R4 AM31: Protecting International Law Against Empires: to Infinity and Beyond

The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) and its members organisations
recognise imperialism did not end with the formal dismantling of colonial
empires. Today, imperial domination is exercised through military occupation,
economic coercion, debt dependency, control over knowledge and technology, and
the monopolisation of global commons, including outer space.

International law exists to protect everyone, people and states, especially in
an asymmetric geopolitical landscape where many small actors are challenged by
few powerful empires. Many promoted the illusion that modern empires would
balance their influence, resulting in peace. However, reality is different:
while superpowers will not engage in direct confrontation, they express violent
imperialistic attitudes against their neighbours.

In their eyes, international law is not valid within their regional spheres of
influence, where they play by their own rules.

This crisis directly challenges core Green values: peace, democracy, climate
justice, feminism, and anti-racism. Imperialism disproportionately harms
marginalised communities, including women, racialised groups, and young people,
while concentrating power in the hands of states and corporations. The urgency
to act is therefore both global and European.

Clear contemporary examples illustrate these dynamics.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 represents a blatant act of territorial
annexation that violates international law and sovereignty, denying Ukraine’s
right to exist and aiming for a subordinate regime, while interfering with
democratic processes across Europe.

Imperialism is also exercised through economic warfare and destabilisation. The
United States intensified sanctions against Cuba through “maximum pressure 2.0”,
demonstrating how economic coercion punishes sovereignty and constrains
democratic choice. Similarly, the kidnapping and extraterritorial detention of
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in 2026 highlights risks posed by unilateral
interventions bypassing international legal processes.

Israel's strikes on Iran, with US support, and the invasion of Lebanon,
including sieges and attacks on healthcare and civilian areas, constitute
violations of international law and possible war crimes. The ongoing assault on
Gaza, which UN bodies and genocide scholars deemed genocide in 2025, exemplifies
imperial violence through occupation, collective punishment, and denial of
Palestinian self-determination.

China, far from being a peaceful superpower, has extended sovereignty over Hong
Kong, pressures Taiwan toward annexation, and commits human rights violations
such as the persecution of Uyghurs.

The pattern is clear: modern empires seek to delegitimise international law and
multilateral institutions, presenting themselves as the only legitimate
providers of security. This reflects a system where power is concentrated among
a few states and corporations, benefiting dominant actors while harming smaller
states, marginalised communities, and future generations.

For young people, this system undermines democratic participation, economic
justice, climate stability, and peace. Existing policies have failed because
they allow selective application of international law and prioritise
geopolitical interests over justice and accountability.

Europe plays a key role globally but often subordinates itself to these systems,
as seen in energy dependence and extractive economic relations. Neocolonial
practices persist, while human rights are inconsistently applied. Protecting
international law also means protecting AFAB and marginalised communities
globally.

The EU consolidates former empires and often uses imperialist power both within its borders and in relation to its peripheries. Its trade with the outside world is frequently characterized by unfair exchange, exploitative treaties, and neocolonial practices that continue the legacy of colonialism. Wealth, which is meant to lessen inequalities between richer and poorer EU states, often ends up back in the wealthier members.Protecting international law and justice also means protecting AFAB and marginalised communities globally.

This urgency extends beyond Earth. The increasing commercialisation,
militarisation, and privatisation of space risks reproducing extractive and
colonial logics beyond planetary boundaries, threatening both ecological
integrity and global equity. Control over knowledge, data, infrastructure, and
critical technologies has emerged as a central axis of imperial power.
Monopolisation of digital platforms, satellite systems, and surveillance
infrastructure enables a small number of states and corporations to exert
outsized influence over populations, markets, and political processes. This
concentration of power deepens global inequalities and erodes democratic
accountability.

Such monopolisation raises serious concerns around surveillance, democratic
oversight, and the privatisation of a shared global commons. Space exploration
and infrastructure development are increasingly driven by geopolitical
competition and private accumulation rather than collective benefit.

This expansion is fuelled by techno-optimist narratives that frame space
exploration as humanity’s escape route from ecological collapse. The belief that
humans will be able to escape Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is a
betrayal of our role as a steward species.

We reaffirm that outer space is the common heritage of humankind. Any attempts
to colonise, militarise, or privatise celestial bodies or orbits constitute a
dangerous extension of imperial expansion and must be collectively resisted.

In line with this analysis, we call on FYEG, its Member Organisations, and the
wider Green political family to:

• The EU end all economic and political relations with states that violate
  human rights. We call on the EU to completely repeal the EU-Israel
  Association Agreement.

