In the past days of June 28th, 29th and 30th, participants of the PACD attended the CADTM Summer University in La Marlagne, Namur (Belgium). An annual event facilitated by the CADTM that allows for people and organizations from a number of countries to meet in debate and training sessions about debt from different perspectives.

The CADTM (Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt), founded in Belgium in the year 1990, is an international network of about thirty organizations active in more than 25 countries on 4 continents. Their main goal is the cancellation of the public debt on third world countries and the annulment of structural adjustment policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO) trio. Since slightly before the crisis, they have also started working on the public debt of the so-called North, with the final goal of exiting the current debt system, using the weapon of citizen audits to reach the construction of a socially just and ecologically viable society.

People connected to this organization have been participating in the PACD from its origins, both due to the similar subjects covered as well as the common work on the International Citizen Audit Network – ICAN. The seminars where PACD intervened were about gender perspectives on the debt system, methodology for a citizen audit and the creative peak in social movements after the 15M. Several other subjects were covered during the 3 days, in particular subjects such as bank rescues, finance products, ecological and social debt, Troika-Sate relations, international law, debt on southern countries, Latin-American experiences and the rise of the right wing in Europe.

In terms of the general perception of the social movements in the European context, it is important to mention some substantial differences from the organization of the fights in Spain: the use of social networks and communication tools, as well as the distributive organization that characterizes a great part of the social movements in the Spanish territory, is in deep contrast with the traditional organisation structures in other countries which are starting to be deemed ineffective. Another relevant characteristic is the strong interference of the organizations on the grass roots movements as a means to resolve social problems. This is reflected on the pride felt by the success of the creative strategies that bring a breath of fresh air to other countries, such as the participation of the Iaioflautes (Hippy Grandpas), or the achievements of the Affected by Mortgages Platform (PAH) who are changing the public image and functioning of financial institutions. People from various countries consider the social movements in Spain an example to follow, conscious that their classic structures have created habits that are difficult to change in the basis of the population.

Different strategies aside, there are common lines that are perceived in the approaches against the debt and the social and financial crisis, such as: the full rejection of the neoliberal measures imposed by the Troika and the loss of sovereignty by the peoples; also the necessity of advancing together towards the change in economic, productive and social model. A place where the PACD has shared the feeling that their path is the same of other people in all the world.