Values and norms: enforce them in Europe too

The European Union is more than just a monetary Union. It ought to be a Union of values and norms as well, and it’s for that reason that the N-VA is in favour of sanctions against the Polish government. After all, there are clear indications that the rule of law in Poland is under serious constraint. “These democratic foundations are a thing that we must defend at all times and in every place,” MEP Mark Demesmaeker states. “Anyone who claims to be a democrat must therefore no longer be permitted to turn a blind eye to what is going on in Catalonia.”

The N-VA unequivocally denounces anyone who puts these basic democratic values in jeopardy. This not only applies to political opponents, but also to fellow group members. “We hope that the other Flemish parties take up this same banner and duty,” Mark Demesmaeker remarks. “Lamentably, until now, however, the traditional parties appear blind to the Spanish crackdown on Catalan citizens and their elected political representatives. What line must be crossed for hypocrisy and double standards to be done away with?”

21 December will test the meddle of commitment to democratic values

That the minds of European leaders who have yet to speak out against Spain will only be changed once sufficient members of their own respective clubs call them to account, is clear. According to Mark Demesmaeker, however, the true test serves to take place on 21 December, during the Catalan parliamentary elections: “Should Madrid fail to respect the outcome of those legitimate elections, I expect the strongest denunciation from the other Flemish parties, for it is far too easily to respect only those outcomes that result in their own advantage.”