Report of the European Coordination Bureau of the European Marches

15-16 Avril 2000, Brussels

 

Countries present: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain.

 

1) Social Minimum Commission

A description of the framework and background of the guarantee minimum income (unemployment, precarity, the EU »Broad Economic Policy Guidelines« of the Luxembourg Summit, and legal and structural mechanism), we aim to elaborate a commun European demand on the subject of minimum income.
Other attempts have already been made like the FERPA pensioners' organisation. They have arrived at the conclusion, namely that a BIP percentage figure makes it possible to arrive at a comprehensible demand applicable throughout Europe.

This requires a survey in order to specify exactly what current benefits the unemployed and other people on low benefits get in each country (unemployment benefits, social benefits ...).

This also requires an analytical study covering a range of different methods of calculations and statistics now available to us: evaluation of poverty thresholds, average salary, BIP percentage, etc ...

From this data we can make various projections and calculations either in euros or in the national currency of different countries. Fruitful comparisions can immediately be drawn, for developping a commun quantative demand based on a convergence principle starting from the top.

The link between unemployment and job insecurity is now becoming more established so that even a common EU minimum wage or pension can be developped by using the same methods.

Basically, we started by examining statistics supplied at the bureau meeting, using them to check country by country or to complete them, especially those statistics relating to conditions and demands. This will be done in the next two weeks.

It is important that any country not represented send their data immediately to the social minimum commission (email: predrag.greic@freebel.net) while participating countries can check our findings. (Fax: Marie Paule Connan: 00 322 2 230 50 24), (email: connan.mariepaule@chello.be). A mini-commission is planned for the afternoon of 4 May to go through this mass of data.

Results will be translated into English and sent to all participants belonging to the social commission before the next Coordination to be held in Paris, at the end of May.

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  1. Social Minimum Commission
  2. Charter of rights
  3. country by country reports
  4. Calender of initiatives
    1. Brussels 9/10/11 June
    2. World Wide March of Women
      Paris 17 June
    3. Porto 19 June
    4. UN summit Geneva
    5. Millau 30/06-01/07
    6. October:
      Biarritz and
      World Wide March of Women
    7. Nice
  5. Appeal of the General Estates

We have contacted institutions or individuals working on a European calculation as a means of fighting against all forms of dumping, whether social, fiscal wage ... so as to learn from their experience and we will organise a conference to be held at the same time as the UNICE summit in Brussels (9-10 June 2000).

At the next Paris Coordination we will propose a European demand, not as a fixed magic formula, but as a clear quantative demand to help us unify our struggles on minimum benefits on a European level for future use and with reference to wage demands.

 

2) Charter of Rights

Associations, independently of arguments of various bodies or European institutions are currently campaigning for the incorporation of fundamental rights into the Treaty due to be discussed at the closing session of the IGC meeting in Nice, and they are also fighting to make these social rights legally binding rather be vague terms or simply thrown out. We want to popularise the EM Charter of Demands and have linked up with larger forces like the French Human Rights League to plan joint initiatives and actions.

 

3) Brussels Coordination: country by country reports

The advantage of a country by country reports on their social situation is the possibility to spot the same strategies of big business and governments concerning the unemployed and workers in insecure jobs. There will be an article with full details of these measures in the next bulletin.

 

Calender of initiatives

As anyone can see the calender is increasing full. Not simply because all the international conferences of the »big and powerfull« are no longer take place unnoticed, but because we are an ever growing number of people determined that our views be given weight and consideration in a concrete and sigificant way. After what happened in Seattle, Washington is proof of this.

Many key dates in June concern us. We are developping regional initiatives on a European scale either by linking up with other networks or as complementary initiatives.

a) UNICE summit in Brussels (9/10/11 June 2000)

This summit is of crucial importance as it concerns employment and job insecurity. For the first time, right next to European institutions, the real rulers of the European Union, the big bosses, meet to issue their diktats just before the Porto summit. The ETUC maybe official partners, but this does not mean that all trade unions of the ETUC feel constrained by decisions of summit.

