Programme

Climate Justice is System Change. We need to turn the World around! Now is the time to transform the profit drive, the economy, production and consumption, which is eating our planet alive. This hands-on workshop is for you if you want to imagine and discuss tactics that will make these changes happen defending us against reactionary politics and corporate greed. We start with a short input from various activists with global experience in specific campaigns in problematic sectors such as fossil fuels, industrial agriculture, metallic mining and so on; then we focus on local and global actions and resistance already taking place. Join our open debate, let’s exchange ideas and get active (...)

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What is the situation of the work and the employment in three bigger economy of the European Union? In Germany, what is the situation after more than 15 years of reforms Hartz? In France and in Italy, how did the deregulation stress the precariousness?

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Series in two sessions (sor far) The idea of this seminar is to discuss the articulation between political parties and social movements in the struggle for social justice in Europe/the EU. Both movements and parties (but trade unions could be added) play a part in the reconfiguration of the Left whose role is not only to oppose neoliberal offensives but also to devise and bring forward alternatives for the betterment of each and everyone’s life. First session: Political re-configurations of the Left in Europe. What is at stake and what are the perspectives? With around 4 introducing talks of 5/10 minutes each by elected officials (members of parliament but why not councillors as (...)

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Framasoft is a popular education network devoted to the promotion of libre software and libre culture. Framasoft is confronting the worsts excesses (intrusion into our private life, stocking data, lack of security) of the big tech corporations and are proposing ethical open alternatives to the online services that we all use.

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This year, the European Commission (EC) launched an initiative on whistleblowing following the mobilisation of European civil society. If it is carried through, the European Commission initiative could lead to a directive improving the protection offered to whistleblowers and the way in which their revelations are dealt with. We will present the ongoing mobilisation and propose that participants think of ways to bolster them.

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An image is worth over 1.000 words. Come and learn how to transform your ideas for change into attractive murals and learn how to paint them. In this practical workshop we will first envision a theme and a design collectively and second we’ll go out and paint it! No designer skills needed.

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Frankly, debt…you think it’s an opaque topic reserved for economists, financial analysts and other similar hoity-toity people? Except that you’d quite like to understand it given that you’re convinced that the mechanism is unfair? Come to this workshop, it’s perfect for you! Targeting amateurs in particular.

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This workshop will look at the history of community organising and present American traditions as well as the present experiences of France and other countries in both neighbourhoods and the world of work.

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From the outset, Notre-Dame-des-Landes has first and foremost been a peasant battle to save the basis of their livelihoods, it is also an environmental struggle to save a biosphere and overall it is a resistance movement against the airport and the world it represents; against useless and imposed mega projects. In 2017, this has become an emblematic struggle, within and beyond France. The strength and stamina of this resistance movement, the diversity of its participants and their experiences, the relevance of the problems it highlights have resonated widely. It is reaching the streets, on the four levels or…in the Bocage in Normandy, for example during operation cesar in 2012, and (...)

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Within the CADTM network we often (ok, very often) use the following labels: illegitimate debt, odious debt, illegal debt and unsustainable debt. But there we go, we know that not everyone agrees on labels. Let’s finally get round to taking time to discuss them! What are the advantages and limitations of these labels? In political, strategic and educational terms? The aim of this workshop is to hold a debate between organisations and social movements.

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In several European countries (UK, Portugal, France, Norway) a climate-job campaign has been launched demonstrating the job creation potential within the ecological and social transformation processes of our society all over Europe. Representatives of the national campaigns will present their main messages focusing on similarities and differences between the national approaches. Followed by an exchange with the audience.

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Modernisation of public services means the digitalisation of services and the disappearance of contact between agents and users. This practice, introduced without a thought for those who don’t have the means of access to information technology, is bringing about a dehumanisation of public services. Under what conditions is it possible to put technology in the service of users?

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The French government is planning to force through (using the “ordonnance” procedure) a new blow to the right to work. What activism is on the agenda? What else can we construct together?

