PP: Political platform

1. Democracy

Democracy and Rule of Law

We believe in democracy as one of the cornerstones of a free and just society.
Democracy includes more than just elections – a strong and fair institutional
framework, free and diverse media, human rights, and economic and social
equality are all crucial. It is especially important that our political
structures are inclusive and give a voice to minorities and the disenfranchised.

While we believe in democracy on the grassroots, going beyond the elections and
decision-making process on the national level, manifesting in everyday live, we
consider the democratic state, with free election, with the accessible and
transparent law-making process, and with accountability of government and
private actors to the law is crucial to achieve the full democratization beyond
its traditional understanding.

Democracy on the state level

Eastern Europe is threatened by the democratic backsliding. Many young
democracies are still unconsolidated and vulnerable. In other countries,
authoritarian tendencies caused the erosion of democracy, despite free
elections, made them illiberal democracies or hybrid regimes. In Serbia, Georgia
and Turkey, authorities manipulate the electoral results. Azerbaijan and Belarus
are dictatorial states where human rights are not respected. Various countries
have already prohibited NGO work and even some of the EU counties in the region
have laws that limit the human rights (Poland and Hungary).There have been
instances of political arrests in many of these countries. Fighting with
authoritarianism is the biggest challenge we have.

We believe in democracy as the fairest way of governance. But for democracy to
fulfil this promise all citizens must have equal rights and the capacity to be
involved in decision-making processes. Election systems must be representative
and inclusive in order to give a voice to the disenfranchised and to avoid the
unjust accumulation of power.

Additionally, there is not enough involvement of the people from different
backgrounds in politics and policy creation. This includes insufficient
involvement of young people, but also minorities such as gender minorities,
racial minorities and sexual minorities. States that are striving towards
democracy must include rights of these groups and focus on securing the rights
of all people.

Rule of law & Separation of Powers

The protection of human rights depends on the rule of law. Equality, before the
law is imperative for all societies for it, ensures that all people, regardless
of their status, get equal access to the rights they are entitled to. It
furthermore allows governmental decisions to be accessible, transparent and
possible to challenge on an equal footing.

The functioning of institution has to be transparent and approachable for all
citizens in order for it to be more democratic. This way we can ensure that
institutions of the countries are doing efficient and good work that is there to
help people, that is understandable to people, and that is open and fair for
all.

Free Elections

Fair and free elections is the first necessary step to democracy. Elections must
be free from fraud and interference from local and foreign autocrats.

At the same time, we need to remember that fair elections are not enough for
fully democratic society. There are other obstacles: influence of money on
politics, concentration of power in parties and their leaders, insufficient
funding and dependence of regulation and control bodies, legislation and
institutional shortcomings or the lack of proper citizens' representation. All
the instances of election rigging, blackmailing and buying votes should be
instantly taken into consideration with utmost seriousness. In cases when
election frauds have been noted, there should be lawful prosecutions and
proceedings that would ensure that the democracy is protected. While EU has
commented on the recent decline of the democracy in Eastern European region, the
governments that were involved in these unlawful authoritarian doings weren’t
held legally responsible as should be the case in the democratic systems. This
all needs to change to achieve full democracy!

Transparency and anti-corruption

Transparency is a crucial element and backbone of democratic societies.
Transparency provides powerful tools that enable people to hold their
governments to account and help prevent abuse of power and corruption. We
believe that transparency is not only a matter of justice, but it further
enables people to empower themselves. We need better regulations when it comes
to circling of money, stronger laws and fairer system that will punish those who
take part in the corruptive processes. Bettering institutions and life quality
on all levels will also help to fight corruption in the region.

Corruption is a problem in Eastern European countries, they occupy the last
places in the Corruption Perceptions Index. We consider corruption to be one of
the biggest threats to democracy and we demand more effective methods to combat
it.

Strong, green and democratic local government

While the role of local governments varies in every Eastern European country
because of differences in size of the country, urbanization, percentage of
citizens living in the country's capital, various units of territorial division
or electoral laws, our postulates are applicable to every country. We believe
that everywhere, decisions on local matters should be made by the local
community, not in the capital, and not by local oligarchs, but by all citizens.
This involves better self-government policies and more power for the
municipalities, as well as better financial allocation on the state levels. We
support self-governance at the grass-root level as the most non-discriminatory
and just manifestation of democratic governance. We believe that local
government should be inclusive to the general public to foster the decentralised
and democratic local policies, finding local solutions to local problems.

