June 2021
Values are not for one small group to decide in everyone else’s stead. There is no authoritative interpretation of values. Instead they are the outcome of dynamic debate and lived practice. Structures and mechanisms should be in place to ensure that the negotiation of values and collective goals is mediated through inclusive processes of democratic deliberation, with the participation of all in the collective making of the future we would like to see unfold. Wide deliberation regarding in what world we want to live together and we want to create for future generations is key. Collective responsibility goes hand in hand with societal dialogue, also – and particularly – across social, economic, cultural and ideological divides.
In this vein and against the background of preventing a value crisis and democratic backsliding, the European Commission has taken up the challenge of declaring a new push for democracy as one of its priorities, adopting its new EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy and the European Democracy Action Plan and launching a landmark Conference on the Future of Europe. With this in mind, and in the context of complex geopolitics of ethics and global governance, the European Group on Ethics (EGE) has formulated this Statement on the role of values and ethics in human societies at this critical juncture.