European Marches
against unemployment, job insecurity and social exclusions


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Who are we?

The European Marches network is a flexible structure essentially based on a « European Coordination » which implements the largest unity through initiatives such as debates and mobilizations.

This network does not pretend any hegemony and it has connections with every national, European and global network which struggles against the consequences of neoliberalism (as for instance Social Forums) and support unemployed, precarious people and those excluded from the system.

European Marches are not a trade union network: it nonetheless counts on the trade union movement in its whole diversity in order to further the cause of the unemployed and insecure workers.

Independent of all political organization, The European Marches are open to exchange with any political group represented or not in the European Parliament in order to further the struggle against unemployment, job insecurity and exclusions in the whole Europe.

Created in 1996, European Marches against unemployment, job insecurity and exclusions / Euromarches organised in 1997 marches through out Europe in order to denounce mass unemployment and long term unemployment in all parts of Europe. Coming from Finland, Tangiers, Sarajevo, the marches went through out every European country to converge at Amsterdam where the EU summit was taking place. About 50 000 demonstrators joined the walkers.

The Summit of Amsterdam decided to organize from 1997 in Luxembourg and then every year summits on the issue of unemployment. From Cardiff to Thessalonica, passing through Lisbon and Seville, European Marches followed all these summits in order to make all the scandalous decisions known. For an East – West solidarity of the social movements The only remedy EU proposed consisted in giving an impetus to measures known as « active measures », forcing the unemployed to accept any job, whatever the wage and flexibility conditions. On the eve of the mobilization on the occasion of the 2000 Nice Summit, Marches initiated the first European Assembly of the unemployed and insecure workers in struggle. Thus, every year and more recently in the frame of the European Social Forum, this assembly makes a statement on the situation of the unemployed and insecure workers, on their claims and their initiatives, on their participation in the different social movements.