Invitation to first meeting of another europe is possible

national | eu | event notice Thursday December 11, 2003 12:35 by rory hearne - globalise resistance rhearne at tcd dot ie

this saturday at 2pm in the teachers club, parnell sq

Letter of invitation to first meeting of ‘Another Europe is Possible’

Saturday, December 13th at 2pm in the Teachers Club, 36 Parnell sq, Dublin.

As you are probably aware Ireland takes over the presidency of the EU for a six month period beginning in January 2004. This will involve the Irish Government spending millions of euros on hosting summits of the EU Commission, meetings of the Council of Ministers, OECD Ministerial meetings and possibly a meeting with George Bush and the EU heads of state.

Many groups and individuals from all over the Island of Ireland will want to organise initiatives during the six month presidency and it was proposed at the final plenary of the Irish Social Forum in October to set up an alliance that will try to bring together the maximum number of groups and individuals to co-ordinate common initiatives during the EU presidency.

The EU is increasingly promoting the agenda of neo-liberalism, racism and privatisation (through enshrining them in the new constitution) and war (through the creation of a European Army). This is fundamentally an anti-democratic process as it runs contrary to the wishes and needs of the people of Europe. At the recent European Social Forum that took place in Paris over 50,000 delegates from all over Europe called on all social movements to mobilise against this Europe of neo-liberalism and war (especially on May 9th –the proposed signing date of the new EU constitution).

The Irish government is proposing to make competitiveness one of its key objectives during the presidency and is also promoting Ireland as the role model for Europe to follow. However, we propose that social rights and opposition to Fortress Europe, militarisation and war should be put central to an alternative Europe.

We hope that you are interested in getting involved in this new alliance that will bring diverse groups and individuals together from all over the Island of Ireland in order to co-ordinate common events such as days of mobilisation to bring the maximum number of people together to call for a Europe of social rights in a world without war.

The proposed name of this new alliance is ‘Another Europe is Possible’. The first meeting will take place on December 13th in the Teacher’s Club, 36 Parnell sq, Dublin. Supporting this initiative so far are Patricia Mckenna (MEP), Paul Dillon (President UCD Student’s Union). Also Barry Nevin (Chairperson, Civil Aviation Branch Dublin Airport), John Bissett (Community Worker), Richard Boyd Barrett (Irish Anti War Movement), Andy Storey (Development Studies, UCD) and others will give introductions at the meeting. The meeting is an open discussion of what the alliance can do during the EU presidency. I hope that you can make it and can bring along interested colleagues and friends.

Rory Hearne