Paris, 13th of January 2008
Dear colleagues in the process of preparing the ESF 2008,
During our seminar from the 11th and 13th of January 2008 in Paris
delegates from 14 European Attacs discussed the state of preparation
for the Malmö ESF. We strongly welcome the progress made by the Nordic
Organizing Committee (NOC).
We are looking forward to working with all the European movements,
unions, associations and NGOs in order to mobilize to Malmö. The basis
for a successful mobilization is that we not only make organisational
but also political progress. Thus we have to demonstrate that the ESF
process is deepening geographically and politically.
Moving the ESF to Scandinavia is already an important step towards
geographical expansion. But we can to do even better: A special effort
has to be made to reach out to European regions as well as movements,
organisations and networks which are not yet in the ESF process. We
welcome that the NOC is to coordinate these efforts.
Furthermore, we have to make sure that the ESF is not only a space for
our indispensable critiques but becomes in particular a space for our
alternatives and for common campaigns. The altermondialist movement
has managed to spread the criticism of neoliberal ideology and
policies. But we have yet not won our struggles for the globalisation
of social and environmental rights. In order to strengthen the process
of the ESF it is necessary to convince activists, unionists, members
of associations that the European Social Forums help building and
spreading alternatives and win our campaigns for change.
Therefore, we propose that the construction of the ESF programme
should take these deliberations into account. We have to stop
accepting more or less all proposals and merge them to full panels
dominated by elderly male academic veterans of the movement. We should
give preference for seminars, forums and workshops which are prepared
by either European networks or organizers from several countries,
which propose alternatives, lead towards campaigns and insure a
balance between female and male, younger and older, Eastern & Western,
academic and activist speakers. In order to give the necessary space
to develop campaigns and actions during the ESF, series of connected
workshops, seminars and assemblies for action should be preferred and
get the necessary space.
The programme framework should also encourage and give space to
connect networks and mobilisation across the respective themes and
issues. This should be reflected in the main headings of the
programme. Therefore we support the proposal made by Attac Austria
during the Istanbul EPA to build the programme along the suggested
lines of: ?Building a Social Europe?, ?Buildings a sustainable
Europe?, ?Buildings a democratic Europe?, ?Building a global Europe of
peace and solidarity?, ?Building a democratic & green economy in
Europe?...
Just to avoid misunderstandings: We do not want to turn the social
forums into a political actor. As defined in the Charta of Porto
Alegre, the ESF must remain an open space. But it should become more
than today a space which helps campaigns and the construction of
alternatives.
Best regards,
European Attac Network