Challenge 4 Global Balance

Vision

In today’s interconnected world, and given the recent developments in the international policy arena, Europe needs to re-assume its responsibility to take on global and future challenges. These challenges are diverse and manifold, including topics such as climate change, international fair trade, sustainable farming, food security, biodiversity, migration issues, and international development cooperation. All proposals outlined hereunder are underscored by Bolt’s political values of “Equal Opportunities, Justice, Liberty, Human Dignity, Sustainability, and Solidarity”. Inspired
by our pan-European members at Bolt, “Bolt Global Balance” proposes progressive, bold, pragmatic, and human-centred policies for the short-, medium* and long-term.
Ultimately, our goals are to hasten the global eradication of poverty, to be quicker in moving towards a circular economy, to ensure that international trade is done in a free, fair and sustainable manner, and to put human rights first and opportunistic and national interests second.

Our aims can be summarised in sustainable development, which is the greatest challenge of the highest priority that humanity faces today. Bolt will ensure that Europe lives up to its commitments as acknowledged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set out a clear international agenda to follow, tackling fundamental ecological, social and economic inequalities. Bolt endorses the SDGs and will support legislation and
initiatives that can deliver on the SDGs. Implementation of the SDGs should be pursued with the overall aim of achieving global balance. While doing so, Bolt acknowledges a degree of inherent tension between socio-economic development and ecological sustainability.

We believe these tensions can be addressed through systemic adjustments to our economic framework and by empowering citizens to make day-to-day sustainable choices. By achieving the SDGs, we ensure that current and future generations will be able to live a healthy life on earth. This is the foundation for the better world that we want to build with your help.

Sustainability

Circular Economy

We exploit, create value, and then waste. This is how our current economic model works, and it is absolutely unsustainable. It is unfair to those who are affected by inhumane working conditions or
poisoned living areas. It is also unfair to future generations, who will not be able to use the resources that we are wasting. Let’s work to change this by moving toward a circular economy. More precisely, this means that Bolt wants to solve the waste problem in Europe and stop plastic-based pollution. Bolt promotes a world where economies are based on longevity, renewability, and dematerialisation. A concerted effort is needed across Europe to take global responsibility for our actions, and to establish the right framework of conditions so that the principles of a circular economy are consistently applied by all relevant stakeholders. There are already a number of instruments known or in place that describe how a transition towards the circular economy can be achieved. This includes encouraging innovative circular economy business models and technologies,
considering new pricing models and price caps, introducing enhanced control mechanisms and stimulating transparency initiatives to facilitate market entry for new players.
In this regard, Bolt builds on the 2015 EU Circular Economy Action Plan and welcomes current initiatives such as The New Plastics Economy.

However, we can all do more and better: politicians, scientists, industries, and also consumers. The following list of actions grouped by stakeholders reflects our priorities to kick-start
the circular economy in Europe.

Farming and cultivation

The current agriculture sector in Europe is characterised by either high efficiency or sustainability. Agriculture of the future must address issues such as food security for a rising population, climate change, low biodiversity, high nitrate levels in groundwater, and a foreseeable phosphorus deficiency. Bolt intends to put forward effective ideas and implement more sustainable farming across Europe. Food security must be ensured across Europe and beyond, and therefore a comprehensive strategy on efficient and sustainable production and distribution of food is needed.

Agriculture

Research and use of new techniques

➢ Support research programmes to identify and prioritise exploration of possibilities to realise a sustainable and effective agriculture with new techniques. Examples include:
○ Politically promote the implementation of Sustainable Land Management practices including the use of precision agriculture and GPS technology, which can ensure effective cultivation by creating fields at the same elevation along the slope. 15 Hedges and flower strips can thus be integrated into agricultural land without disrupting cultivation. This creates coherent biotopes that bring a veritable increase of biodiversity.
○ Incentivise the use of individual plant-oriented sensors to calculate fertiliser demand, which will lead to optimal growth conditions and minimise leaching.
○ Examine the chances and risks of innovative procedures like cisgene gene editing or artificial meat, and explore how these techniques can support sustainable agrarian reform.
➢ Promote alternatives to the use of pesticides by integrating the knowledge of organic crop protection into conventional cultivation. A possible alternative for herbicides is the mechanical destruction of weeds by robots.
➢ Support the establishment of food production systems that eliminate food
waste.
○ Set up bans for food waste from the distribution sector (supermarkets and wholesale food suppliers) as has been implemented in France.
○Apply consistent, European-wide legislation and support best practice programmes that make use of existing initiatives, such as those in Italy or those developed by the City of Lisbon, where food waste plans involving several stakeholders have been implemented successfully to tackle the problem. Coordinate effectively with local and international NGOs that tackle food waste.

