Attack on Democracy. An Intervention

What does the euro crisis actually consist of? From a political point of view, it is less a matter of debt and more a question of the risks posed to democracy by the supposed rescue of the currency: the German chancellor now speaks of “market-conform democracy“. Institutions without democratic legitimization such as the ominous “troika“ have been established; their prescribed “austerity plans” infringe on sovereignty and independence.

Supposed rescues take place with the urgency purportedly caused by “the markets” and the decisions taken with such urgency are then considered to be “without alternative”. Democracy is a form of order based on the consideration of alternatives and it is under constant threat – especially when apparent necessities suggest that there is “no time” to go through energy and time-consuming parliamentary procedures. People’s faith in politics in the EU member states has fallen off dramatically.
This intervention is taking place due to our concerns over undemocratic and market-oriented decision-making processes in the EU, decisions whose far-reaching consequences can neither be predicted nor deliberated in parliament. With statements by Franziska Augstein, Friedrich von Borries, Carolin Emcke, Julia Encke, Romuald Karmakar, Nils Minkmar, Ingo Schulze, Joseph Vogl, Harald Welzer and Roger Willemsen.