Local government should also mean the friendly infrastructure and the high
quality of public services, which is why it is necessary to finance local
institutions and authorities.

Youth in the decision-making process

In the Eastern European countries, the political participation of young people
is low. This is related to the generally low level of civil society and the lack
of appropriate political education, as well as limited economical resources for
youth. Funding opportunities are limited, young people lack adequate skills and
education, and their demands and actions are often ignored by the media and
politicians. Young people have no affordable housing and no job opportunities,
so many of them keep being depended on their guardians and parents even after
they reach 30s. This is especially problematic for young women who usually are
becoming, in turn, depended of their husbands after marriage, having no
independence in their young years. The entry of young people into politics in
order to achieve a change or run in elections is made difficult by the current
political elites who have been in office for several decades ignoring the
problems of youth, thus concreting the political scene and having a negative
impact on the perception of institutional politics among young people.

CDN supports youth rights in every aspect of social and political life and
strive for making youth’s voices heard. We believe that active citizenship
should be encouraged among youth and, as a minimum, youth rights should be
proactively defended in order to strengthen their position in society. The youth
policies should be advocated for by young activists and politicians, which is
why we want better institutions handling these questions and quotas for young
people in the intuitions around Eastern Europe. As various young activists are
in NGO sector, involvement of this sector in policy making would also help the
rise of youth involvement.

Political participation

We strive for a democracy that enables and encourages active participation in
the shaping of our common future. An appropriate environment for a sustainable
and well-functioning civil society is of utmost importance for the development
and stability of democratic practices. Voluntary action and active citizenship
are important tool to strengthen democracy.

We believe in the democratic governance as a basis of all political and social
institutions, not only on the state and local government level, but also at the
grassroots, in schools and in the workplace. Thus, the support and space for
civic society is crucial in the creating of the democratic society. This must
start from the education that would involve better teachings about political
systems, democracy and political participation, and active support of various
initiatives, organisations and foundations that offer additional and non-formal
education about these subjects.

Fighting the shrinking space for civic society

In many of the Eastern European countries NGOs have been crucial when it comes
to human rights, youth education, funding, political work and reconciliation
processes. There have been instances where NGOs have been working hard to
include policies and fight for political rights bringing finally certain laws to
realisation, while government did nothing. When it comes to minorities, NGOs
have also been doing had work in the region, giving various kinds of help,
including legal help to those in need whose rights aren’t always recognized
rightfully by the state. On Balkan region, especially among ex-Yugoslav
counties, NGOs did a lot of work when it comes to reconciliation and education
regarding the war in 90s, providing additional help to those from the affected
areas. All of these are the reasons why it is crucial to have NGO work and
activists especially in the Eastern Europe.

Unfortunately, various countries NGO work is under threat. At some places, so
called “foreign agent law” has already been put into action. This law has its
origins in Russia, but variations of it have been adopted in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan
and Hungary, while there were tries to introduce it in Bosnia. Despite protests
and negative feedback, governments in these countries continue to push out NGOs
and limit the activists’ work.

We have to continue to fight for the right of NGOs to work, for progressive
youth to get informal education, and for Eastern European countries to continue
their democratic and European paths. Organisations not connected to government
are crucial step when it comes to fighting authoritarian regimes, as the give
freedom to the citizens, offer differ perspectives and provide important aspect
to political life of states.

Citizens’ participation in decision-making processes

Our vision is to create a government that operates with integrity, transparency,
and accountability, ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to actively
shape the future of our nation. To achieve this, we propose a government where
the legislative process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all. We must
recognize that the widespread corruption affects governing of cities and lowers
the citizens engagement, and fight this issue to reach more just and transparent
society.

We need to have all government documents and data, including acts, regulations,
project plans, consultation reports, and tender information, published and made
available through centralized platforms designed for easy access and use by the
public. There should be simple and efficient process of making complaint and
demanding investigation in case some of the files seems to reveal illegal or
corrupt practice.

Civile society must participate in public institution through different
partnerships and better involvement of civil organisation. There should be a
system to empower citizens to shape movement, institutions and services. Through
participatory budgeting, citizens should have the opportunity to decide how
public funds are allocated. Petitions should be taken into the account and
provide mandate discussion in the national parliament in order to ensure that
citizens can directly influence decision making

To ensure equality and justice, providing free legal assistance to citizens in
administrative matters. This initiative will help individuals navigate
bureaucratic processes with confidence and fairness, ensuring that their rights
are protected.

