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http://www.health-peace-justice.org/

Welcome

The International Alliance for Health, Peace and Social Justice is a global movement which aims to create a healthy, peaceful and just world by uniting people from all nations, cultures, races and creeds in a common effort to achieve these goals.
For decades, national and international political institutions have promised to help create such a world. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, mankind is clearly further than ever from its establishment and the time has come for new thinking.
The greatest obstacles to a healthy, peaceful and just world are the vested company interest groups that regard the planet as their property and us, the inhabitants of this planet, as their market place. In addition, however, the political leaders in many countries are effectively little more than agents acting for these interest groups. While promising to put an end to unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, epidemics and the destitution of millions of people, they simultaneously sacrifice people’s fundamental rights for the benefit of the global multinationals.
We therefore invite all individuals and organizations (both national and international) to join with us and work toward the achievement of a better world.
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• Preamble to our programme
• Read more about the political thinking that informs our International Program

Europe

We say ‘yes’ to a people's Europe but a decisive ‘no’ to a Europe of company interest groups

Only when we succeed in focusing on the interests and concerns of Europe’s people will the European unification process be successful. Only then will a Europe arise that enables different nationalities and cultures to join in a common identity. Only then will citizens perceive the advantages which a common Europe has, in contrast to an association of single nations.

The historical background to the European Union

From the beginning, the process of European unification has been promoted primarily to serve the interests of big commercial enterprises. One of the first coalitions of European nations was, characteristically, the European Economic Community (EEC).
Under Chancellor Kohl, who was originally employed by the pharmaceutical group BASF, a Europe of big company networks was systematically constructed. The German government purchased itself prime position in the development of this ‘Europe of company groups’ by committing extraordinary levels of ‘EU contribution payments’ from German tax revenues. German payments to the EU were more than double those of the next biggest industrialised European countries. They bore no relation to population numbers or other comprehensible criteria. The sole reason for these exorbitant payments to the EU was to be able to call the shots and dictate policy!
Against this background it is not surprising that a European community developed that was conceived, constructed and controlled to serve the interests of multinationals: one gigantic market place where a single currency rules, and where the people of Europe are not much more than 450 million or so compliant consumers.

‘No’ to a Europe of company group interests

The development of the European Union and its central decision bodies makes a mockery of any real democracy. One of the decision-making committees of the European Union is the so-called ‘European Commission’, Europe’s political ‘cabinet’.
EU Commission as EU politburo of company groups. The EU Commission has so much power that it passes regulations for all spheres of life affecting 450 million Europeans. Yet none of the EU commissioners have been elected, or democratically legitimised by any other means. On the contrary, many EU commissioners used the top managerial levels of multinationals as a springboard for membership of the Commission. They were not elected, but ‘dispatched’.
Since these commissioners were not democratically elected, they are not responsible to or representative of the people, nor can they be voted out again. This knowledge has created a ‘power arrogance’ within the EU Commission, which throws wide the door to corruption. Against this background the resignation of whole teams of commissioners due to corruption becomes explicable.
A ‘conflict’ of interests with company groups is not seen as a problem but is, rather, the rule for EU commissioners. For instance a former EU trade and industry commissioner was on the supervisory board of the world’s second biggest pharmaceutical company group. Another commissioner even founded a sub-commission, which he called the ‘G 10’, with the aim of smoothing the way for pharmaceutical companies throughout Europe with a hand-picked circle of pharmaceutical company representatives and politicians.

Ending the ‘pharmaceutical business with disease’ throughout Europe

If one observes the instruments of power developed in Brussels and Strasbourg by the pharmaceutical Chancellor Kohl, the appointing of pharmaceutical group representatives to key EU Commission posts, and protection laws enacted throughout Europe, one can recognise the unscrupulous interests of the ‘pharmaceutical business with disease’ running like a thread through EU structures.
In the interests of the pharmaceutical industry and to protect its ‘billion-dollar business with disease’ based on patentable pharmaceutical drugs, the EU Commission has issued several so-called EU directives. The main aim of such Europe-wide legislative measures is to prohibit scientifically founded, non-patentable natural remedies. Without the slightest scruple, therefore, the pharmaceutical industry uses its lobbyists in the EU Commission to promote its own interests and ignore the health and life of Europe’s people. This is something we will put an end to.
No country in Europe is obliged to implement measures that endanger the health and life of its people. Politicians who follow the dictates of the pharmaceutical industry and prohibit vital health information about vitamins and micronutrients, must be voted out and held to account. The business with disease, the intentional sustaining of endemic diseases as billion-dollar markets for pharmaceutical drugs, must be made a criminal offence throughout Europe.

Rejection of the European constitution underpinning a ‘Europe of company groups’ was the first step to a Europe of the people

The people of France and Holland rejected the European constitution in no uncertain terms. This was not merely the expression of a passing dissatisfaction in these countries but reflects the deep mistrust felt by the citizens of Europe towards an EU bureaucracy that promotes company group interests.
The people have recognised that this ‘Europe’ does not serve the inhabitants of Europe, but was imposed on them to serve the interests of multinationals. The people have understood that this ‘Europe of company groups’ was sold to them by servile politicians who dressed it up as a successful rapprochement between nations, a ‘Europe from above’ to which they were meant to give their blessing by agreeing to an ‘EU constitution of company groups’. The people of Europe have seen through this and clearly rejected it.

Questionable view of democracy held by German parties

The established parties in Germany have also understood the dismissive stance of the great majority of Germans towards a Europe of company group interests. For this reason these parties intentionally avoided submitting the European constitution to them for a referendum vote, despite the fact that a European constitution would have far-reaching consequences for every person in Germany and would largely replace the German constitution.
What do these established parties have to hide if they cannot even submit the constitution of a new Europe to their own people for a referendum vote? What view of democracy is expressed by so-called ‘democratic’ parties if the people of Germany are not permitted to vote on the essential legislative foundation which will determine the political identity of Germans for generations to come?
The EU constitution is dead in the water as a result of the referenda in France and Holland. Any politicians who tries to revive this ‘Europe of company groups’, irrespective of the pretext, is opposing the interests of the people of Germany and Europe.

‘Yes’ to a Europe of the people and for the people

The unification of the people of Europe is a necessary process which heralds an important development for understanding between nations, peace and the development of a socially just world.
The attempt to impose a ‘Europe of company groups’ on the people of Europe has foundered. On the path to a ‘Europe of the people’ we do not need abstract debate about an EU constitution, but practical steps to help the people of Europe develop a new Europe together, one not only accepted but also sustained by them. Health, peace, social justice, work creation and a life of dignity for all people of Europe are the guiding political tenets here.
The ending of the ‘pharmaceutical business with disease’ will eradicate endemic diseases in the long term, saving millions of human lives and billions in healthcare costs. The Europe-wide introduction of economical, renewable energies will save additional billions. These gigantic sums will be used to promote disadvantaged regions within Europe and build a socially just Europe.
The targeted development of disadvantaged countries and regions of Europe will also remove the need for the people living there to leave their homes and seek work in more prosperous countries. This in turn will lead to a fall in unemployment, enable the root causes of racism and hatred towards foreigners to be tackled, and prevent social tensions from becoming a breeding ground for rightwing political extremism.
This ‘Europe of the people’ is an important interim goal towards overcoming social injustices on a world scale, on the path to a healthy, peaceful and just world.