EU Common Food Policy

We are what we eat. To express our full potential as responsible citizens towards our society and our environment, it is essential to care about our food: how it is produced, traded, consumed and wasted. Because food is our source of energy, it can generate happiness 19, ensure wellness and reduce environmental harms. 20 Thus, “zero hunger” is a key element of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

However, the current frameworks of food policies in the EU are contributing to the unreasonable waste of resources and ecological problems, as 1⁄3 of purchased food is lost in the supply chain every year. 2223 Moreover, civilization diseases like obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia are causally related to unhealthy patterns of nutritional habits. In a global perspective, resilience, affordability and sustainability of food systems are currently at stake, notably due to extreme weather conditions, depletion of available resources like water and fertile soils, changing food habits and a growing population. 24 In this challenging context, Bolt imagines a European Union which takes today, the responsibility for tomorrow. We intend to encourage consumers, producers and retailers to take an active role as catalysts for solutions by making more sustainable and fair choices. In this regard, Bolt wants to implement an EU Common Food Policy that will empower our society to act, and that pairs governments with citizens, academia and businesses alike; to allow our society to thrive without harming the environment.

A FOOD Directorate for a strong EU food policy framework

In synergy with Member States, Bolt wants to design an EU food policy framework able to tackle food systems in a systematic way, coupling biophysical and social issues. As of today, each Directorate General of the European Commission pursues its own targets in a siloed approach with distinct policy frameworks. This prevents fruitful cooperation between sectors and obstructs the development of several interlinked policies. This is why Bolt will work to:
➢ Create a FOOD Directorate in Directorates General (AGRI or SANTE). Just like existing directorates, the FOOD directorate must have the scope to:
a) stimulate and coordinate food policy actions across the Union,
b) advance the Member States’ efforts in food related actions,
c) monitor policy achievements,
d) launch and coordinate awareness and promotion campaigns,
e) stimulate research and innovation.
➢ Help farmers to live a decent lifein a sustainable working environment by
○ Improving access to land for beginning farmers, prioritising selling and leasing to organic entrepreneurs with marketing concepts and to farms implying an inclusion of educational or social purposes;
○ Breaking land taxes for landowners who provide (peri-)urban lands for organic food production in order to create “green belts” around cities;
○ Developing an EU directive on fair and sustainable access to farmland, a succession planning, and a transparent European land register;
○ Increasing opportunities for local stakeholders and regional food networks to better process, transport, distribute or sell agricultural products to urban areas;
○ Improving farmers’ position in the value chain by supporting the proposed blacklist of unfair trading practices (UTPs);

Developing the potential of urban farms to attain self-sufficiency via community empowerment;
Halting biodiversity loss resulting from destruction of biotopes, over-fertilisation and intensive use of harmful pesticides; Enhance rural attractiveness for innovative and smart entrepreneurship, by providing fast and secure connections like broadband and other IT infrastructure.
➢ Grant healthy food access to everyone. In 2016, 43 millions

  1. Responsible Production and Consumption etc.;
    ○ Ensure advances in food technology and food science are applicable to real life issues.

A participating and enabling EU food policy

Food policy needs not yet addressed by market or state are increasingly being addressed by local communities exercising a bottom-up approach. Bolt supports those movements that spur entrepreneurship and innovation both in terms of actions and in terms of governance. Citizens can also be organised in food councils within cities to support, advise, and propose food initiatives.
Bolt wants to create a stimulating environment to spread these initiatives and to scale up virtuous local initiatives. Obstacles today can be found in the application of EU rules that do not distinguish between citizen-led initiatives, start-ups, small enterprises and medium or large companies. Rules should be rethought and adapted. To facilitate this, Bolt will:
➢ Develop the EU Food Lab, enabling a collective dynamic collaboration between citizens’ representatives, academia, industry and policy makers. Among others, it will aim to promote innovative entrepreneurship in the food sector and ensure the integration of innovation. industrial concerns in research and
➢ Empower EU citizens and involve citizens in food policy making. Bolt is committed to encouraging the establishment of national and local dedicated food labs, such as the one developed in Copenhagen that coordinates bottom-up policy developments, scaling up citizens interests, needs, and initiatives. Thereby ensuring that innovation can thrive and spread in a way that leaves nobody behind.
➢ Create an EU FOOD HUB, using the example of the Rotterdam Food Cluster, in which EU citizens and enterprises with a Food 4 Work approach could meet, exchange, showcase their ideas, find support for business development, and connect with investors. Together, citizens and enterprises will be able to define new ways of addressing food issues like food poverty, sustainability and food production impact, food access, green food supply and distribution, as well as food waste reduction.