By implementing these initiatives, we aim to build a government that is not only
of the people but also by the people and for the people. Together, we can create
a future defined by transparency, inclusivity, and active civic engagement.

Human rights

A democratic society must ensure the protection of individual liberties, human
rights, cultural relativism, and the rights of minorities. Freedom of expression
and speech must be respected, while keeping in mind that spreading hate speech
should not be tolarated.

We acknowledge that respect for human rights cannot be guaranteed without
tackling the discrimination of vulnerable groups in society, standing strongly
for a self-determined, decent life with full access to social, political,
cultural, and economic rights.

The human-rights based approach

It is crucial that all citizens have equal rights and their lie needs covered
despite of their socio-cultural differences and backgrounds. This especially
means a right to work, to live freely and securely, to have decent living wage,
to have health insurance, to have right on education, to have drinking water and
to have other human needs fulfilled. Sad reality is that many of people,
especially those coming from vulnerable backgrounds, do not have these rights
fulfilled and live well below these standards.

Vulnerable groups include, but are not limited to, minorities, women and non-
binary people, LGBTQIA+ and queer people, people with disabilities, Roma
community and other racial minorities, migrants, refugees and displaced people,
religious minorities, and those from living in unfavourable socio-economic
conditions. The reality is that people from these groups and communities do not
have same opportunities and rights as others, and in order to have a just and
progressive society we need to redgndnize their needs and fulfil them.

These are just the basic needs that are essential for one’s survival but it is
also important to take into the account the rights of various groups on freedom
of speech and various cultural freedoms. Everyone should have the freedom to
express themselves and to practice their culture as long as it does not involve
attack on someone else’s right or spread of hate and/or misinformation.

LGBTQIA+ Rights

In Eastern Europe it is especially difficult to lobby for progressive changes
due to highly conservative and in many cases authoritarian governments, that
proclaim traditional values which are used as an excuse for corruption and
intolerance. In the ILGA Europe ranking, Eastern European countries are at the
bottom of the list when it comes to tolerance and respect for LGBTQIA + rights.
Various Eastern European countries still have a problem with numerous hate
crimes against LGBTQIA+ people, some, sadly, resulting in violence and murder.
The rights for sexual and gender minorities are limited, while even freedom of
expression is called “propaganda” in some of the countries such as Georgia. In
2023, only Montenegro (12th) and Croatia (18th) were in top 20 best rated
countries. There are some signs of improvement, such as the introduction of
marriages in Estonia and Slovenia, civil unions in some countries, recently
Latviia and Montenegro and the ongoing anti-discrimination laws in other
countries. Homophobia is decreasing among young people, especially those with
liberal and leftist views. The number of organized prides is also growing.

Thus, we believe that the rights for LGBTQIA+ people must be finally reached in
all of the countries of Eastern Europe. Sexual and gender minorities must have
safe and secure lives without the threat of violence and hate crime. Everyone
must have the right to find work that earns them living wage and not to face
discrimination because of their identity on the work job, as well as in their
private and public lives. Same sex marriages should be recognised by the law,
providing LGBTQIA+ people with right to adopted and to have legally recognized
unions. Laws and system that concern gender transitions must be updated in order
for trans and non-binary people to have easier time dealing with these
processes.

Gender equality and women’s rights

Gender equality is fundamental to a just society. Longstanding patriarchal
traditions as well as the economic inequalities, have resulted in the
oppressive, exploitative and discriminatory treatment of non-males, often
effectively relegating them to second-class status. Eastern Europe is often
cradle of patriarchy and it often doesn’t have suitable laws and education that
provide neither security nor equality for women and gender minorities. Sustained
action, guided by a strong feminist perspective, is needed to overcome this
problem. Gender equality is the necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous
and sustainable world.

We believe that the first step in achieving these rights is the proportional
representation of people of various gender identities in representative bodies
which includes, but is not limited to, assemblies on all state levels. Quotas
are, however, not enough as women must be included in every step of making
policies so that they are directly expressing their needs and rights. This does
not only mean policies that are directly addressing gender equality, but also
educational, housing, health problems etc. as all of these are areas that affect
everyone, but are often normalised by male standards...

