An Open Letter to the European Progressive Alliance
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To my colleagues in the EPA:
It has been some time since I addressed you all in this manner, and it is my hope that this message will be well-received and viewed without contempt.
As many of you know, I have served in my capacity as Councilor for the Republic of Fremet for over 5 years. In that time, so much progress has been made in this Union: I have observed over a dozen premierships, voted countless times, and co-sponsored landmark legislation.
In 2016, I partnered with some of the most amazing people to ever serve on the European Council to found the European Progressive Alliance, among the most long-lasting and successful political organisations in the history of the European Union. Over our 5-year history, we evolved from mere underdogs to carving Europe’s path forward into the future.
In my years of service, Europe has changed, I have changed, and Fremet has changed— that much is obvious, but so too has the European Progressive Alliance. The skillful leadership of Councilor Poppy Romanov and Speaker Edward Firoux propelled our caucus to the height of the European Stage, passing landmark legislation that secured the natural rights of hundreds of millions of European citizens and establishing a higher bar for the European Council. That fervour, that drive that I once so valued in this caucus has diminished from its 2020 height.
We have become so bogged down in the national politick, so enthralled in concerns that really have no bearing on what I believed the EPA stood for. We have allowed nationalistic and personal squabbles to encroach on regional politics, poisoning the waters of diplomacy and international cooperation. We have once again gone into the trenches of party politics to find nothing but anger, division, and deceit.
The departure of Speaker Firoux and the apparent disappearance of Councilor Romanov have led me to a place of deep self-reflection. I find myself at odds with the leaders of the EPA in their recent policy objectives and with the voting patterns of my fellow caucus members.
Considering the absolute gutting of the Elected and Accountable Act by the Councilor from Spain, backed by members of the very political alliance that introduced it, the senseless opposition to the Ruthenish Neutrality Motion, opposition to better-defined sanctions against the UNSR, a clear lack of professionalism in considering the intricacies of European Law, inconsistencies in policy, talk of weakening the UDoHR, and a clear willingness to ignore the core tenets of the manifesto of the EPA by caucus members and the leadership, I feel alienated by my colleagues. I find myself increasingly relating more with the independent members of the Council than with those from my own Caucus.
As such, it is my duty to inform you, that I hereby RESIGN my membership in the European Progressive Alliance, effective immediately.
I wish the remaining members of the caucus all the best as they continue to take the EPA in a new direction. I look forward to working with you as Speaker, a fellow Councilor, and, hopefully, a like-minded friend.
It has taken me some time to reach this decision, and goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted. I have had an amazing 5 years working with people that I have come to call some of my closest friends. I have taken for granted that air of support that this party does provide. However, I have lost focus on my original goals when I sat down and signed that original manifesto back in February 2016.
I am going forward alone, with renewed focus on my goals for the Council and the Union as a whole. I want to be a voice that feels unencumbered by party or personal loyalty. With my values, my ideals, and the support of my government, I hope to continue to be a voice of moderation, freedom, and sovereignty of peoples and of nations going forward.
Change is the only constant in this world. And we have all changed through the years. There comes a time when all of us must recognise that change and move forward on our new path. The time that we walked together was fruitful, and while I am sorry to go, I feel that this is the course of action that would allow me to serve in my capacity as Councilor for the Republic of Fremet to the best of my ability— for both the people of the Republic and the people of Europe.
Charles Michel
Council Speaker and Councilor for the Republic of Fremet, Independent
