ENGLISH
#1bru1vote Urges Belgian Authorities to Act
On EU Report on the existing Democratic Gap in Brussels Capital Region and the Right to Vote to all Brussels residents
#1bru1vote, the campaign launched one week ago (07/03.2018) calling for more democracy in Brussels-Capital, urges Belgian national, regional and local authorities to take note of a report published yesterday by the European Commission, which confirms the significant democratic deficit in Belgium.
The Commission’s report reveals that Belgium is underperforming in its implementation of the right for EU citizens to vote and stand as candidates in municipal elections. The Report notes that democratic participation in local elections is “linked to better inclusion in society, a sense of belonging and broader democratic engagement.”
#1bru1vote recalls that the situation is particularly dire in the Brussels-Capital region, where non-Belgian residents represent a third (310.000 people) of the potential electorate, are barred from voting and standing in regional elections. These 310,000 Brussels residents include 220,000 EU citizens and 90,000 non-EU nationals. #1bru1vote calls on the Belgian government to change this as regards the Brussels-Capital region.
In his State of the Union speech last year, Commission President Juncker declared that “now is the time to build a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe.” Now is also the time to build a more inclusive and more democratic Brussels-Capital. The petition https://www.change.org/p/1bru1vote for democratic change in Brussels has already attracted more than 2,000 signatures in just one week. #1bru1vote calls on all Brussels residents, and all Belgian citizens, to join the movement.
Join us!
Petition https://www.change.org/p/1bru1vote
Email 1bru1vote@gmail.com
Twitter – Facebook – Instagram @1bru1Vote
To sign the petition https://www.change.org/p/1bru1vote
Link to the Commission Report – Communication COM (2018) 44 final: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52018DC0044&from=en