Gender-based violence is ongoing problem and it is not being delt with
efficiently in the eastern region, often resulting in physical violence and
death of the victim. Many countries have the epidemic of femicides (most
notably, Turkey). Even though some of the Eastern European states have ratified
Istanbul Convention it is obvious laws are not put into practice. This is why
there should be better security for gender minorities. This also includes
victims of sexual violence and harassment, another area where law and practice
are often lacking. The inquiries into sexual assault should be done thoroughly,
with empathy towards the victim, without additional harm to them, and justly.

Women and gender minorities that require it must have right to free and quality
reproductive health care. This should be provided to those of all stages and
ages of life and includes the right to terminate pregnancy.

The right to work and earn decent, living and equal wage should be provided to
all. Workers rights should be adapted to women and gender minorities and should
include paid pregnancy leave, days off for period and all other rights specific
to gender minorities. Discrimination in any way on work place on the basis of
gender is absolutely unacceptable. All companies and institutions should have
equality plan, and there should be clear proceeding in cases when this plan is
not fulfilled. We are against unpaid care work that often falls down to women,
such as child care and care for the sick and elderly. This type of work should
be split equality between members of household and/or should be compensated, as
it is unfair that women are those who are expected to carry out this work for
free in the patriarchal societies.

There should be better education in schools as well as accessible informal
education about gender rights, equality and history of gender rights that would
provide young people with knowledge and resources about the subject. We believe
this is the only way going forward and bettering the society in order to reach
equality among all genders in full.

Racial minority and Roma rights

We recognise that Easter European countries have a systematic problem with
racism, especially towards Roma communities. As organisation that values
progressive ideas and freedoms, these are inequalities that we strive to get rid
of in order to provide safe and fair life to people from all racial background.
This is why countries of Eastern Europe must develop anti-discrimination laws
that will strongly address racism and protection of racial minorities,
especially when it comes to Roma people that are heavily discriminated in the
region. These laws must provide equal rights and social security to racial
minorities, as well as tackle the question of housing, employment, healthcare,
education and prejudices faces by communities.

There should be zero tolerance policy when it comes to various forms of racist
discrimination, hate speech and far-right ideas that promote extremism which
targets racial minorities. In order to achieve this, institutions concerning
these issues, as well as handling integration, should be strengthened and get
better funding. There are various civil organisations and groups in the region
that already have expertise in developing policies about rights for racial
minorities, so we demand for their including in the functioning of these bodies.
Additionally, there should be political representation of these minorities in
various legal bodies and local and national govemrents. Special emphasis should
be put on the process of education where racial minorities should be fully
integrated and school curriculum provides education about history and rights of
racial minorities.

We strive toward society that provides equality for cultural, racial and
national background, so we wish to recognize and cultural diversity of all
racial minorities in the region and finally reach diverse and inclusive Eastern
Europe.

Children and youth rights

As an organisation of young people, we recognise the key role of youth and
children in society. Youth is not only the future of society but its present
too. Often, they are not seen as an active and equal actor in the political,
social, cultural, and economic spheres and are excluded from decision-making
processes or treated as mere tokens. There is need to empower young people, let
them lead and create projects, support youth in decision-making and youth
organisations.

In many countries, there is no clear framework for children’s rights. Protection
of them is also harder due to economical, cultures and administrative barriers,
a huge number of non-reporting of cases of rights violations, bad legal
procedures and lack of trust in the work of authorities. CDN sees the need of
holistic politics to break all of these barriers in order to achieve proper
children and youth rights protection.

Migrants’ and refugees’ rights

With war in Ukraine and destabilisation of Middle East, Africa and Asia, eastern
Europe is also getting influx from refugees in recent years and it is important
to provide them with decent living conditions and better social inclusion. We
support cultural exchange initiatives and fight for refugee and migrant
healthcare, work rights, legal support and shelter. We also have to take the
account the growing issue of climate refugees, and to start talking more about
the issue while also providing good life conditions to those forced to move
their place of life due to global heating and climate crisis.

This all includes fighting against all cases of human trafficking, as migrants
and refugees are often victims of these illegal activities. There should be
better education about issue and better funding for those institutions and
organisations that are trying to stop and prevent human trafficking.

Disabilities rights

The society we advocate for is the one where all people have equal opportunities
despite of their abilities, which is why we need to take the rights of people
with disabilities into the account. We strive towards states offering much
better health care and bigger funding for disability research, so all people
have quality treatment, good health insurance, and educated doctors that can
provide them specific health needed.