• Strengthen relations and unity within the EU and also paneuropean
  countries and strategic democratic partners to have a more powerful voice
  in the international scenario

• Enforcing a swift transition from fossil fuels to end reliance on
  authoritarian countries and guarantee energy independence

• Develop EU-technology, (explore the possibility of higher public ownership
  or control in these areas)

• International law has to be binding for every country. Democratic
  countries should explore measures to enforce it. For instance: protecting
  ICC officials from US sanctions.

• Strategic autonomy, we shouldn‘t rely on weaponry and external forces

• that European governments refrain from engaging in the Board of Peace, a
  unilateral organisation created with the only aim of challenging
  multilateral institutions

• that all political leaders face equal accountability for war crimes. ICC
  
  arrest warrants must be enforced without geopolitical bias, and any
  sanctions or pressure to obstruct the Court must be abolished.

• a fundamental reform of the UN Security Council, specifically the
  abolition of the Veto Power under Article 27 of the UN Charter. The veto
  must never be used to obstruct justice for war crimes or genocides. We
  support the "Veto Initiative" (UNGA Res 76/262) to ensure transparency and
  accountability.

• that all European states, immediately ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition
  of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). We insist that nuclear-armed states fulfill
  their disarmament obligations under Article VI of the NPT, moving beyond
  deterrence toward total elimination.

• absolute adherence to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional
  Protocols.

• The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) must remain the non-
  negotiable legal floor, and all states must comply with the rulings of the
  European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) without exception.

• the universal abolition of the death penalty. We call on all states to
  ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, using European
  diplomatic and trade relations as leverage to end this violation of the
  fundamental right to life.

• the legal recognition of the Right to Food and Clean Water under the
  ICESCR. We condemn starvation as a method of warfare (Art. 8, Rome
  Statute) and demand the strict regulation of commodity trading hubs to end
  neocolonial extractivism that exploits the Global South.

• that international law applies equally to all, regardless of power. We
  demand full support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the
  Rome Statute, including the protection of its officials from external
  sanctions and political interference.

• that states fulfill their obligation to protect human rights from climate
  
  change. Following the ECtHR ruling in KlimaSeniorinnen v. Switzerland, we
  affirm that Article 8 of the ECHR protects the right to a safe climate and
  demand science-based, legally binding targets for all.

• Advocate for enforceable international mechanisms that sanction unilateral
  acts of imperialism, including territorial annexation, economic coercion,
  and violations of sovereign self‑determination.

• Promote resource sovereignty – Advocate for transparency standards for
  multi-national corporations to ensure extraction of raw materials provides
  fair compensation and investment to the host community.

• Support transparency and accountability standards for multinational
  corporations, particularly in resource extraction, digital infrastructure,
  and space‑related industries, ensuring fair compensation, environmental
  protection, and local benefit.

• Advocate for ethical oversight of trade, investment, and lending
  practices, including the review of agreements that compromise long‑term
  fiscal autonomy. Moreover, encourage the restructuring of international
  institutions to provide low-interest credit facilities that prioritise
  developmental stability over external market access.

• Support knowledge sharing: devise and implement policies that prioritise
  ‘open’ learning initiatives and localisation of technology.

• Demand the strengthening of international space treaties to prohibit
  private or unilateral ownership of extraterrestrial resources and ensure
  that benefits derived from space activities are shared equitably.

• Apply the same ethical, ecological, and distributive standards to resource
  extraction in space as are demanded on Earth.

• Oppose monopolies in digital, technological, and space‑related sectors and
  promote open, cooperative, and publicly accountable alternatives.

• Protect the night sky as a shared cultural, ecological, and scientific
  commons.

• Promote reform of multilateral institutions, including addressing
  permanent veto powers and unequal governance structures that undermine
  accountability and justice

We call on governments, European institutions, international organisations, and
the Green political family to move beyond rhetorical commitments and take
concrete action to dismantle imperial systems in all their forms. Immediate
steps must be taken to enforce international law, strengthen multilateral
institutions, and ensure accountability for violations.

We must demonstrate political leadership and solidarity to reimagine solutions
beyond current globalisation models—not isolationism, but international
solidarity. As Young Greens, we commit to addressing injustices on Earth,
resisting narratives that frame space exploration as a substitute for ecological
responsibility, and challenging colonial mindsets wherever they arise.