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With neo-liberal globalization, the social movements are facing globally networked opponents. The World Social Forum has been facing this challenge for more than 15 years. However, with the changed strategies of the big corporations and their political executives, the social movements must also re-discuss their political strategy. This discussion about the future of the WSF will be conducted in this workshop.

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More than 2000 municipalities across Europe have stood up in the past years to say no to CETA, TiSA & Co and therefore to say no to the further liberalization of public services and more rights for corporations. More and more of these municipalities do not only resist but build together with social movements, farmers and SMEs a new economy from below. Remunicipalisaton of water and energy as well as supporting the building of local food systems and the solidarity economy are at the core as well as experimenting with new forms of democracy. Let us together share the experiences on how we can strengthen the resistance against free trade agreements at the local level and build at the (...)

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Money and credit are at present, more or less exclusively, in the service of private profit and speculation. The aim of the workshop is to debate propositions for taking back control of money while promoting an ecological and social transition. In particular: (1) “quantitative easing for the people” and “green quantitative easing”; (2) putting in place a public finance pole; (3) the “positive money” project to take back the power of money creation from the banks.

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Unemployment and destruction of nature are the most urgent problems to solve actually. unemployment because the main cause of poverty and the basis of prospectivelessness of the youth, destruction of the nature because it will deleate the basis of all our life. the recepy always proposed by the dominant politics and economy: “growth” doesnt work anymore in Europe and even if it would work we should not use it for ecological reasons. the only remaining solution for these problems, at the same time creating jobs and saving nature, is the equal distribution of the existing resp. in the process of digitalisation and robotisation remaining jobs to all. at the moment we would receive full (...)

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Another system of debt enslaves people alongside public debt – private debt. Property debt, student debt, small-scale farmers’ debt, microloans serve as a means of dispossessing the working classes and plundering assets (possessions, land, housing, etc.). The aim of this workshop is to analyse the mechanisms used for this and how they affect people. The session will also look at the fight against private debt in different countries.

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In several European countries (UK, Portugal, France, Norway) a climate-job campaign has been launched. During this workshop members of these campaigns will share not only their success stories but also political and organizational obstacles that they encounter. The objective of this workshop is to strengthen cooperation, give a push to the different national campaigns, think about a European dynamic and eventually invite other country representatives that are interested to get involved in a climate-jobs campaign.

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Most economists think, that the Euro is a misconstruction. It is worsening the economic situation and dividing the Eurozone. Why is this so? Which alternatives are on the table? What is their economic and political feasibility?

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The nuclear and financial industries present in France are similar in many ways: they are key sectors for the economy, dominated by large oligo-politico companies subject to conflicts of interest, are in crisis and present a great risk to the economy and society. We thus need a serious break with the past. We will analyse why recent attempts to reform these two sectors have been aborted and will debate what strategy social and citizen movements should use to organise a real counter-power to ensure that the common good is (...)

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Big Pharma have sold us a lie so big even Trump would blush. They have become the world’s most profitable industry by leaching off public research and bleeding health budgets dry, leaving even wealthy countries unable to afford new medicines. But meanwhile their slick PR and friends in the right places help them appear as the leaders of innovative solutions, and the only ones who know how to look after the health of society. Learn about the problems with Big Pharma from price monopolies to corruption, and how people globally are changing narratives and taking back control of our health. (399 (...)

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Another Europe should be the whole of Europe, it should be peaceful, solidarity, socially, ecologically and democratically. We agree on this within the European network. However, on the exact definition, about the leading joint battles in Europe and even more about the ways to this aim. In this workshop, approaches to the development of a common vision are presented and discussed

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We present the highlights of European water policy since the previous ESU: transposition of the concession directive, battles for the right to water in Ireland and Greece, threat of CETA on water. Then we explain why we must be vigilant on the revision of the water framework directive that has just started and on the EU will to develop water trading and more partnership with the private sector.

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Workshop on reappropriating public advertising spaces with art. It will cover the history of the anti-advertising movement, highlight links between advertising and the capitalist model, give examples of creative ways of reappropriating space and advice for concrete action.

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The vengeful return of the neoliberals into the governments of certain Latin American countries does it put in question the experiments in emancipation of the last few decades? The reality is more complex...