Currently the Eastern European infrastructure is largely lacking when it comes
to accessibility, so it is crucial to have settlements that are accessible for
all. This especially concerns workplaces and places of education (kindergartens,
schools and universities) as right to work and educate is one of the top
priorities for everyone. People with disabilities deserve dignified and quality
lives that won’t be limited or that doesn’t differentiate them from people who
do not have health problems.

We need to introduce better social and care system that will provide care
benefits, work benefits, and social insurance to those who are caring for people
with disabilities.

Religious freedom

We believe that state should be secular and that no religion should dictate
state and laws, ensuring that governmental policies and decisions are not
influenced by religious doctrines. There should be guaranteed right that no
religion is privileged over others in public institutions or laws.

This also provides protection the rights of minorities and ensures equal access
to public services for all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs. We
advocate for the rights of minority religious groups, ensuring they have the
same freedoms and safety as majority faiths. This prevents discrimination and
favouring certain groups based on religion. Religious freedom also enables the
development of science, culture and education independently of religious
influences.

Religious education on the state level should be done so that children are
informed of various different religious and not just the majority religion of
the said state. School should promote religious tolerance, but also be separated
from church and from sharing any specific religious doctrine.

Every person should have the right to practice their religion and have certain
believes, as long as they don’t pressure or harm others. No one should be made
either by state or another person to practice or not practice the religion.
Place of religious worship should not be agitated.

However, religious associations should be taxed accordingly, and they should not
be excluded from ban on discrimination.

Cultural policy

Culture is intertwined with every other aspect of life and is fundamentally
linked to the overall quality of living. Moreover, we believe that without a
developed culture, deeper and broader social change is not possible and hence
the culture policy should be more prioritised by progressives in Eastern Europe.

CDN stands for the society with access to culture, with adequate access to
information in reliable media, with cultural connections to other nations in
Europe and world, and that treats and rewards cultural workers with dignity.

Media & digital policy

A free, diverse and critical media landscape is crucial to a well-functioning
democracy, allowing citizens to express their views, gain information, and
engage in political deliberation. We believe that only a media that is not
controlled by a few big enterprises and political actors can fulfil its role in
holding governments accountable. We believe in the power of digital activism
too. For the internet to remain a space where society can meet and deliberate,
we must ensure that it is free from mass surveillance both by government and
commercial entities, and the fake news and disinformation is fought.

Media shouldn’t be cancelled in any situation that doesn’t promote hate or
violence against certain group of people. We believe in people’s right be
informed as critical thinking, accessibility to information and knowledge are
some of the keys of shaping citizens when it comes to political thinking and
advancing democracy.

Journalists should be protected no matter what is the dominant politics of the
country. Their safety should be insured in all circumstances, providing them in
just environment where they can preform their job. Attack against journalists
should be prosecuted by the international bodies. We also advocate for better
rights of whistle-blowers which will ensure their protection and wellbeing.

Policies regarding AI Technology

We understand that AI technologies are the invention that is use on every day
basis and that they help the quality of life in many ways. However, as AI is
ever-growing and new field in the sphere of digital technologies, legal
regulations are not as developed as they should be in order to keep human rights
and democratisation of society as the key point. We already know that AI is used
in many surveillance technologies being pioneered in Eastern European countries,
and that AI based algorithms on social media and heavily influencing political
content being presented to it’s users. Majority of social media that is used
around the world, as well as in Eastern Europe, is being developed by Chinese
companies that do not priorities data protection and by American tech moguls
that mostly support conservative and oligarchic ideas. This is why we have to be
very careful when it comes to future of AI, and why CDN finds that we should
have better policies about its development and usage.

These policies must be based around bettering society and having human safety
and wellbeing at its core. We want AI that will help society’s development,
education and labour, but not in the way that it will affect labour rights,
youth activism, human safety, data protection and quality of education.

As we keep green ideals in the core of our organisation, we must at all times
keep in mind AI’s energy consumption and its heavy influence on the environment.
This is why we must strive towards using more energy efficient AI technologies
that are based on renewable resources and do not, in any way, harm the
environment or affect climate changes.

Arts & Culture Policy

Culture is a public good, that should be accessible to all, and in various ways.
Moreover, culture is an integral part of a democratic society. We recognize that
freedom of art should be a key determinant of the level of democracy in a given
country and that cultural policy should be a priority of both national and local
governments and other political organizations like ours.

