Oct 8, 2013
Europe beyond Europe: three days of ideas, reflections and future strategies
Translation by Debora Rinaldi
On the 24th and 25th of May 2013, the city of Venice was the venue of the transnational forum “Europe beyond Europe ” an event born out of a collaboration between European Alternatives and the Global Project. The aim of this initiative was to come up with propositions and ideas to face the current economic crisis and reshape Europe in the light of political and social changes: a Europe which is not constructed around a table by political powers but is aware of its citizens’ rights, focused on economic integration but nevertheless respectful of democracy and of the grassroots constituent process.
The Forum was structured in three sessions, each one characterised by a specific topic and location.
On May the 24th at the Venice University Institute of Architecture (IUAV) discussions focused on possible alternatives to austerity measures, the financial crisis and the Troika governance.
The second debate took place on May the 25th at the elegant Municipal Town Hall of Venice. The assembly’s hot topic was the crisis of European institutions and the future of democracy within the current context of political and economic integration conducted from above.
The third and final debate took place in the Warehouse of the S.a.L.E. docks, where social movements and constituents for the creation of a new Europe were the focus of debates and an opportunity for final reflections on the future strategies necessary for the realisation of the political and social shift indispensable for a solution to the current crisis.
In detail:
Session 1- economic and financial crisis, austerity measures and Troika governance: possible alternatives.
The first session by analising Europe’s dominant strategies in dealing with the economic and social crisis focused on the concept of a ‘revolution from above ‘ revealing the structural changes that the new European governance is applying to the continental political and economic dinamics and to the concept of European democracy itself. On these premises the focus of analysis were: viable alternative proposals for transnational convergence; a strategic direction and perspective to shape recent requests to ‘rebuild Europe from the bottom upwards’.
Introduction by Wilma Mazza Globalproject and Lorenzo Marsili European Alternatives.
Argiris Panagopoulos – reporter for Avgi, Epohi, Kokkino Grecia
Pablo Elorduy – Diagonal Spagnai
Iulia Popovici – CriticAtac, Romania
Claudio Gnesutta – Economist, University of La Sapienza, Rome Italiy
Francesco Raparelli – LUM and Dinamopress, Rome, Italy
Leo Specht -Juror and lecturer Universities of Turin and Vienna, Austria
Srecko Horvat – Subversive Festival, Croatia
Marco Bascetta – Il Manifesto, Italy
Raffaella Bolini – Arci Altersummit, Italy
Giuseppe Caccia – Globalproject, Italy
Session 2- crisis of community institutions, economic and social integration from above: the future of democracy in Europe.
In the second session, opened by Ugo Mattei, through interventions it was possible to investigate, on the one hand, the crisis and transformation of European political institutions and, on the other, to reflect on the relationship between political forces and social movements.
Ugo Mattei- jurist at the University of Turin, Italy.
Theano Fotiou – Member of Parliament from Syriza, Grecia
Niccolò Rinaldi – Member of European Parliament, ALDE group
Roberto Musacchio – Altramente
Francesco Martone – Internazional director SEL
Gianfranco Bettin – Councillor of the Municipality of Venice, Italy.
Omeya Seddik, Tunisia
Lorenzo Marsili – European Alternatives
At the conclusion of the first round of interventions there have been contributions and answers.
Leo Specht
Answers by Theano Fotiou, Francesco Martone and Niccolò Rinaldi.
Video forum of Venice- 3/3
Session 3- social conflicts and constituent movements for the possibility of a new Europe
The confrontation between movements involved in social debate was rich and complex. A discussion which, starting from the outcome of the many protests that marked the opposition to austerity measures in the last two years, faced up to the upcoming deadlines, starting with Blockypy and Altersummit, and most importantly posed the question of how to devise a constituent process from the bottom up capable of connecting the struggles within a new political geography that looks towards the euro-mediterranean.
Introductory intervention by Marco Baravalle – Sale Docks, Coalizione italiana berso BlockupyFrankfu’rt 2013, Venezia, Italia
Giamarco De Pieri – Tpo Bologna, Coalizione italiana berso Blockupy Frankfurt 2013, Bologna Italy
Alessandro Valera – European Alternatives, Italy
Omeya Seddik – Tunisia
Luca Tornatore – CDC Trieste, Coalizione italiana berso Blockupy Frankfurt 2013, Italiai
Roberto Morea- Transform! Italy– Altersummit
Karin Zennig – Blockupy Frankfurt, Germany
Eduardo Rubino and Miguel Ardanuy – Juventud sin Futuro, Spain
Giulia Macao- Milan, Italy
Daniel Seco – 15M Reforma Electoral, Barcelona, Spain
Tommaso Cacciari – Morion laboratory in Venice, Coalizione italiana berso Blockupy Frankfurt 2013, Italia
Lorenzo Zamponi – Voglio Restare, Italy
Shandy Vela – Dinamo Press, Rome, Italy
Christos Giovanopoulos – Solidarity for All /Dikaioma, Greece
Elena Dalibot – European Alternatives, France
Ilias Chronopoulos – Secretary of youth from Syriza, Greece
Final conclusions
Berardo Teatro Valle – Rome, Italy