President's EU Elections Address

Dear co-operators,

The upcoming European elections will give all EU citizens the opportunity to cast a vote for their future – for our collective future. May 2019 will remain in European history either for our spirit of responsibility or for our act of adventurism.

The idea for a European Union started out of necessity for common peace and shared prosperity. Over the course of the last six decades, this ambitious dream progressively became a reality and today, our Union is a global beacon for democracy, social justice, co-operation, and sustainable development, among other things. Consumer Co-operatives, based on our distinct model driven by principles and values, have contributed to a strong Europe.

Led by our mission to constantly better the lives of our members and by our unwavering belief in the European idea, we shall continue the co-operative contribution to a prosperous future for our Community. Just like the co-operative movement, Europe is strong when it is united in diversity and it is about people-first.

Of course, being responsible does not mean being uncritical. Our European project must continue to grow if it is to serve its citizens better. In this regard, Euro Coop has a strong vision as presented in our EU Elections Manifesto, which provides key policy recommendations in four areas of significance to the work of consumer co-operatives.

This is why I turn to all 30 million co-operators, citizens of the EU, with an appeal to exercise your democratic rights and sense of duty at the upcoming European elections: “With our votes, we can give the new Parliament a strong mandate.”

With co-operative regards, 

Mathias Fiedler
President

Download the Address in PDF.