EurHope: three-day meeting on workers and new welfare (Bari, 25/26/27 September)
At the same time, a new wind of hope is blowing in Europe: from Southern Europe. From Greece, – the ‘patient zero’ of the Troika – as well as from Spain, the lesson we are learning is that it is possible to fight the crisis through a new notion of solidarity, social justice and political commitment.
On the other hand, we are aware that the rise of a new social model cannot take place unless we abandon the current economic and governance and look seriously at our macroeconomic imbalances from the perspective of inequality between and within EU countries. In this context, widespread precarious employment is becoming an increasingly important determinant of inequalities among workers as well as generations.
We believe that a new Europe – finally free from austerity obsessions and financial tyranny – will only see the light if we are able to conceive and propose a new social pact amongst citizens promoting high-quality employment, social autonomy and self-empowerment.
Indeed during the crisis, many social movements and political forces gathered repeatedly across Europe: such movements as Blockupy, Social fora, student demonstrations and many others saw us sharing concerns about our rights, which are denied not only in our countries of origin, but also elsewhere in Europe, where we migrate to study and work. Within social movements and political forces we have developed a lot of ideas and practices: we now need to connect both conflicts and ideas.
This is what EurHope is about: create jobs, reinvent welfare, fight against poverty, precariousness and inequality
A moment when GUE/NGL can meet with citizens, scholars, social movements and progressive forces from across Europe to discuss about three main issues: economic and industrial policies; fighting precariousness; reinventing the welfare system. From the political perspective, these issues belong to a single framework: fighting against inequality. We will use ideas and proposals that will emerge from the event to reinforce and consolidate the connection between the current and future work taken forward by GUE/NGL at the European Parliament and those social movements and political networks fighting against precariousness, inequality and deindustrialization are doing on a European, national and local scale.
We are aware that a lot has been already done, but we also know that now we need to be more ambitious than ever, and that a single movement or political force is alone in dealing with the challenges that we face.
This is why we are not merely proposing to hold a one-off event: we would like to use the following months to shape a collective debate by working together, in order to promote sharing and burgeoning of ideas, by setting up a number of working groups, and by encouraging document circulation amongst political and social forces that will choose to share and participate in EurHope.
But the event itself should also be viewed as a starting point for the creation of a set of concrete proposals that could serve to advance the position of the Group in this regard.
Event objectives
● Create an opportunity to reflect on the relation between precariousness and inequalities with the support of social movements, young activists, unemployed and precarious workers, party members and unionists;
● Discussing possible alternative policy measures and approaches against precariousness and income inequalities, like an EU-wide minimum income framework proposal;
● Reflecting on how to improve the profile and effectiveness of the GUE/NGL group in dealing with those issues;
● Developing constant contacts and networks between activists dealing with labour rights in the GUE/NGL parties and delegations, trade unions, scholars and social movements
Event format
The forum will be a three-day event based on the following programme:
● The first day will be dedicated to plenary work on inequalities: why this is an issue and how it can be tackled in the short and longer term. We will gather scholars working on the issues of inequalities and the political vision arising from the work we are doing in the European Parliament and in member states.
● The second day of the event will be dedicated to employment, income and fight against precariousness: it will be structured around three workshops on how to build a new European model combining social justice and innovation, sustainability and rights within the labour market and beyond it. The workshops, whose starting point will be the objective of tackling inequality, will consider and develop proposals on:
– Job creation: what kind of industrial policy does Europe need to promote innovation, European integration and social justice?
– Dignity of labour: how can we guarantee safeguards, a fair salary and democracy in the workplace and thus tackle precariousness, job insecurity and the sense of blackmail which is a consequence of such conditions?
– A new welfare system: from guaranteed income to public pensions, from access to healthcare to housing rights, which tools do we need in order to develop a new European citizenry?
● The third day will be based on a plenary on how the fight against precariousness and inequalities is carried on in Europe and in which manner we re-establish political representation with conflict and claims carried at different levels in Europe.
Each of the three main workshops will be prepared on a basis of contributions selected through a call for ideas open to everyone. Ideally, academics, researchers, individual activists and grassroots groups, movements and organisations, as well as mayors, local government councillors and anyone who feels they can offer a contribution.
EurHope indeed is not meant to be an occasion for a closed debate amongst a restricted group: on the contrary, we intend it as an opportunity to widen participation and host a wide range of contributions, fostering dialogue between diverse individuals and groups, who share the same tension for change.
Interpretation will be available in IT, EN, ES, FR and GR during the event.