Animal Welfare

Animals are sentient beings. Bolt is conscious that humans share this planet with other forms of life that should co-exist together within an interdependent ecosystem. Bolt aligns itself with the Five Freedoms principle adopted by well-renowned organisations for animal health. Animal welfare under human control should be expressed through freedom from hunger or thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour and, finally, freedom from fear and distress. Bolt strongly condemns any kind of animal abuse, which shall not be tolerated and must be sanctioned. This is why Bolt will:
➢ Ensure that any acquisition of domestic and pet animals can be traced back.
○ Bolt strongly encourages the creation of online platforms that put into contact responsible ethical breeders, controlled by an ethical charter, with future owners and professionals. Bolt also wishes to use shelters as a regulated channel to adopt pets.
○ Previously automatically granted licences that record animal identification will be withdrawn if pets are found abused (e.g. beaten, abandoned or malnourished).
○ Support the introduction of a compulsory microchip for pets when suitable.
➢ Make it illegal to routinely feed animals antibiotics, steroids or other medication, unless strictly necessary for health reasons, as prescribed by licensed vets. Bolt supports the procedure 2014/0257 (COD) on veterinary medicinal products that led to a regulation limiting the use of antibiotics in prophylaxis and metaphylaxis. We believe that more strict standards are needed in the long run to limit the risk of the development of bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
➢ Condemn any form of animal slaughter that does not include stunning and unconsciousness, and advocate for strict forms of controls. Despite the Council Regulation (EC) N° 1099/2009 aimed at protecting the animal at the time of killing, animal mistreatment cases are still reported on a regular basis across Europe. Bolt relies on best practices developed by the World Organisation for Animal Health, and further advocates for prohibiting any distraction methods as well as restraining methods which work through electro-immobilisation or immobilisation by injury.
➢ Regulate hunting as a sport practice. Use of wild populations as resources shall be monitored and controlled according to the health of the population and its associated ecosystem(s). Moreover, strict actions against poaching should be taken. In this regard, Bolt supports the Council egulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade
therein.
➢ Enforce the EU Directive 2010/16/EU to protect animals used for scientific or educational purposes. In this regard, Bolt strongly supports the Three R’s principle: reduction in numbers
of animals, refinement of experimental methods and replacement of animals with non-animal techniques.
➢ Uphold the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes and the five freedoms in relation to animals that are relied upon for economic purposes Bolt believes it is necessary to ensure that scientific, cultural and societal beliefs are sufficiently integrated in policies regarding animal husbandry, commercial fisheries and other related practices.
In order to ensure this happens we rely on best practices as identified by expert organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
➢ Oppose the purchase, detention and usage of wild animals display and entertainment purposes. Bolt will work to: for captive
Ban the purchase of cetaceans for aquarium, dolphinarium or aquatic park show purposes. In total, 249 dolphins, orcas and belugas have been imported in 16 EU countries between 1979 and 2008 . 77 Bolt condemns such a practice since it goes against the animal needs, therefore increasing the mortality rate and leads to depression and self-damaging practices. Prohibit wild animals in circuses, to ensure biodiversity conservation, disease prevention and public health and safety.
Unlike the EC Zoo Directive (1999/22 EC), no clear regulation demands are put on circuses. Only 3 EU member states so far have imposed a full ban on wild animal circuses. Bolt strongly pushes all to take such a stance.
➢Ensure the end of Bullfighting in the EU. Prohibit any financial support given by public actors (European , state, regional or local) or any fiscal benefit towards bullfights and similar traditions, as in such shows animals are unnecessarily made to suffer a great deal. Bolt therefore encourages awareness campaigns against such practices in Spain, Portugal and southern France.
Integrate all these aspects in the next Common Agricultural Policy, so that aid to these sectors is gradually phased out and can be committed elsewhere.
Prevent any attempt of Bullfighting becoming a cultural and immaterial heritage of Humanity, by UNESCO. Fully restrict children and adolescents in events (public and private) related to bullfighting. Work at a national level to recognise animals as sentient beings in the civil codes and adapt the legal codes to prevent the specific exclusion of bulls used in bullfighting. Reject diplomatic attempts to export the practice to other countries. Ensure that public institutions have accessible and transparent mechanisms to effectively track any economic support for bullfighting.
Establish the abolition of the practice in Europe, and in the world, as a collective goal.

➢ Support the conservation of wild species in light of current research and species statuses, such as the European Bird Species Actions Plan. Bolt supports updating the EU Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992, and will push for the establishment of urban corridors for pollinators and, where applicable, other species, to preserve and/or increase populations of key species (e.g. bees).
➢ Strongly regulate the transport of live animals in the EU and ban long term exports of livestock animals to places outside the EU. For more information see “Regulations of Live Animal Transportation” in Bolt’s Policy Portfolio.

Pollution prevention and biodiversity

Pollution-related causes led to one in six premature deaths worldwide in 2015, according to a study published by the Lancet Commission. Indeed, urban development needs to include a strong focus on cleaner air and reducing pollutants which, according to the WHO, contributes to elevated rates of heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. 89 The climate impact of urban environments urgently demands further action to avoid greater degradation of our
environment and by extension our health. Pollution is one of the major risks for further losing biodiversity. Biodiversity not only refers to the number of species within an ecosystem, but also to the genetic diversity within a species’ gene pool and the number of and interaction between different
communities of species within a larger ecosystem. Each level is affected by human activity, and in many cases, this interaction results in a reduction in biodiversity. This raises severe concerns among biologists, environmental scientists, and other communities of researchers. A comprehensive approach to global balance must take into account bold measures on pollution prevention and nature conservation.

