The European Free Alliance
The European Free Alliance (EFA) Group in the European Parliament currently includes representatives from Scotland, Wales, Flanders, Galicia, Corsica and Latvia. EFA MEPs advance the cause of Europe's stateless nations, regions and disadvantaged minorities.
EFA Members of the European Parliament are members of the Greens/European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament, forming a common parliamentary group since the European elections of 1999.
Current EFA MEPs are Jill Evans (EFA Group President) of Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales, Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith of the Scottish National Party, Frieda Brepoels of N-VA (Flanders), Ana Miranda of Bloque Nacionalista Galego, François Alfonsi of PNC (Corsica) and Tatjana Zdanoka of PCTVL - Latvia.
The European Free Alliance was formed in Brussels in 1981. At a meeting in Barcelona in 2004, EFA became one of the first registered European Political Parties, following new EU rules on party registration.
EFA priorities in the European Parliament include the respect of linguistic and cultural diversity, sustainable European energy policies, regional development and EU structural funding and the promotion of sustainable local agriculture. In its Protocol of Understanding the Group sets out to:
build a society respectful of fundamental human rights and environmental justice: the rights to self-determination, to shelter, to good health, to education, to culture, and to a high quality of life;
increase freedom within the world of work, not only by tackling unemployment, but also by widening people's choices, releasing human creative potential;
deepen democracy by decentralisation and direct participation of people in decision-making that concerns them, and by enhancing openness of government in Council and Commission, and making the Commission fully answerable to Parliament.
build a European Union of free peoples based on the principle of subsidiarity who believe in solidarity with each other and all the peoples of the world.
re-orientate the European Union, which currently over-emphasises its economic conception at the expense of social, cultural and ecological values.
EFA also has member parties in the Basque Country, Galicia, Sardinia, Aosta Valley and elsewhere who have been represented in the European Parliament. Across Europe, EFA member parties are in government in several different countries, regions or stateless nations.
See also