ATTAC is planning various initiatives, notably a demonstration in Brussels, on Friday 9 June 2000.
Belgium will have overall responsability for the organision of the demonstration along with other countries like Holland, west Germany, north of France and Luxembourg.
On the day of the demonstration, we plan to hold a conference of social minimum benefits, a press conference, etc ... The Belgian Coordination of the European Marches is responsible for overseeing our participation during the summit.

b) World Wide March of Women 2000, demonstration in Paris on 17 June

c) Demonstration of the European Trade Union Congress in Porto on 19 June

The Lisbon summit was consacred to Blair's »third way«: there was a very impressive demonstration of the CGTP which we joined and a counter-summit.
However, nothing can modify the European governments' neoliberal policies.
This means that we must do everything to widen our forces. The ETUC launched an appeal for a European demonstration for the summit in Santa Maria da Feira, near Porto, 20 and 21 June. Countries particulary concerned by that appeal are Portugal, Spain, Italy and the south of France.
Our limited financial ressources do not allow us to plan massive scale mobilisations. We will contact participating trade unions to negotiate any spare seats.
At Santa Maria, we will organise a European Marches cortege and hold a press conference.
We have written to the ETUC to notify them of our participation.

d) The UN summit in Geneva

At the end of June, Geneva will be the centre of an initiative which directly concerns us. The UN conference will be dealing with social issues following on from the Copenhagen World Social Development Summit five years earlier.
This conference is a new opportunity for the social movement, NGOs and trade unions to meet six months after Seattle, three months after Washington to discuss mounting solid campaigns against the effects of global liberalism (cancellation of Third World Debt, WTO rejection, capital transfer tax, etc ...) and in a more general way to build international alliances. It is vital that European Marches delegations participate in these discussions. Although not the main purpose of activities in Geneva, an EM demonstration is planned in front of the WTO head quarters to protest against the reopening of negociations. Once again our demonstration will be organised on a regional level only.

e) Millau (France)

Support for José Bové at his court trial in Millau. Massive French mobilisation are planned with support from foreign delegations to be held over 30 June to 1 July. We will be there with a stand and plan to participate in forums as much as our finances will allow.

We will use this opportunity to publicise »NICE 2000« as on every other occasion.

f) October: Biarritz summit and the World Wide March of Women 2000

g) December: NICE 2000

The EU summit, 7 and 8 December in Nice is crucial in view of what is at stake at the Intergovermental Conference: functioning of institutions, enlargement, Charter of Rights. The world of associations and trade unions will also be present. We plan to hold an Assembly of the unemployed and insecure workers; dates will fit in with other trade union and association activities.

 

5) Appeal of the General Estates (»Etats généraux«) of the European social movement

A proposition was put forward concerning the Appeal of the »Etats généraux« of the European social movement at the Coordination meeting. Launched by Pierre Bourdieu, a leading French sociologist, this appeal has already been widely debated in France by many activistes from trade unions, associations, intellectuals and in other countries. The official publication date of the appeal is to coincide with the 1 May. Meanwhile it has already been released for information on the EM network: a few countries have debated it and decided to support it (Germany, Italy, Holland and Luxembourg).. Despite the Coordination expressing approval for the text, the appeal cannot be signed in the name of the entire EM network without the approval of the next Coordination meeting, 24-25 May. However, to avoid our name being absent from the list of signatories on publication day, 1 May, we decided that only the EM network names of the five people representing the participating countries should be included with their agreement. Furthermore, after consultation with the Appeal sponsors, a joint initiative was suggested, (European marches with the »Etats génénaux« of the European Social Movement and indeed others, such as the French Human Rights League ...) during the Nice summit.

French secretariate
(Translation : Yvonne Rocomaure)

french original

 

 

  1. Social Minimum Commission
  2. Charter of rights
  3. country by country reports
  4. Calender of initiatives
    1. Brussels 9/10/11 June
    2. World Wide March of Women
      Paris 17 June
    3. Porto 19 June
    4. UN summit Geneva
    5. Millau 30/06-01/07.
    6. October:
      Biarritz and
      World Wide March of Women
    7. Nice
  5. Appeal of the General Estates

 

 

 

 

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