Pollution prevention

-Promote the reuse, refurbishment and recycling of existing materials to avoid waste and overproduction, providing a real alternative to limit introduction of contaminants into the natural environment.

➢ Promote investment in research and incentivise changes in legislation to hasten the adoption of new practices that avoid pollution. This could include building roads made of more sustainable materials compared to current building blocks, road pricing for cities as seen in Oslo and London, and the promotion of electrified communal transport.
➢ Examine the idea of a pollution tax by supporting research on this topic.

Biodiversity

➢ Commit to the United Nations Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and promote its overall vision of living in harmony with nature. 91
➢ Promote biodiversity for agricultural land use by:
○ Consistent installation of flower strips and hedges to link habitats.
○ Stopping eutrophication caused by excessive fertiliser use and the associated loss of species.
➢ Support the development of stronger assessment systems for urban development in view of its impact on biodiversity.
○ Support insect-friendly street lawns with high biodiversity by replanting with mixed trees, bushes, and open blooming flowers.
○ Promote initiatives that empower citizens, like urban gardening and sharing economies to reduce waste, as well as support and develop enhanced education programs on biodiversity for all generations.

Migration

Bolt defines ‘migration’ to include all individuals and groups that voluntarily or involuntarily move from one place to another with the intention of settling, permanently or temporarily, in a new location. This includes internal migration and migration between different countries. It is acknowledged that challenges differ depending on the different groups that are included in the broad definition of migration. However, Bolt believes that the difference between groups is fluid,
and that existing definitions create artificial lines that are less relevant now than at the
time of their establishment. Therefore, different policies are proposed in reference to different categories of migrants. Each category will be defined along the lines of existing definitions as established by expert international organisations, such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Red Cross), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Asylum seekers and refugees

One of the biggest crises in the world since the second World War is unfolding at Europe’s doorstep, and the continent is only taking a secondary role in helping those affected by conflicts in the Mediterranean basin and beyond. An unprecedented 70.8 million people around the world have been forced from their homes. This means that nearly 25 people are forcibly displaced every minute as a result of conflict or persecution. Contrary to discourse stating that EU countries are carrying the burden of African and Middle Eastern refugees, developing countries host 84% of the world’s refugees. The current focus in Europe is primarily on curbing migration flows

Reform the EU Refugee system

➢ Set up a Unified EU Refugee Policy to define a unified approach to manage refugee flows from outside the EU. Within the EU, some countries are overwhelmingly taking in asylum seekers and refugees while others do not. Bolt supports a fairer distribution of refugees amongst EU member states or a better compensation for primary host countries to prevent any state from being overburdened. The Dublin system needs to be reformed and a settlement system must be defined (e.g. based on population, population density, wealth, age, and growth). The amended system should provide for penalties for those countries that do not abide by it.
➢ Increase and improve legal pathways into Europe in order to effectively manage flows of refugees and asylum seekers. This includes policies that go beyond the current Dublin Regulation and focus on relocation.
➢ Continue the practice of protecting refugees for the duration of the risk. Additionally, offer permanent residence to refugees after a certain period if they are still at risk (five to seven years) when certain criteria are met. There is little chance of refugees going back to their home countries after such a long period, as there is often nothing to go back to. Immediate permanent
integration is also required for certain types of refugees, such as identified unaccompanied minors.
➢ Ensure that detection mechanisms are put in place in order for victims and potential victims of human trafficking to be spotted amongst the refugee and asylum seekers and the proper response is activated. It is critical to differentiate between the crimes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling, as it can happen that victims of the latter are mistaken for smuggled migrants,
and human rights protection mechanisms are not activated.

➢ Make the○○○asylum system fair, effective, and quick:
By shortening the time period until the final asylum decision is made. By always providing social, legal, and psychological support with specialised services. By allowing asylum seekers to enter the job market from the very first day. Asylum seekers are often not given the opportunity to gain
employment or partake in other activities. It is expensive for countries to provide them with enough money to live on. Often, insufficient resources are provided, leading asylum seekers to live in dire situations. Additionally, excluding asylum seekers from the workforce for the duration of the asylum procedure does not foster integration. Finally, it is against countries’ obligations under international law, human rights law, humanitarian law, and European guidance to support asylum
seekers’ right to work. Indeed, “without the right to work, all other rights are meaningless.” ➢ Ensure that asylum seekers’ and refugees’ rights are respected and that countries uphold obligations arising out of international treaties. ○ Put an end to the practice of detaining asylum seekers under inhumane conditions. Practices that cause unjustified and undue detention should
be stopped.
○ Ensure that the standards for the reception of applicants for international protection are complied with by all European countries.
➢ Involve the private sector and educational institutions in fostering integration by designing alternative accreditation systems for undocumented skills and qualifications, offering training courses and language classes, gathering early information to facilitate employment matching, and setting up platforms and communication channels to explain and openly discuss the rights and duties of people living in Europe.
➢ Ensure decent housing for every asylum seeker and refugee. Additionally, incentivise the adoption of decentralised habitations to foster integration,increasing the chance of securing jobs and of creating a new life in the host country. Integrate social and shared housing into EU cohesion policy. The EU Council of Ministers has given priority to combating social exclusion related to housing in its EU cohesion policy. 105 In 2007, the European Parliament committed itself to a ‘European Declaration on Housing. 106 As such, it is recommended to use available funds for social housing to improve the living situations of people including asylum seekers and refugees.

