabon and brings together African countries.

http://imf.org . The so called Eurogroup is not the place to decide our fate and rule the lives of future generations.

A so-called borderless Europe has been erecting walls and electrifying fences everywhere. From Evros and Lesvos to Lampedusa, from Presevo to Calais. We demand: Let the refugees in! When people run for their lives, Europe must simply open its arms, firmly rejecting xenophobia and racism. The issue of refugees is a humanitarian issue and we refute the militarization thereof: we say NO to the involvement of NATO NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO ensures US military protection for the Europeans in case of aggression, but above all it gives the USA supremacy over the Western Bloc. Western European countries agreed to place their armed forces within a defence system under US command, and thus recognize the preponderance of the USA. NATO was founded in 1949 in Washington, but became less prominent after the end of the Cold War. In 2002, it had 19 members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, the USA, to which were added Greece and Turkey in 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955 (replaced by Unified Germany in 1990), Spain in 1982, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic in 1999. .

Europe must drastically cut armaments and defense expenses, which have proven to be linked with corruption and illegal indebtedness and must increase public spending on health, education, social security, justice and culture.

The degradation of the living conditions of the people is also linked to the destruction of nature and the war for resources all over the world. We cannot fail to address the ecological and energetic crisis if we want social justice for all.

In view of Europe’s current state, we call for civil disobedience to the European institutions’ toxic rules, policies, treaties or any undemocratic dictates and to their arbitrary reinterpretation by the ruling elites. We need new constituent processes and self-determination through binding referenda. We equally affirm the duty to disobey undemocratic dictates when in government, as a minimal democratic obligation to the people.

The Conference in Madrid has been a step forward in the coming together of different movements and proposals to fight for democracy in Europe. We invite for the conclusions of the different topics to be widely read, diffused, discussed and elaborated upon, and for further conferences to be organised around Europe.

The European peoples know how to rebel against tyranny. Throughout history we have done it on multiple times to conquer democracy, establish equality, defend our lives, rights and dignity.

The Madrid Conference proposes to organise a European Day of Action on the 28^th of May.