[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zd4q0R1VP8[/youtube]
European Social Movements Strategy Meeting – Amsterdam. (See Storify)
Coming from all over Europe, 60 organizations and networks [see complete list below] from well-established groups with a long history to the most recent social movements, gathered over three days in Amsterdam to share stories of successful resistance and to shape common campaigns and strategies.
There was a strong commitment to apply the lessons learnt during the recent camps and occupations. The proposed agenda was modified along the lines of a general assembly, where all the participants had their say through an open and horizontal process. Different working groups were created to further develop the topics that were considered most important for the months to come: Democracy and the Commons, Troika and Debt, the Competitiveness Pact, and the European elections.
As a result, four different initiatives were jointly developed at the end of the strategy meeting:
- Troika Party: Under the slogan of «Democracy is not competitive», this communication campaign organized around a fake political party will expose the role of the Troika in European decision making, and the real discourse behind the Troika policies.
- Competitiveness Pact: This new piece of EU legislation under discussion is the new framework to push further austerity measures and weakening of labor laws. This campaign will not only oppose this pact but also will say «Basta!» to the principle of competing in a race to the bottom.
- Mapping the alternatives: A newly created online directory will map all the European initiatives that are protecting the commons and developing solidarity economies. It will make them visible and demonstrate that there are real alternatives to neoliberal policies.
- Week of action during the European elections: The European elections were identified as a key moment to mobilize European social movements against the neoliberal EU crisis regime. De-centralized but coordinated actions will be promoted all over Europe.
Download full document about the Working Group results & the Final Report
Encouraging a pan-European response
The following meetings provided important inputs and ideas to the Amsterdam gathering: the Alter Summit Assembly in Brussels (October 18-19), the Agora99 meeting in Rome (1-3 November) and the International Blockupy Conference in Frankfurt (22-24 November). We thank all those organisations, groups and activists that made this strategy meeting a success. We start 2014 strengthened and more coordinated, the European convergence of social movements is a fact.
To join the EU in crisis network please write to: EUinCrisis [at] corporateeurope.org
Groups present at the event:
Spain
- Citizen Debt Audit Platform (PACD)
- Mesa Defensa Sanidad Pública Madrid
- LA PAH (Platform of afected by mortgages)
- Plataforma por un nuevo modelo energético (PX1NME)
- Ecologistas en Accion
- Attac Spain
Portugal
- Precários Inflexíveis Que se lixe a Troika
Greece
- Greek debt audit campaign (ELE)
- No Debt No Euro
- Micrópolis
- Thessaloniki People’s University of social and solidarity economy
- Initiative of solidarity with VioMe occupied factory
- Initiative 136 for social control of water
Germany
- Attac Germany
- Interventionistische Linke / Blockupy
- Metal Workers Union Berlin
- Blockupy
- Rosa Luxembourg Foundation
- European Occupy Central Bank
Netherlands
- SOMO
- Reinform Social Development Cooperative
- International Migrant Platform
- 15M Amsterdam
- Nijmegen Social Forum
- Ander Europa
- Social Development Cooperative
United Kingdom
- Activists involved in Occupy London
- Green Party London
Austria
- Attac Austria
Ireland
- Debt Justice Action
- Attac Ireland
- University College Dublin
Italy
- Global Project
Slovenia
- Peace Institute Ljubljana
Poland
- Polish Anarchist Federation and Trade Union «The Workers Initiative»
- ATTAC Poland
Belgium
- Corporate European Observatory
- CADTM
- Centrale nationale des employés
- Friends of the Earth Europe
- GUE/NGL group in the EP
Finland
- FoE Finland / Vasudhaiva kutumbakam network
- Solidarity economy in Finland
Others
- ICAN (International Citizen Audit Network)
- Transform! Europe
- Generation Alpha
- EarthFirst!