Activities at the European Social Forum
Malmö - 17th-21st of September 2008
The Seattle-to-Brussels Network, the Bi-regional Network Europe, Latinamerica and the Caribbean “Enlazando Alternativas”, Vía Campesina and the Hemispheric Social Aliance, together with many other networks and organizations, are inviting you :
to join our trade and investment related activities, linking campaigns on Climate Change, food, energy and financial crisis, agrofuels, transnational corporations, women’s economic rights, jobs, migrations, democracy, agriculture and food policy, EU Free Trade Agreements and "Global Europe", building joint analysis and resistances ;
and to discuss the Challenges for movements in Europe and the Global South to build new alliances across struggles on Climate and Trade Justice, peace, participatory democracy, social justice, human rights, sustainability, food sovereignty and peoples’ rights to self-determination, etc :
· On what key issues/struggles/movements do we need to build new alliances ?
· How can we strengthen and improve our strategies of resistance and make our campaigns more effective ? How can we link local and sectoral struggles to global campaigns and demonstrate more effectively the impacts of EU policies on the life and livelihoods of people ?
· What are key moments for joint struggles ?
We believe that we need a different approach to international trade and investment in order to stop poverty, exploitation, injustice and environmental disaster everywhere.
It will be impossible to build a social, ecological and democratic Europe while the EU pursues corporate-orientated trade policies like Global Europe.
We aim to create spaces to link current struggles, emerging grassroots resistance movements and alternative visions. We encourage social movements, NGOs, women organisations, trade unions, human rights organisations, peace movements, farmers, ecological and indigenous movements, migrant and refugee organisations towards joint action to build people-centred alternatives.
In April 2008, over one hundred trade activists from 38 countries met in Brussels. We shared ideas and planned European and global strategies to turn the Global Europe agenda around, to make trade work for people and the planet, not for corporations and money markets.
In April 2009 we will organise a rally across Europe in the run-up to the European Parliament elections, to show that we will not stand by while social Europe is killed off by corporate Europe.
We invite you to join our campaign !
Help us to build new and broader alliances, linking social movements and struggles to build a sustainable, social, democratic, peaceful and open Europe. Come to our workshops at the European Social Forum-2008 to find out why trade rules are so important and what we can do about them.
1) European Imperialism. The role of the EU in destroying social and environmental rights globally
EU trade, defence, aid, energy, investment, security, border and migration policies, etc are designed to serve the economic and corporate interests. However, there is a growing opposition to this neo-imperial Europe. Networks and groups in the EU and the Global South will discuss about the links between our struggles and how to build a broader resistance against the destructive EU policies.
Co-organisers : Seattle to Brussels Network, Bi-regional network Europe-Latin America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas, Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF), European Attac Network, European Network for Public Services, European Coordination Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth Europe, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Transnational Institute (TNI), AITEC, Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA), Ecologistas en Acción, EUropAfrica / Terra Nuova, ACSUR-Las Segovias
2) Parliamentarians and civil society : joining forces to tackle Global Europe
After similar seminars held in Hong-Kong (Alternatives to WTO policies) and Lima (EA3), this workshop aims at gathering parliamentarians (European, National, Regional) and social movements interested in improving exchanges, co-operation and developing a permanent co-ordination to tackle EU’s neoliberal policies both inside and outside Europe. Open to all networks and organizations interested.
Co-organisers : Seattle to Brussels Network, Bi-regional network Europe-Latin America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas, Transnational Institute, Ecologistas en Acción, ACSUR-Las Segovias
3) Joining struggles to fight ‘Global Europe’ and FTAs
Strategy session with the aim of gathering social movements and civil society organisations from Europe and the Global South involved in the struggles against Global Europe and the various EU Free Trade Agreements to exchange on the state of regional and sectoral campaigns (migration, labour, environment, etc), analysis on the impacts of EU’s Global Europe strategy and explore joint alliances.