The artists and cultural workers deserves the recognition of their great social
role. We need to end the systematic underfinancing by creating fair system of
public funding and regulating the working condition in the culture and arts
sector that is planned and implemented in the cooperation with artists.

Art, culture and cultural practices should not be discriminated, censored and
banned, and every person should have the right of the cultural and artistic
expression according to their wishes as long as no hateful or harmful message is
being spread.

The need for intercultural dialogue

We believe that intercultural dialogue not only deepens the understanding of
different perspectives and practices, but is the basis for the functioning of
peaceful, inclusive and democratic societies. We consider it necessary to
conduct a permanent intercultural dialogue on a larger scale to a mutual
understanding of societies, to identify common and specific problems, mutual
aspirations and grievances, and to learn about historical and cultural
similarities

An inclusive society and long-term sustainable prosperity can only be achieved
with a defeat of exclusionary ideologies such as fascism or populism that for
years are only leading European countries to insecurity, divisions and exclusion
of the most threatened groups. These political agendas further weaken the
disenfranchised and strengthen the powerful. We believe solidarity to be a
foundation on which all progress is built. We stand for cooperation and mutual
collaboration as solutions to the split societies that exclusionary ideologies
create.

Decolonisation

Eastern Europe was the subject of colonization by various empires: Russia,
United Kingdom, Austria, Ottoman Empire, Germany and Sweden. Moreover, the
Eastern European countries as Hungary, Poland or Serbia were colonizers
themselves towards their neighbours. There is still ongoing neo-colonial aspect
where Europe, and by that also Eastern Europe, is under direct and indirect
attack of Russia, China, USA, and other global forces that use hard and soft
powers alike.

We believe that the suppressive systems imposed by colonial powers in all the
aspects – economical, social, cultural, political – need to be dismantled. For
that to happen, it is crucial to rise awareness of our colonial past and
actively initiate and participate in the process of decolonization. Unification
of Europe and development of it’s independence is also key point to resist new
threats and attacks on states and security of the continent.

Recognizing Eastern Europe as post-colonial space

Most of the countries in Eastern Europe were in their history occupied colonial
empires or ruled by their puppet government. This heritage in our countries has
resulted in a lack of experience of democracy and a low level of social
commitment and political culture.

The democratisation and modernisation processes in Eastern Europe is still
significantly sabotaged by Russia, the oligarchs and politicians it supported,
the disinformation and destabilization campaign, and the wars it started in
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The lack of its common recognition as struggle
against colonial empire led to the slow and inadequate reaction of international
community for the Russian aggressions in these countries.

One of the first steps of going forwards also must be recognition of state’s own
colonial past and war crimes, calling them by their name, and leading peace
processes. Colonisation is very complex subject and it must be realised that
country can be both victim of it and aggressor (as in case of Serbia, which was
occupied by Ottoman empire, but then in 90s was the aggressor during the wars,
and then the subject of the NATO attack). In order to embrace the complexity we
must face with it and start working on reconciliation.

Moreover, the West's inability to take proper account of Eastern European
historical experiences and taking responsibility by former colonizers leads to
existing inequalities between countries, discrimination against Eastern
Europeans (especially those outside the EU), stereotyping and Euro-Orientalism,
and exploitation of our countries.

Thus, we believe that Eastern Europe's recognition as a post-colonial space is
necessary both for modernization and democratic processes in our countries, and
for the equality in international relations in Europe and the world.

The process of decolonization

We believe that the process of decolonization needs to happen in all the
captured spheres of public life, as culture, economics, education or politics.
Decolonisation process needs to happen both in the former colony that regains
its independence, self-identity and cultural autonomy, and in former colonizer
that must renounce all encroachments on the territory that may once have
belonged to it territorially, industrially, or even culturally. The process
needs to be agreed upon by both parties.

Finally, the decolonization needs to happen also in the international
organisations and movements that should pay more attention to the problems and
aspirations of regions as Eastern Europe, instead of taking the reality of
Western and Northern Europe as the premise of any political discussion and
focusing firstly on its problems and programs created for it.

2. Social rights

Housing

We believe that housing, as well as free education or healthcare, is the basic
human rights. It needs to be affordable, accessible and adequate. We need
solutions for ensuring that this rights becomes reality for all, solutions for
building and renovating existing houses so they are adequate, accessible and
affordable, as well as to eliminate homelessness, energy poverty and upgrade
informal settlements.

