The European Union and its Responsibility in the World CONCORD Manifesto for the 2009 European Parliament Elections

In June 2009, citizens of the 27 member States of the European Union (EU) will elect their representatives to the European Parliament for the 2009-2014 term. The newly elected Members of the European Parliament will need to guide the European Council and the European Commission through many important decision-making processes. The outcome of these negotiations must not deter development that centres on human rights, neither for the citizens of the EU nor for those outside. On this occasion, CONCORD Â which represents more than 1600 civil society organisations supported by millions of European citizens – calls for a partnership between civil society and the European Parliament in order to find a way towards sustainable development. In this manifesto, CONCORD identifies and discusses three essential EU objectives, namely sustainable development, more and better development aid and democratic accountability, and urges MEPs to act on them.