Who will participate:
Members of the GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament
Activists and those responsible for employment in the GUE/NGL parties and delegations at national and local level
Social movements at European, national and local level active on the issue of income, fight against precariousness and inequalities
Activists from Trade Unions
Academics – especially young researchers: there is a “CFP – Call for Proposals” for each of the working groups.
Programme
Friday 25
Arrival of participants
Hotel Excelsior, Via Giulio Petroni, 15, 70124 Bari
15.00 – 16.30
Registrations
16.30 -17.00
Opening of the meeting and welcome
● Eleonora Forenza, Altra Europa, Member of the European Parliament
● Claudio Riccio, Act! Agire Costruire Trasformare
17.00 – 19.30
Plenary Debate:
What Europe with those inequalities: north/south, rich/poor, male/female
● Fabio De Masi, DIE LINKE, Member of the European Parliament [introduction and moderation]
● Emiliano Brancaccio, University of Sannio
● Anna Rita Manca, Researcher – European Gender Institute
● Maurizio Landini, Segretary General FIOM
● Daithi Doolan, Sinn Féin
● Tania González, Podemos, Member of the European Parliament
● Giovanni Paglia – Sinistra Ecologia Libertà – Member of the Italian Parliament
● Giacomo Gabbuti, ACT! Agire Costruire Trasformare
● Fabio De Nardis, Università del Salento
20.30
Dinner
Saturday 26
10.00 – 13.00 PANEL 1
Out of the crisis: employment and innovation from the South for a new Europe
● Tania González Peñas, PODEMOS – Member of the European Parliament [introduction and moderation]
● Rania Antonopulos, Levy Institute
● Gianfranco Viesti, University of Bari
● Alessandro Nuvolari, Scuola Superiore S. Anna – Pisa
● Giso Amendola, Università di Salerno, Euronomade
● Francesco Garibaldo – Fondazione Sabattini
● Francesco Campolongo, Altra Europa con Tsipras
13.00 – 14.30
Lunch
14.30 – 16.30 PANEL 2
What Employment for Europe: rights and decent jobs
● Curzio Maltese – Altra Europa con Tsipras – Member of the European Parliament [introduction and moderation]
● Emiliano Brancaccio, University of Sannio
● Jorge Moruno, Podemos
● Guglielmo Forges Davanzati, University of Lecce
● Gianni Rinaldini – Fondazione Sabattini
● Lisa Dorigatti, University of Milan
● Federica Di Sarcina, Visiting professor of Modern History at eCampus University
● Valeria Cirillo, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna / Sbilanciamoci
● Yvan Sagnet – FLAI CGIL
17.00 – 19.30 PANEL 3
Basic income and welfare: a new European citizenship
Introduction and moderation
● Marina Albiol, Izquierda Unida, Member of the European Parliament
● Philippe Van Parijs, Université Catholique de Louvain
● Emanuele Ferragina, Oxford/SciencePo
● Izaskun Goienetxea, Izquierda abertzale
● Saray Pineda, Commissiones Obreras
● Giuseppe De Marzo, Libera, Coordinatore nazionale campagna Miseria Ladra
● Anne Trompa, Blockupy international
● Giuseppe Allegri, Basic Income Network
● Giacomo Pisani, dottorando di ricerca in Filosofia e sociologia del Diritto all'Università di Torino
● Elena Monticelli, ACT! Agire Costruire Trasformare
● Marco Neitzert, Rete della Conoscenza
● Serena Fiorletta, Femministe Nove
20.00 – 21.30 Dinner and party @ Officina degli Esordi
Sunday 27
09.30 – 12.30
Plenary Debate
It’s time to change Europe: organize precariousness, reinvent unions, connect the struggles
Introduction and moderation
● Lorenzo Marsili – European Alternatives
● Valery Alzaga, Justice for Janitors
● Jan Schlemermeyer, Blockupy International
● Michele De Palma, Fiom CGIL
● Beppe Caccia, EuroNomade
● Riccardo Laterza, Rete della Conoscenza
● Lorenzo Zamponi, ACT! Agire Costruire Trasformare
● Stefan Najda, Amazon – Ver.di (tbc)
● Marina Rodríguez Baras, Joventud Sin futuro
● Mark Bergfeld
● Anna Belligero, Giovani Comunisti/e
● Francesco Raparelli, Sciopero Sociale
● Salvatore Altiero A Sud
● Roberta Fantozzi, PRC
● Gianmarco De Pieri, TPO
● Eleonora Forenza, Altra Europa, Member of the European Parliament
Afternoon
Departure of participants