Co-organisers : Seattle to Brussels Network, Transnational Institute (TNI), Arci (Associazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana), Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF), WEED, Bi-regional network Europe-Latin America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas, Ibase, IATP, Attac Germany, AITEC, Ecologistas en Acción, Euralat, Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA), INESC/REBRIP, ACSUR-Las Segovias
4) Linking campaigns on TNC lobby, Democracy and "Global Europe" to reclaim the EU economy
Exposing the links between EU’s undemocratic corporate driven free-trade policies and EU economic decisionmaking structures resulting from corporate lobbying,and higlighting TNC practices. Space for activists working on TNCs, lobby, democracy,and trade to come together to discuss possible joint activities and campaigns to achieve stronger mobilisation to roll back corporate influence at EU level.
Co-organisers : International Forum on Globalization, Seattle to Brussels Network, Bi-regional network Europe-Latin America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas, ALTER-EU, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), Attac-Germany, Attac-France, Friends of the Earth Europe, LobbyControl, European Federation of Journalists, SpinWatch, Transnational Institute (TNI), Ecologistas en Acción, ACSUR-Las Segovias
5) People’s struggles against European corporate power
Europe’s TNCs and its corporate-driven agenda for the global economy are having devastating impacts on social, human, and environmental rights in the global South. This seminar will hear from growing grassroots resistance to these impacts in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and discuss new campaigning strategies and activities, including bi-regional alliances and the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal.
Co-organisers : Bi-regional network Europe-Latin America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas, Seattle to Brussels Network, Friends of the Earth Europe, Transnational Institute, Ecologistas en Acción, Friends of the Earth England, Wales & Northern Ireland, FIAN, Latinamerikagrupperna, Hemispheric Social Alliance, Observatorio de la Deuda en la Globalización, Observatorio de Multinacionales en América Latina, ACSUR-Las Segovias
6) Seminar : Trade agreements between EU and Latin America - imperialism with a new face ?
When the WTO-negotiations are stuck, the EU push for bilateral trade agreements. EU is now negotiating Association Agreements with Central America and the Andean community. The EU Commission does not take into account the enormous differences between the regions, and is pushing through agreements regarding investments and trade facilitation. How might such agreements impact on human rights ?
Co-organisers : UBV/Latinamerika, FIAN Sweden, Latinamerikagrupperna (UBV), Latin American Groups in Norway, Red Birregional Europa-America Latina y el Caribe Enlazando Alternativas, Liberación Weekly, Hands off Venezuela in Sweden, Simón Bolivar Asociation, MST Suppport Groups, Colombian Network, Swedish-Cuban Asociation, Uruguay House in Malmö, Pro Bolivia Council in Sweden, Swedish-Nicaraguan Friendship Asociation, Bolivian Federation in Sweden (FEDBOL), Solidarity Network for Latin America (RESOCAL), Victor Jara Asociation, Venezuela Network (RESOLVER), Support Group for the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (AMASU,), CETAL Uppsala, Antawara Bolivia - Stockholm, Group of Former Chilean Political Prisoners, Bolivan Support Group in Stockholm (GAB), TINKU - Danmark, Middle America Comittee in Denmark, International Forum in Denmark, Bolivan Support Group in Uppsala (GAB), Bolivian Support Group in Malmö (GAB), Jaime Pardo Leal Asociation, Malmö Tribunal
7) Assembly on food sovereignty : what can we do to implement it in Europe ?
This assembly aims at gathering all organizations and activists involved in the wide struggle for food sovereignty in Europe, in order to share information and develop joint strategies for action and mobilization in 2009. Farmers, consumers, environmentalists, NGOs,... and YOU !
Co-organisers : European Coordination Via Campesina, Seattle to Brussels Network, European Food Sovereignty Platform, Bi-regional network Europe-Latin America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas, Friends of the Earth Europe, Attac Austria, Attac France, Attac Germany, Agribusiness Accountability Initiative Europe (AAI Europe), IATP, CADTM, CGIL, Italy, European Anti-Poverty Network, Terra Nova, EuropAfrica, Vredeseilanden, Protect the Future, NEAK, Fian Sweden, UBV/Lateinamerikagrupperna Sweden, Friends of the Earth Wales NI, Marche Mondiale des Femmes, Ecologistas en Acción – Plataforma Rural (Spain)
See more activities in the PDF file.
Contact : ceciliaolivet@tni.org / agroecologia@ecologistasenaccion.org
