EUROPEAN SPRING

THE ECONOMIST on DiEM25 & the European Spring: “Varoufakis Sans Frontières”

In a warm office in Berlin’s trendy Kreuzberg district, Charlemagne is trying to persuade Yanis Varoufakis that he is a politician. “It’s a necessity. I really dislike running and asking people for votes,” protests the Greek economist when asked about European Spring, his new transnational political party. Does he think of himself as a politician? “No. The moment I do, shoot me.” Apparently inadvertently, Mr Varoufakis won his seat in the Greek parliament in 2015, became finance minister, took on the European economic establishment and failed.

“Politics means leadership, not only giving people what they want. You have to convince them to get out of our national box” – EURACTIV

Yanis Varoufakis, the Spitzenkandidat for the EUROPEAN SPRING, set up by DiEM25, told EURACTIV Germany that: “If the European Left were united, coherent and civilised, we wouldn’t have created Diem25, we’d have joined them. Now we are running against them, which is very painful to us,” the former Greek finance minister told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.

DiEM25 & the EUROPEAN SPRING event on austerity, xenophobia, the euro and the environment – Thu 24/1, Berlin

With xenophobic and authoritarian forces rising across the EU, societies in stagnation  levels, and climate catastrophe on the horizon, it’s time to stop what we’re doing and rethink. The EUROPEAN SPRING, that will be contesting the May 2019 European elections in 11 countries, brings together politicians and activists to give a new, European perspective on these critical issues.

Program:

Talking Brexit, Bernie and Left Internationalism with Yanis Varoufakis – VICE

Varoufakis talks to us about what he’s planning with the veteran US politician, why Jeremy Corbyn has been slow to support his campaigning efforts in Europe, and whether it’s possible for the UK to “remain and reform” inside the EU.

VICE: Can you start by telling me about your trip over to the US. What plans do you have in the pipeline with Bernie?