Renewing our economy
Volt is committed to smart and innovative reforms to create an integrated, fair and sustainable economic system across the EU. These reforms range from strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises to a fair distribution of our added value and a more effective social policy.
Shaping our future
A strong economy is built on strong ideas. Volt wants to strengthen innovation in Europe. There should be a particular focus on strategically crucial sectors such as renewable energies and artificial intelligence, and research in these areas should be driven forward within an ethically responsible framework.
A modern working environment must offer security, flexibility and work-life balance. Volt is calling for measures to prepare European workers for the disruptive effects of digitalization.
Reforming our tax policy
Volt's long-term goal is a uniform, European taxation that serves as a source of funding for the EU on the one hand and as a steering instrument for tackling social challenges such as social inequality, globalization and climate change on the other. This should promote solidarity between EU member states and financial sustainability. It must also be ensured that non-European companies cannot easily circumvent regulations. Volt aims to make the taxation of private individuals and companies fairer and simpler. Taxes are not an end in themselves, but aim to ensure the financing of the common good by guaranteeing services of general interest as well as equal opportunities, social mobility and social participation for all. At the same time, they should also provide incentives for economically and socially sustainable behavior.
Volt stands for a solidarity-based tax policy in which the strong shoulders of our society consciously assume financial responsibility. Our policy convinces them that a higher contribution to financing political projects is not just a burden, but a positive contribution to social cohesion and social development.
Bringing the financial markets back into line with the real economy
The global financial crisis has also shown in the EU that the financial sector has moved away from its original role of supporting the real economy. The market for derivative transactions, which offers companies the opportunity to hedge against price risks, is many times larger than the global economy. A large part of the trading volume is accounted for by speculation. In high-frequency trading, financial products are bought and resold many times within a second, whereby neither speculation nor high-frequency trading fulfill a real economic purpose. However, they do cause costs, such as higher prices for consumers and companies and fluctuations in the financial markets, which are borne by society and the real economy. Illegal practices are almost impossible for the authorities to trace due to the volume of financial transactions.
Volt therefore advocates stronger regulation of those parts of the financial market that do not serve a real economic purpose and thus bring the financial markets closer to the real economy again.
Volt has defined 5+1 fundamental Challenges that need to be tackled in each European country and in Europe as a whole.
Why 5 + 1 Challenges?
The 5 Challenges are basically the same for every country, but their implementation can be adapted on the national level to take into account local realities.
The +1 Challenge – our proposal to reform and strengthen the EU – is identical across all our national programmes.
Education and digitalisation are key elements of the 21st century
An innovative economy must be the engine of society's progress
No-one should be left behind - no matter their gender, income, religion. or origin
Europe needs to assume responsibility for its role in global challenges
People must be empowered to influence politics beyond elections alone
We love the EU - this doesn't mean there is no room for improvement
