The Left in the European Parliament will be in Marseille next week meeting with civil society, trade unions, and social movements as part of its “Study Days” while France holds the Presidency of the EU. MEPs will focus on the protracted social emergency facing working people, the climate crisis, energy poverty, and housing, issues that this presidency has been failing to address adequately, and with which people in Marseille – one of France’s most underprivileged cities – are all too familiar.
The event will kick off on Tuesday 8th with a press conference* being held on that day at 12.00 in room Shanghai of the World Trade Center, 2 Rue Henri Barbusse, 13001 Marseille.
Throughout the week, MEPs and Left forces from across Europe will engage in debate on the issues facing people in Marseille, France, and Europe. This will involve several field trips to visit workers’ cooperatives and citizens’ platforms** taking direct action in their communities to build a better, fairer world.
“People in France and Europe are taking on the obsolete and damaging doctrine of Macron, Scholz, von der Leyen, and Lagarde and challenging their failed vision. This French presidency – upon Macron’s wishes – is taking place in the midst of the French presidential elections and distracting from real European issues for the sake of his reelection agenda. Climate change and the social crisis are the big challenges of the 2020s but powerful elites are incapable and unwilling to take the necessary measures to deal with them and bring about the just transition we need. We’re in Marseille to see how people are taking back their city with ambition for progress and to learn more about how The Left can bring the fights of the social movements into EU institutions to build a Europe of solidarity,” said MEP Manon Aubry.
“We’re looking forward to vibrant exchanges with the Marseillais fighting for real change in their city and driving the project for another Europe on the local and regional level. EU leaders would do well to take note of the practical, people-focused, successful initiatives being driven by communities across Europe. Under the current EU presidency, our French comrades are now at the forefront of this struggle for social and climate justice, we’re here to fortify our alliance with these movements,” Martin Schirdewan MEP.
Link to programme: https://left.eu/content/uploads/2022/02/Study-Days-Programme.pdf
*Journalists wishing to take part in the press conference on Tuesday 8th can do so by contacting: [email protected]
** These will include Scop-TI – a workers’ cooperative producing teas and infusions founded in 2014 in Gémenos following the takeover of a Unilever-owned factory that was on the brink of shutdown – and Apres-M – a former McDonald’s fast-food restaurant turned into a mutual aid platform and food bank.
Martin Schirdewan and Manon Aubry are Co-Presidents of The Left in the European Parliament, a political group made up of 39 MEPs from 14 European countries. The Left holds “Study Days” twice a year as an opportunity to discuss priority issues with partners and social movements in the country holding the EU presidency.
More info and detail here.