Set up an international system to prevent and address refugee crises

➢ Move towards an international administration to cooperatively address refugee crises. The failure to do so is not only unfair, but it is also short-sighted, as it drives extra-regional asylum and prompts smuggling and trafficking. This is why it is necessary to move internationally in the direction of “predetermined burden (financial) sharing and responsibility (human) sharing quotas.” Refugee crisis must be addressed proactively, not reactively.
➢ Allow different protection roles for different countries, embracing common but differentiated state responsibilities. This means that, “beyond the common duty to provide first asylum, states could assume a range of protection roles within their responsibility-sharing quota (protection for
duration of risk; exceptional immediate permanent integration; residual resettlement)—though all states would be required to make contributions to both (financial) burden-sharing and (human) responsibility-sharing, with no trade-offs between the two.” 111
➢ Ensure safe passage by creating humanitarian corridors. While combating human smuggling is necessary, it must be acknowledged that often, closing one route forces the creation of
another, sometimes more dangerous. Better communication with people attempting the journey,
both in their home countries and in transition countries, is necessary.
➢ Adapting the current legal framework of the European Union to recognise a legally binding definition of climate refugees, and advocating for its adoption under International Law.
➢ Help transform the protracted refugee camp situation to enable refugees and asylum seekers to contribute to society and ensure that they are afforded their full rights.
➢ Work at the source and tackle the problems that create refugee crises in order to prevent them, through international cooperation and diplomacy.
○ Strengthen international cooperation and governance of migration.
○ Increase focus on prevention of conflict and the mitigation of other causes of refugee flows by political means.
○ Use joint economic, financial, and military resources to diplomatically resolve existing conflicts in areas from which a large percentage of the population was forced to flee.
○ Provide people at risk with protection and assistance in their own countries (including internally displaced persons).
○ Invest in the creation and improvement of humanitarian centres in regions close to the affected area, and support opportunities and effective application processes for resettlement.
○ Promote the rights of refugees to ensure that the obligations of Member States are upheld. This includes positive incentives for those States that respect the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in the form of financial benefits. Diplomatic and economic sanctions shall be applied as a last-resort measure.
○ Increase financial aid for refugee-hosting countries and ensure existing funding commitments are honoured.

Statelessness

➢ Put an end to statelessness in Europe. More than 10 million people are stateless in the world. Stateless persons are often denied the enjoyment of essential rights, such as identification documents, employment, education, and health services.
➢ Push all individual European countries to ratify and implement the 1954 Convention relating to the status of Stateless Persons * designed to ensure that stateless people enjoy a minimal set of rights * and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, that aims at reducing the number of stateless people in the world. As of April 2018, most, but not all, countries are
parties to these conventions.
➢ Work to implement the objectives laid out in the UNHCR Action Plan to End Statelessness in the world by 2024. Bolt will focus on a number of challenges specific to the EU, including:
○ Increasing homogeneity among the procedures of European countries regarding the determination of statelessness, with respect to both administrative and judicial procedures.
○ Facilitating access to nationality for children born stateless in all European countries. In addition, separate procedures should be established for children born en route.
○ Ensuring access to the labour market, education, and social services, even when the residency
status of a stateless person cannot be determined.
○ Establish suitable procedures for unaccompanied stateless minors that are considerate to the specific vulnerabilities of this particular group.
➢ Comply and share best practices among countries, as it was set in the December 2015 Council Conclusions to end statelessness. Stimulate the exchange of information between Member States,
in particular on policies regarding the prevention and reduction of statelessness and the treatment of stateless persons.
➢ Issuing ‘humanitarian visas’ for climate refugees, which is an instrument already existing, and that is already in use. It is precisely the lack of safe and legal pathways, such as visas, that forces people through dangerous and irregular routes.

Economic Migrants

Bolt supports enabling labour mobility by removing existing barriers. At the bi-, multi-, and plurilateral level, much can be gained from liberalised commitments specifically targeting those groups of economic migrants that come from developing and least-developed countries. An important consideration, which should form the basis of any policy regarding the increased mobility of economic migrants, is the needs of the labour market, both in Sending States as well as in Receiving States. Receiving States are often faced with an ageing population and an over-represented supply of
professionals in the service sector. These demographic factors create a demand for the type of work which can be met by economic migrants. Furthermore, economic migrants send much of their income back to their home States in the form of remittance. Investments made possible due to remittances greatly benefit the economic development of the home State. Promoting economic growth through
remittances is mutually beneficial, as it not only supports the development of Sending States, but it also prevents poverty-driven migration. Bolt advocates for permanent economic migration to be made possible by establishing transparent and coherent policies in all European countries. However, policies regarding permanent economic migration should include safeguards to mitigate the negative effects of permanent migration on the workforce and general development of the Sending State.