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With Acrimed and other organisations engaged as critics of the media, we’ll be looking at the manner in which the media evoke the grand economic themes, bias, the consequences as well as the stakes of a transformation of the media.

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Millions of EU money are spent to finance priority gas projects, so-called PCIs, supposed to significantly contribute to market integration, sustainability, diversification and security of supply. Based on 3 example pipelines – MidCat, TAP and GAA – we’ll analyse the real interests behind these projects. Local and global resistances against gas infrastructure plans grow, and they ask questions : How much energy do we really need and how can we reduce our energy consumption and fossil fuel dependence ? What about devastating social, economic & climate impacts of gas (...)

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European migration policies resulted in the deaths of over 5,000 people in the Mediterranean in 2016. Migrant and refugee peoples arriving in Europe are denied human rights ; are subjected to racist discriminations, xenophobia, detention and exclusion. How can we (migrant, refugee and european organisations and movements) build together a just and rights based alternative policy ?

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A joint workshop on what’s at stake in training for the social movements, in renewal and in transmission, notably on what is at stake for the economy and for ecology: bringing together reflections, experience as much from a union perspective as from civil society, and seeing the possibilities for pooling “human resources” in order to put this training in place.

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Sharing experiences with actors involved in citizens’ resistance movements to the regression of democracy under way in Serbia, Hungary and Turkey. This workshop will help participants to understand what is going on in these three countries and to plan solidarity projects with the movements of the people who are fighting.

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Debt and austerity two years on from the summer of 2015 How can we respond to the European Union’s insistence on destroying the Greek people under the weight of debt? What is happening with austerity in Europe? Privatisation, social spending cuts, education, health, etc, in eastern Europe, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Germany, etc. Which social movements exist? Labour law, deregulation, attacks on trade union freedoms, all matters that relate to employment

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Austerity policies endanger many countries’ key economic sectors. Women are hit particularly hard. Some emigrate, working in sectors dominated by female labourers in countries in the north (caring, cleaning, etc.) as well as in countries of the south (such as the maquiladoras of Mexico’s free trade zones). How is liberal globalisation impacting women’s employment? Which migration or organisation strategies can be used in the workplace?

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Inspired by Karl Polanyi’s ‘Great Transformation’ this workshop looks at how, as forms of resistance to the processes of capitalist enclosure, Commons and Solidarity Economy go beyond the dictates of market and profit to recover, discover and invent new ways of living and working that re-embed and place ethical economy in the service of the common good and at the heart of social life.

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Returning the management of water services and purification to the public should always be combined with civil society participation in the governance of these services. Using case studies in Berlin, Naples, Montpellier and Terrassa, we will describe existing or desired mechanisms for public participation and analyse the strengths and weaknesses to establish what we should demand.

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A training session to explain who are the lobbies in Brussels and what is their influence on European politics. A scenario in order to help you do your own research on the Brussels lobbying world. In this session you will be able to learn how to research lobbies on the internet. A laptop computer is therefore recommended.

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Le développement urbain conçu comme la mise en concurrence de « métropoles régionales européennes » dans la « société de la connaissance la plus compétitive du monde » tend vers un aménagement du territoire urbain au service exclusif d’un « nouveau monde » et des classes sociales qui y sont liées. Le projet de « Grand Paris » en est emblématique mais dans cette perspective, la « rénovation urbaine » étend le domaine de l’épuration sociale à des territoires de plus en plus vastes et menace les quartiers populaires. Face à cela, les habitant.e.s en France et en Europe s’organisent, quelles sont leurs luttes (...)

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The cognitive maps that critical thinking draws up can be precious help in the elaboration of strategies of social-political resistance and offensives. This workshop opens a discussion on the theories of contemporary capitalism. Financial capitalism, late capitalism, cognitive capitalism, the capitalocene era, intellectual monopolist capitalism, post-fordism, global capitalism, neoliberalism, new imperialism... the concepts which try to capture the singularities of contemporary capitalism are legion. But the question that matters is to know what they can bring to the combat for (...)