Housing as a right

Housing is one of the core human rights and not a luxury. As such, citizens
should be able to afford themselves decent living space that will not put them
in the danger of ending up on the street. This needs to be done by reorganising
housing policies and bettering the urbanism plans that will develop more
affordable and more sustainable cities and settlments for all people.

Young people in Eastern Europe deal with rising rents, especially in big cities,
and old and unmaintained housing. Hence, public funding for building and
renovating housing needs to be increased. We believe that in the times of
housing shortage, there is a need for building houses also by private investors,
however, they need to be built after consultations with citizens, and aiming to
solving housing problems, not serving primarily as a capital investment.

The renters need to be protected from exploitation! The rent should be fixed and
predictable, the signed contract should be prepared in a legible and clear
manner, and the rights of tenants should be protected by law. We support
introduction of the rent gap which will help spiralling of the prices which is
currently happening in Eastern European region. Searching for a rental apartment
should not be a long, stressful process. Moreover, the homes should be built
with good access to infrastructure, green areas, public transport and close to
public services.

We believe that the right to decent housing should be guaranteed by state and
European institutions, and protected by law. Hence, in addition to change of
general framework of housing policy, there is need to have concrete set of
policies against housing crisis and exploitation of renters.

The issue related to housing is energy poverty: houses need to be warm in winter
and cool in summer. We need large-scale social energy renovation and
retrofitting programme to combat energy poverty.

Education

Education is one of the most important means enabling young citizens to stand up
for their rights and fully contribute to democracy. We believe the current
educational system must be fundamentally reformed enabling the direct and equal
participation of students in the learning process. Education is for progress,
sustainability, diversity, and prosperity. The educational reform is one of the
most important issues, hence it must not be a subject to interest of particular
political options, but take into account the diverse views and opinions of all
relevant stakeholders.

Modern pan-European education

Equal access to high-quality education across the whole Europe is essential to
reducing social inequalities, reducing youth emigration and unemployment, and
ensuring their future economic independence. It is also necessary for the
intercultural exchange and dialogue. Thus, we think that there is need for some
pan-European guidelines for education, while ensuring decentralization of
education curricula.

We highlight the value and importance of non-formal education as an inclusive
alternative to current institutional forms of education and as a major provider
of skills to foster participation in democracy.

Modern Education

The long-term education strategy should be focused on raising the quality of the
general level of education for all citizens, not adapting them to the market's
needs. Education should be in pairs with the tendencies and challenges of
society and ensure the functional literacy of youth by introducing modern
curricula elements and approaches in teaching. We believe in the power of non-
formal education methods that are not implemented in our education systems. We
believe it should be available to all, with support systems for needed students
and decent working and salary conditions for teachers.

We recognize the need to change the system of formal education to one that is
more suited to the modern world. We also support more close cooperation of
schools with civil society. NGOs’ activities cannot replace the state school
system, but it could be symbiotic.

Higher education

Higher education is a basis for the development. It needs to be fair, accessible
and modern. Universities should educate their graduates to be fully ready to
take up employment or continue their academic career after completing their
studies.

High quality research and development should be stimulated. People who decide to
pursue a scientific career should enjoy good working conditions, earnings and
prestige. Young scientists should gain academic independence more quickly, and
universities should attract them and provide good working conditions, for
example by offering post-docs.

Healthcare

Efficient health care requires increased funding, well-equipped hospitals and
well-paid doctors and nurses. Prevention and diagnostics should be subsidized.
Mental and reproductive health should be treated as important as physical
health. At the same time, we believe that only a holistic approach to
healthcare, in which we take into account the impact of other public policies on
our well-being, can give us a chance to build an efficiently functioning system.

Health Policy For All

CDN believes that free, accessible and adequate healthcare is one of the most
important tasks of a state. Therefore, prioritizing healthcare and increasing
spending on it is imperative. We need faster access to specialists and ERs, we
need better access to mental and reproductive health. Improving the conditions
of treatment and health care must also include meals in hospitals, reducing the
prices of prescription drugs, and increasing access to contraception.

We are aware that especially vulnerable groups encounter obstacles in
healthcare: there are big differences in quality of health services between
countries, between urban and rural areas, there are problems with healthcare for
migrant workers.

Mental Health