Institute.SK  
INSTITUTE CONSERVATISM M.R.STEFANIK
NEWS

Print
Initiative for a Free and Prospering Europe
[30.01.2012, Peter Gonda, NEWS]

The Initiative for a Free and Prospering Europe (IFPE) is an informal and non-political group of European think tanks and other non-governmental organizations, personalities from economic and other sectors, and citizens, whose main aims are reflected below:

    1. to raise awareness about the real threats and negative consequences of a deepening political and economic centralization in the European Union (EU), at the expense of individual liberty and responsibility, and the prosperity of people,
    2. to call on main political leaders of the EU member states, representatives of the European Commission, ECB, and other key players to stop trying to solve all European economic problems through centralization, including of the creation of a European fiscal union and a European economic government,
    3. to propose alternative solutions to the European debt crisis that include the elimination of the causes (not just symptoms) of the debt crisis, based on sources of freedom, responsibility and prosperity (e.g. free markets, property rights, competition, hard backed honest money, and small and responsible administrative governments);,
    4. to initiate a discussion about alternative solutions to the European debt crisis and the political and economic conditions necessary to transform the EU in a community of free citizens living in prosperous countries.
The IFPE works to draw attention to the risks and devastating consequences of the current and scheduled attempts to solve the debt crisis by increasing the political and economic centralization of the Europe’s decision-making processes in Brussels: the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the purchase of government bonds by the ECB, the attempts to introduce common European bonds or taxes, and other centralizing experiments. Among the consequences of such interventions are a deepening of the debt crisis without it being solved in any way, a decline in the purchasing power of the euro (an inflationary euro), a growing financial burden on the citizens of the European member states, concentration of power, and finally the limitation of liberty and prosperity for the people of Europe.

The Initiative urges responsible actors to put an end to such counterproductive measures and to stop the inexorable march towards the political and economic centralization of Europe. It is in this context that the Initiative proposes alternative solutions for the debt crisis. They are reflected in the proposal for the financing of sovereign debts through massive programmes of privatization and an administered process of state bankruptcy for those countries with the most severe financial problems. As part of a set of alternative debt crisis solutions, public finances should be reformed for the purpose of maintaining balanced budgets or budgets in surplus (without increasing taxes). There should also be monetary and banking reform (in order to have free and sound money), marked by the introduction of a commodity-backed currency.

The representatives of the IFPE believe in starting a constructive debate about such practicable debt crisis solutions. For they are convinced that a more open debate will help to create the conditions in which a positive agenda for European freedom and prosperity will thrive.

The Initiative is supported by think tanks and other non-governmental organizations:
- Adam Smith Institute, United Kingdom
- Cobden Centre, London, United Kingdom
- Conservative Institute of M.R. ©tefánik, Slovakia
- F. A. Hayek Foundation Bratislava, Slovakia
- Globalization Institute, Poland
- Hayek Institut, Austria
- Institute for Economic Studies (IES)-Europe, France
- Institute for Market Economics (IME), Bulgaria
- Institute of Economic Affairs, United Kingdom
- Institute of Leo XIII., Slovakia
- Liberální Institut, Czech Republic
- New Direction - The Foundation for European Reform, Brussels, Belgium
- Pastor bonus, Slovakia

The Initiative is supported by individuals:
- Philipp Bagus, Professor of Economics at the King Juan Carlos University of Madrid, Spain
- Steve Baker MP, Wycombe, United Kingdom
- Philip Booth, Professor of insurance and risk management, Editorial and Progamme Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, United Kingdom
- Hardy Bouillon, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Trier (Germany), Deputy Director of the New Direction, Belgium
- Eamonn Butler, MA PhD, Director of the Adam Smith Instiute, United Kindom
- Kevin Dowd, Professor of Economics, Cobden Partners, United Kingdom
- Dr. Tim Evans, Chief Director of the Cobden Centre, United Kingdom
- Jozef Filko, Member of Ladislav Hanus fellowship, Slovakia
- Shane Frith, Director of the New Direction, Belgium
- Pierre Garello, Professor of economics at Aix-Marseille University and Director of IES-Europe, France
- Imrich Gazda, PhD, Catolic University in Ru¾omberok, Slovakia
- Peter Gonda, PhD, Director of the Conservatie Institute M. R. ©tefánik, Slovakia
- Gregor Hochreiter, economist, Vienna, Austria
- Gordon Kerr, Cobden Partners, United Kingdom
- Dr. Barbara Kolm, Secretary General of the F. A. v. Hayek Institut, Austria
- Svetla Kostadinova, Executive Director of the Institute for Market Economics (IME), Bulgaria
- Mark Littlewood, Director General, Institute of Economic Affairs, United Kingdom
- Richard Mátéffy, Institute of Leo XIII., Slovakia
- Robert Mátéffy, President of the Institute of Leo XIII., Slovakia
- Marek Nikolov, President of the Pastor bonus, Slovakia
- Michal Novota, Fellow Analyst, Conservative Institute of M. R. ©tefánik, Slovakia
- Dr. Ján Oravec, President of the F.A. Hayek Foundation Bratislava, Slovakia
- Marcel Podolinský, Vice-president of Pastor bonus, Slovakia
- Matú¹ Po¹vanc, Director of the F.A. Hayek Foundation Bratislava, Slovakia
- Dr. Rudolf Po¾gay, Slovakia
- Pascal Salin, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University Paris-Dauphine, former president of the Mont Pèlerin Society, France
- Jesús Huerta de Soto, Professor of Political Economy at the King Juan Carlos University of Madrid, Spain
- Jacek Spendel, Director, Globalization Institute, Poland
- Krassen Stanchev, PhD, CEO of KC2 Ltd., Bulgaria
- Josef ©íma, Professor of Economics, President of the CEVRO Institut College, Czech Republic
- Dr. Marian L. Tupy, Political Analyst, Washington, D.C.
- Roland Vaubel, Professor of Economics at the University of Mannheim, Germany
- Erich Weede, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Bonn, Germany

    RSS English | Slovak

HOME

SLOVAK

SEARCH

CONTACT US

SUPPORT US

CONSERVATIVE LIBRARY

VIDEO

PHOTOGALLERY

OUR PARTNERS

Conservative Economic Quarterly Lecture Series /CEQLS/

Templeton Freedom Award 2009

BOOK: IN DEFENSE OF THE FREE MARKET

ECEG

ECEG

This website was created also thanks to funding granted by The Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.

Website powered by Metafox CMS from Platon Group.

Institute @ Fecebook

Conservative Institute of M. R. Stefanik
Bajkalská 29F
821 05  Bratislava
Slovakia

Tel.:  +421 258 100 188
E-mail:  conservative@institute.sk
Web:  http://www.institute.sk