Economic migrants as a temporary workforce

➢ Target temporary economic migrants when liberalising labour market mobility. Policy designed to this respect should facilitate circular labour mobility. Bolt will:
○ Actively assess the impact on the labour market of the Receiving and the Sending States to ensure a balance between the needs and demands. Commitments made should accommodate the outcome of such an
analysis and mitigate the negative effects of increased labour mobility.
○ Support the active involvement of relevant stakeholders, such as employers and trade unions,
when designing policy on temporary economic migration, both in Sending and Receiving States.
➢ Ensure that a level playing field is created, in which temporary economic migrants have equal access to justice.
○ Use the expertise of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in designing policies that enable temporary migration of workers which adequately balances the interests of foreign and domestic workers.
○ Use the expertise of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in designing policies that enable temporary migration to ensure that the interests of both domestic and foreign workers are fairly balanced.
○ Support local, regional, national, and international prosecution agencies in the fight against human trafficking and in the creation of a global system to report trafficking crimes.
➢ Develop a specific migration visa that should be made available to temporary foreign workers.
○Visas for temporary foreign workers should be subject to a separate regime. Temporary foreign workers should not be entitled to apply for permanent residency or social security in the Receiving State. In turn, the labour rights of temporary migrant workers should be ensured by guaranteeing access to medical services, necessary insurances, and legal services, as well as compliance with local labour laws of the Receiving State.
➢ Work to liberalise services commitments in the World Trade Organisation to better enable the temporary movement of natural persons.
○ Adapt the definition of service supplier in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to include workers that fall into non-service categories, such as agricultural and fishery workers.
○ Utilise the possibility of negotiating additional commitments which support circular migration. Specifically, this means commitments that ensure voluntary return and the prevention of exploitation of temporary workers.
○ Actively work towards the further defining and utilising of Emergency Safeguard Mechanisms, which enable the temporary protection of certain sectors of the labour market in case of an unexpected surge of temporary migrant workers which harms or threatens to harm the national labour market.

Economic migrants as permanent workforce

➢ Push forward the establishment of a separate administrative procedure for permanent economic migrants, in addition to facilitating temporary economic migration.
➢ Support and further develop existing efforts to ease permanent migration for highly skilled migrants, such as the EU Blue Card visa.

Irregular economic migration

➢ Ensure that the fundamental rights of undocumented migrants across Europe are respected in case of detention and deportation. Ensure that the principle of non-refoulement is upheld.
➢ Give particular attention to the rights of minors within the category of irregular economic migrants. The rights as contained in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child must be respected in all circumstances.
➢ Facilitate the creation of an administrative system within and across European countries which allows for the conditional change of status from irregular to regular economic migrant.

European Humanitarian Corridors

Bolt believes that the attitude of the European Union to offer asylum only to those who manage to reach its borders is anachronistic in the face of the natural phenomenon of migration. In order to create a legal migration system, which allows an organic approach to the challenge posed by this phenomenon, we believe it is essential to develop a system of European humanitarian corridors that allows better coordination amongst Member States. Due to the Dublin Regulation and in particular the re-admission practice contained therein, states too often apply contradictory and disadvantageous methods and parameters of demand analysis in relation to other Member States. To combat human trafficking and to prevent the death of people along one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes, we aim to create migration hubs, that is, free zones, under the control of international organizations, including the EU itself. These hubs should be placed on the border
or on the territory of neighbouring States recognized internationally as unstable and / or involved in internal or international conflict. Thereby guaranteeing a short and safe journey to the subjects concerned by the program. The nature of these hubs will be twofold:

