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