Volt, the first pan-European party, completes 12 months of judicial process and by the final decision of the Court of Appeal Bucharest on February 19, enters the Romanian political scene. A few days ago, the CAB finally ruled in favour for Volt Romania’s appeal to the previous instance’s denial of the registration as political party.
“Volt Europe was born in response to anti-democratic, illiberal and populist tendencies that threaten
common European values and to which existing political factions have failed to provide credible
answers and alternatives. In 2017, the foundations of the new political movement were laid, and
today, without funds, big names or political support, Volt is already a movement with thousands of
active members and supporters in 29 European countries. Volt has already run in several rounds of
elections in other European countries, with accession to the European Parliament in 2019 being the
biggest success,” reads a press release.
Volt is already registered as a political party in 14 other European countries: England, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.
“We believe that only a Europe working together can solve our common challenges. That is why we
are delighted that Volt Romania is now officially a political party. We look forward to seeing Volt
grow in Romania even more. We want to congratulate everyone in Romania. Last but not least, we
thank all the Volters in Romania who have dedicated their time and energy to making this happen,”
said Reinier Van Lanschot, co-chair of Volt Europe.
Since 2017, Volt has been represented in Romania by an initiative group made up of Romanian
citizens living in the country and abroad, as well as foreign citizens who have chosen to live in
Romania. The group focused on citizens’ initiatives, which involved local communities and the
diaspora. Among the most notable are the participation in the protests of 2017-2018, where the “12
Days” campaign was launched to structure the civic response to the assault on the rule of law or to
mobilize the diaspora in the European elections. At the same time, Volt carried out an extensive
campaign to gather legislative projects feasible to be European Citizens’ Initiatives addressed to the
European Commission.
In January 2020, the pan-European movement officially sent the application for registration in the
register of political parties to the Bucharest Tribunal. The court rejected our application in the first
instance, justified by an alleged uncertain constitutionality of the transnational and progressive
nature of the movement. However, the Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the
pan-European party accepting our appeal and approved the request to establish Volt Romania as
official political party.
“Volt is the fulfillment of my personal political ideals. There were times when a pan-European
movement seemed ahead of time, but how could we be discouraged when we knew we were
working for our common European future? I invite all Romanians in the country and in the diaspora
to join us, who want to support the creation of a future for Romania and Europe, as part of a political
party that can respond to the need for unity, an unprecedented state,” declared Ștefan Răzvan
Florea, co-founding member of the Volt Romania movement and party.
The next steps of the newly formed party include the first General Assembly and the election of the
first governing body. Until then, Volt Romania will continue to function as a community and
voluntary platform, in which executive roles are occupied based on volunteering, availability and
expertise.
“The core values of the Volt are freedom, equal opportunities and dignity, the rule of law,
transparency and inclusion. Its political practice is structured by the principles of participatory
democracy, implemented through a minimal-hierarchical structure and facilitated by pan-European
communication and collaboration platforms. All members are guaranteed the opportunity to make a
significant contribution to decision-making regardless of status or identity. The vision of the new
political party is reflected by the six pillars of its political program:
● Smart State
● Economic Rennaisance
● Social Equality
● Global Balance
● Citizen Empowerment
● EU Reform“, reads the press release.