This strategic location would allow for a better interception of migratory flows, providing security, stability and legality to a large number of people. Asylum applications would be submitted and evaluated in these hubs. Transportation to safe countries, including non-European countries, would occur later when protection is assured and the necessary documents have been released.
In the meantime, the applicant must be hosted inside the hub under the control and protection of its corresponding international organisation. We find it necessary to entrust the management of these hubs to international organisations and not to government staff of the country where the hub is located. This preference for international organisations is dictated by the desire to avoid cases
of exploitation and repression of freedoms that occur, for example, in Libyan camps. The important factor in hub management must be the attention paid to possible radicalization phenomena.
As regards the criteria for identifying the beneficiaries, the personal and family situations of the applicants will be examined with reference to a plurality of preferential criteria:
a) People from countries involved in international and / or internal conflict. b) Persons recognized as deserving by UNHCR, at least prima facie, of the recognition of the refugee status under the 1951 Geneva Convention and its 1967 Protocol;
c) People who, although not included in the previous point, show a proven condition of vulnerability determined by their personal situation, age and health conditions;
d) Each of the criteria indicated in the previous points, if proven in its consistency and seriousness, can motivate the person’s admission to the project. In complementary form and not as a substitute for the previous criteria, the following additional factors will be taken into account for admission to migration hubs:
e) The eligibility of people for hospitality provided by EU or third country individuals or organisations.support for an initial period. Which can provide refugees with hospitality and
f) Whether applicants have stable family or social networks in European Union member
countries, motivating their desire to establish and integrate themselves in EU member countries. .
These criteria serve to facilitate the identification of integration paths and to exclude and/or limit any insufficiently justified secondary movements. Upon arrival in Europe or in a third country,
migrants should be welcomed and, in collaboration with partner organisations, hosted in different houses and structures placed throughout the country. As is according to a model of regionally spread out reception of refugees. Migrants will then amongst others be offered local language classes and their children will receive schooling to help them integrate into their new social and cultural environment. The reception will be fulfilled pursuing a fair distribution of migratory weight, respect for human dignity and successful integration. Given the complexity of the issue of migration, the above-mentioned plans for migration hubs and the subsequent regionally spread reception of migrants should develop along a medium to long-term axis. The implementation of humanitarian hubs and corridors will be financed by the EU and other relevant humanitarian organisations, both of which will have a say in their operation. Close attention will be paid to the needs of refugees and the status of the hubs and corridors in order to avoid situations of neglect and abandonment. To prevent overcrowding in the event of a new humanitarian crisis,
sufficient funds should be available to expand facilities and infrastructure when necessary.

Development Cooperation and International Fair Trade

Sustainable development is the highest priority and greatest challenge that humanity faces today. Bolt will ensure that Europe lives up to its commitments, which in order to face this challenge, must be fulfilled. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set out a clear international agenda to follow, tackling environmental destruction, inequalities, and conflict. To achieve global balance the EU and its Member States must put people and the planet first in their foreign policy.
Bolt is committed to trade that is free, fair, and sustainable, and that benefits the welfare of
all people along the value chain. Trade policy must facilitate development and be compatible with development cooperation, as well as prioritise principles of democracy and human rights. Development cooperation policies centred on partnership with third countries need to take a geo-political view, seeking to address conflict and instability and the root causes of migration holistically. Thereby
empowering those who are most vulnerable and promoting peace, democracy, and human rights.

Development Cooperation

By adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the EU Member States acknowledged that
a paradigm shift is necessary in international policies on development cooperation. 135 Nowadays, it is impossible to speak about economic growth without taking into consideration its environmental
and social impacts. Bolt believes that Europe should lead by example and promote sustainable development objectives, not only in its internal but also in its external policies. In particular, Europe should focus on the objectives of poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education,
and inequality reduction. All this is to be achieved while respecting the environment, peace, justice, and gender equality. Providing 48% of all global development aid in 2017, the EU and its Member States are collectively the world’s leading donor. This entails a huge responsibility for
Europe and Europeans, who are asked to respect their commitments while promoting the values of peace, democracy, and human rights. However, the coherency and consistency of the EU’s external action is often undermined by the lack of coordination and vision. That is why Bolt is committed to better coordinated development and cooperation policies that are driven by common interests and shared values. We support such development and cooperation policies which are fair, transparent, and respectful of countries’ development priorities.
➢ Propose that Member States and EU-level planning and programming of development aid shall follow the same cycles in order to provide maximum support to developing countries and to speak with a single voice in our external relations.
○ To this end, Bolt proposes to replicate the Joint Programming Exercise, which already proved successful in Cambodia and Palestine, to the rest of our development cooperation relations.
○ The extended use of Joint programming would not always allow national* and EU-level actions to be coordinated and synchronised, but it would lead to the elaboration of a joint strategy that is fully aligned to the partner country’s national development plan.
➢ Introduce a switch to a form of development cooperation which is not only based on public money, but which intelligently mixes different sources of financing and which leverages investments from the private sector. In this context, Bolt welcomes the European External Investment Plan138 and
promotes the use of various forms of blended finance, in coordination with international financial institutions.
➢ Advocate for the economic development of Europe’s partner countries to respect sustainability concerns. Initiatives for financial inclusion shall pave the way to creating fairer societies, where the differences generated by growing inequalities are substantially reduced.
➢ Support the use of new technologies and of innovative methods of consumption and production to promote inclusive and green growth.
➢ Promote and support the development of a good governance framework on the basis of sustainable and foreseeable criteria upon which the eligibility of countries to receive European development aid should be decided.
➢ Coordinate development cooperation on the EU level as part of the common foreign policy based on the principle of sustainable development.

