Philippe Schannes on RTL for ‘5 questions to’
The lead candidate for Volt Luxembourg for the 2024 European elections was a guest on RTL to talk about the upcoming elections and Volt's programme.
Watch the interview on RTL! (in Luxembourgish)
RTL writes the following about the interview:
Volt describes itself as a European party that also has lists in various countries. The politician does not accept the fear that a stronger Europe would make small countries weaker: ‘A small country like Luxembourg would be nothing without Europe. That is simply a fact, as we can already see from the way Luxembourg has developed. Luxembourg has already benefited a great deal from the EU and can only benefit further if we work together more.'
Europe faces major challenges
However, the party would also be in favour of continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons and is also striving for a European army. Large countries would have more soldiers, but the advantage would be that resources could be shared between the member states. Luxembourg is strong in all areas of technical expertise: ‘If we now build an infrastructure, logistics or something like that here, you could say that in a European army, Luxembourg would provide the logistical part.'
A European basic income for everyone
The idea of a European basic income would mean that anyone earning less than a certain amount would no longer have to pay taxes, but would receive money instead, according to Philippe Schannes in the interview. The Volt programme stated that everyone would receive at least 500 euros, an amount that would have to be variable depending on the country and region: ‘Let's not kid ourselves that southern Italy is different from Norway, that's clear. That means you have to adjust it so that everyone has the purchasing power they need.’
Climate neutrality is important for Europe
The Green Deal is not enough for Philippe Schannes. The climate is the number one problem of the future. The pandemic and the current wars have diverted the focus a little, but it remains the central problem facing humanity.
At European level, one would like to see a parliamentary group, which would be ambitious but not unrealistic. Volt Luxembourg would also be part of this European project and one would hope that the message would also get through in Luxembourg.
