Sep 7, 2015
Three questions for Nabeelah Shabbir of the Guardian
What will you share at TRANSEUROPA?
A continuation of a conversation we should all be having more often: we feel that climate change is something that will happen in the future. What can I do and how can I act to talk about it right now? How can a UN summit in Paris this year be something that matters to me too, even if I give up with politicians, businessmen and the power of the fossil fuel industry?
What European fragmentation are you most concerned about today?
Climate change, migration, euroscepticism, solidarity, the rise of the far right, breaking down linguistic barriers which put obstacles to understanding each others’ cultural values – which should be easier down in a more internet-friendly world of devices and ultra ease of travel on this continent. What’s next for us? How can the EU avoid ignoring its regions on our doorstep – the Middle East, Balkans, Caucasus, Eurasia.
Why TRANSEUROPA?
I participated in a transnational forum on civil rights and democracy in Europe, as part of the Citizens Pact organised by European Alternatives in Barcelona in 2013, and was very impressed with the intensity of the meeting, the scope it had, the genuine depth of action pledged. I also attended the Subversive Festival in Zagreb the same year, some of whose speakers will be back at Transeuropa 2015, so I am looking forward to hearing more. I’m pro- any organisation which comes together to transcend borders and national European lives to build something bigger out of the political and economic union we’re all bound by.
The #TEF15 website has everything you need to know about who’s coming, how to get there. The festival is free and open to all, but do register.