The joint statement recalls that in July 2021, several political parties in the European Parliament (EP) signed a joint resolution expressing their concern about the future of the European Union (EU) and their commitment to defend the sovereignty, freedom and traditions of EU member states. The signatories also agreed at the time that the declaration "will be considered as a basis for common cultural and political work, respecting the role of the current political groups,” recalls the communiqué.
The Madrid Declaration also recalls that at the first summit of conservative and patriotic political forces in Warsaw in December 2021, participants discussed the need for closer cooperation in the EP, the organization of joint meetings and a united vote on common issues aimed at defending the sovereignty of EU member states.
Participants at the Madrid summit reiterated their concerns about internal and external attacks on the European Union. According to the declaration, there is a growing threat to turn the European Union into an ideologically over-stretched federal super state over an enterprise that has no respect for national identity and sovereignty, and therefore for democracy, diversity and the interests of the citizens of the nations that make up the European Union. According to the signatories, this threatens the European Union itself, as it moves away from the Christian values on which the Union was originally founded.
According to the Madrid Declaration, some bureaucrats and parties wrongly believe that without democratic legitimacy they can promote issues and topics that run counter to the needs and demands of Europeans and even to the very survival of Western civilization.
The declaration states that the participating signatories are committed to defending Europe against external and internal threats. They will support the protection of borders and family policy and oppose political trends alien to European history that lead to "demographic suicide" and the transformation of our society.
The signatories stressed the need to restore a culture of mutual respect between member states and EU institutions, in which the constitutional identity of member states is not criticized but defended and preserved.
The signatories of the declaration explicitly condemned what they saw as politically motivated attacks by Brussels against Poland and Hungary. These attacks show a complete disregard for fundamental EU principles and violate the spirit of the treaties.
In the second half of the declaration, the signatories agreed on concrete steps: to support the respect and enforcement of the principle of EU preference for products made in the European Union; to condemn Brussels' immigration policy and the ineffective functioning of FRONTEX; and to increase Europe's energy capacity and self-sufficiency; to demand stricter and more disciplined compliance with the treaties and reject the improper extension of the powers of EU institutions; to defend the primacy of Member States' national constitutions over European law and the primacy of national laws over EU regulations in areas which do not fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union.
The conservative party leaders decided to set up a coordination office in Brussels, which will allow for stronger cooperation between the political parties and organizations participating in the summit, in order to vote together and united in the European Parliament.