➢ Introduce Results-Based Financing as part of the common foreign policy on development cooperation.
Instead of financing inputs, the recipient country will take care of inputs and results. The results will be rewarded according to agreed-upon criteria and amounts.
➢ Advocate for the establishment of sound fiscal systems as part of development cooperation. This includes:
○ The generation of domestic finance in order to reduce aid dependency, e.g. by providing support for increasing tax collection, raising the public image of taxation and its benefits, as well as reviewing and improving tax policy.
○ The prevention and punishment of tax evasion by individuals and (foreign) companies.
○ The development of financial instruments, such as public and private sector bonds, to allow citizens to invest their savings at home rather than sending the money abroad.
➢ Stimulate local economies and the creation of new jobs through the promotion of production and trade chains by using sustainable technologies.
➢ Providing support for adaptation to countries that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change and whose inhabitants are the likeliest to relocate.
➢ Make available sufficient grant and conditional countries to adapt to climate change,
finance for developing
➢ Accept the definition of climate refugees and responsibilities for supporting refugee populations who are displaced by extreme climate events and rising sea levels.

International Trade

Bolt supports global free and fair trade that is grounded upon the principles of sustainable development and puts people and the planet above profits. When negotiating trade commitments on the bilateral or multilateral level, a number of core principles should be included and respected. International trade should be rules-based, reciprocal, non-discriminatory, and it should actively work towards the sustainable development of all States involved. This means that free trade should be
promoted but should not be unregulated. International trade must respect human rights principles and the limitations of the earth’s resources.

Rules-based free, fair, and sustainable trade

➢ Advocate for multilateral trade agreements rather than unilateral trade policies or agreements between a limited number of trading partners. Global free and fair trade is more effective and efficient if the same set of rules apply equally to all trading nations.
➢ Support the WTO and related institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, UNCTAD, OECD, and ILO to ensure rules-based free and fair trade globally. Bolt will work actively to adequately reform these institutions for the purpose of ensuring that their mandates prioritise sustainable development,
and that economic growth remains within the possibility of our globally limited natural resources. Due to the importance of achieving Global Balance in international trade, Bolt in particular supports the OECD’s “due diligence” approach as requisite for companies operating in global
value chains. 139 This includes the maintenance and use of effective trade mechanisms, such as anti-dumping and anti-subsidy instruments.
➢ Support the implementation of policies related to the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (renewed version 2011)
that incorporate the UNGPs and lay the foundation for Responsible Business Conduct in value chains.
➢ Actively hold European and other developed States to their commitment to diminish, and eventually stop altogether, export subsidies relating to agricultural products.
➢ Closely follow the effects of newly established separate dispute settlement mechanisms and dismantle them if it becomes clear that such mechanisms negatively affect the people of Europe and the environment, or disproportionately favour the private investors that use said mechanisms.
➢ Structure the newly-proposed investor courts in such a way that democratic decisions made in the public interest cannot be interfered with. The new investment court should work on the basis of transparency and equity.
➢ Introduce binding oversight and arbitration mechanisms for the review of human rights breaches and environmental harm, with open civil society participation and complaint mechanisms.

Reciprocal free, fair, and sustainable trade

➢ Build upon the existing EU policies towards imports from less developed countries, like ‘Everything but Arms’ 143, and take away Intra-EU policies that prevent less-developed countries from effectively being able to export to the EU.
➢ Support and defend the open trading character of the EU. The gradual lowering of external tariffs should remain a priority, as well as the elimination of non-tariff barriers.
➢ Improve the democratic legitimacy of the Member-driven governance system of the WTO.
○ Support a quick conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda, if necessary through the establishment of plurilateral agreements under the umbrella of the WTO.
○ The EU and other developed WTO Members should work towards diminishing and eventually stopping all export subsidies relating to agricultural products.
○ Market access for non-agricultural products should be ensured and promoted. Practices that work against gradual liberalisation, such as tariff escalation and the implementation of tariff peaks, should be countered.
○ Negotiations on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights should specifically focus on ensuring a balance of interests among WTO Members regarding the patentability of biological inventions, the protection of plant varieties, and the needed flexibilities for the
protection of public health.
○ Further liberalisation of trade in services is necessary in those sectors of interest for developing or least-developed Member countries.
○ The resources of the WTO Secretariat should be deployed specifically to facilitate cooperation among other international organisations to ensure that technical assistance is more efficient and effective. Possibilities of cross-retaliation and related conflict resolution methods should be explored to better ensure the enforcement of decisions made by the Dispute Settlement Body.
Authoritative interpretations should be employed to enable multi-level judicial control of trade regulations so as to provide more democratic legitimacy to the Member-driven governance system of the WTO.
➢ Support an EU ‘Trade and Aid’ agenda that stimulates Trade over Aid as soon as the level of development of the partner country allows reduction of development aid. The priority must lie with the development of a strong governance structure on the basis of people-oriented programmes. The integration of developing countries in the global economy should be the main objective of development aid, provided such integration benefits the citizens of the State in an equitable
manner. Timely review of development cooperation structures should be institutionalised in order to ensure the equal and equitable distribution of welfare.
➢ Review and accordingly adapt the special and differential provisions in the WTO-covered agreements in order to ensure a holistic and coherent approach to development cooperation.

Energy Systems

For a detailed policy on energy generation and use, please see the separate document
Energy Transition and Climate Change at https://www.Bolteuropa.org/policy-portfolio