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There is so much destruction of nature, greenhouse emissions, pollution etc associated with animal agriculture. An introduction about the issues, and then we will discuss/debate effective solutions through veganism. What practical action has been / can be taken? Should a local or global approach should be taken? How can grassroots activists make a difference?

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Based on various Spanish approach and zadist experience in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, this workshop aims to present a panorama of the alternative practices that are being invented all over the world, show how resisting and creating can be combined on a daily base leading to another possible world. Collective creativity workshops will allow, in time 2, to see how to get involved in existing alternatives practices or to initiate them in one’s territory.

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Movements multiply their chances of success when they can draw upon each other’s best strategic insights and creative approaches — which is precisely the role that the Beautiful Trouble toolbox plays. It is a multi-platform toolbox for creative organizing that seeks to bridge the ‘digital divide’ that separates organizers by age, income, and geography. Over a hundred frontline organizers from five continents, as well as notable movement strategists Arundhati Roy, Vijay Prasad, George Katsiaficas, and Mark and Paul Engler have contributed hard-won lessons and analysis already. We invite you for a test of what it can do, and how you can become part of serving it back to the movements where it (...)

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L’explosion des liquidités rendues disponibles par la création monétaire au service des banques et des multinationales et l’inflation des revenus des plus riches ont créé une ruée vers les actifs de toute la planète afin de transformer la monnaie virtuelle en biens réels. Qu’il s’agisse de terres arables en Afrique, de foncier immobilier ou d’entreprises, les perdants de cette gigantesque et ubuesque partie de Monopoly sont connus : le plus grand nombre.

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1) Mechanisms, the scope and diversity of precarity: the national and European legislation that has been causing precarity since 1974 to make the labour market more flexible and reduce the cost of labour. Part-time work, temporary contracts, visas for immigrants, facilitation of redundancies, reform of pensions and social services, etc. How many people in Europe live in precarity? Who are they? 2) How do those living in precarity in Europe organise themselves? What are their demands – shared with other social or specific organisations, and what rights have the managed to gain? What forms of fights do they engage in to mobilise and obtain new rights for people who are poor and working (...)

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Based on various Spanish approach and zadist experience in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, this workshop aims to present a panorama of the alternative practices that are being invented all over the world, show how resisting and creating can be combined on a daily base leading to another possible world. Collective creativity workshops will allow, in time 2, to see how to get involved in existing alternatives practices or to initiate them in one’s territory.

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Le rêve néolibéral d’un enseignement supérieur marchand se déploie dans de nombreux pays depuis plus de 20 ans. Sous prétexte d’une « crise » supposée, mais surtout organisée de l’enseignement supérieur, les libéraux présentent comme une panacée la sélection à l’université et l’augmentation des frais d’inscription. Au Chili, en Grande Bretagne, au Québec, au Mexique etc., la décennie 2010 a été marquée par des augmentations significatives des frais d’inscriptions universitaires, déclenchant des mouvements massifs de contestation. En France, le désinvestissement progressif de l’Etat au profit de « l’autonomie » des universités laisse, cet été, un bachelier sur dix sans affectation, donnant au gouvernement (...)

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From bot armies to challenge sexist discourse on Twitter to staging a press conference to claim responsibility for environmental mismanagement in the name of corporation, there are a number of creative and disruptive tactics that campaigners can use to get their issue into the media. In this workshop, Peng! Collective will share examples of their work, and the learnings from numerous efforts to spark public debate across a range of issues. Then we will open the space for creative brainstorming of action ideas, free from the limits of funder mandates or handbrake (...)

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This workshop has as its aim to discuss the new forms of political expression in Europe and their articulation with the social movements. These last few years have seen the appearance of new political formations, like Syriza, Podemos or France Insoumise or radical changes in direction within existing formations as in Great Britain with the election of Jeremy Corbyn. A rapid transformation of the political scene while the social, democratic and environmental struggles are developing in numerous countries and regions of the continent. A collaborative project initiated by TNI, based in Amsterdam, is working on these questions by bringing in numerous movements and NGOs from Europe and from (...)

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