{"id":337916,"date":"2024-06-05T11:32:24","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T09:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ripess.eu\/?p=337916"},"modified":"2024-06-10T22:53:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T20:53:52","slug":"mecsa-2024-a-necessary-space-for-convergence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.eu.ripess.rio20.net\/en\/mecsa-2024-a-necessary-space-for-convergence\/","title":{"rendered":"(M)ECSA 2024: a necessary space for convergence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article compiled by Jason Nardi, Ripess Europe<\/em><\/p>\n

The European Common Space for Alternatives<\/strong><\/a> is a gathering that took place in Marseille, France in April 2024.\u00a0 It follows the 20 years anniversary of the European Social Forum in Florence, Italy, in November 2022.\u00a0 Both events are renewed attempts to bring together network and social movements in Europe who are fighting against all forms of discrimination and for social and environmental justice, as well as creating alternatives to the current socio-economic system, such as solidarity economy.\u00a0 The meeting called for \u00aball social and citizens\u2019 movements to share our experiences and challenges and to develop joint initiatives and mobilisations\u00bb.<\/p>\n

The program of the ECSA2024 included topics around social movement\u2019s criminalisation, the rise of far right in Europe, alter-globalisation and post- capitalist strategies, climate crisis and ecological transition, feminism and care economics, solidarity with Palestine, social inclusion of minorities, commons and transformative economies and many more. It was organised around 4 \u00ab containers \u00bb : Emancipation & Solidarity, Power to the People, There is no Planet B, Struggle and Win Together.<\/p>\n

Ripess Europe promoted and co-organised two workshops<\/strong>, and took part in several others.\u00a0 The meetings were well attended and participated \u2013 here are the short reports.<\/p>\n

Workshop 1: Political action through alternative and solidarity economy<\/strong>
\nOrganised by: RIPESS Europe, MES \u2013 Mouvement pour l\u2019Economie Solidaire, l\u2019Espace de travail Alternatives concr\u00e8tes d\u2019ATTAC France.<\/p>\n

Three presentations opened\u00a0 the debate (by Josette Combes, Bruno Lasnier and Herv\u00e9 Roussel-Dessartre), illustrating how data on the SSE show the existence of formal organisations \u2013 mainly associations and cooperatives, that continue to move forward and transform themselves despite a difficult environment \u2013 and new informal initiatives, which are growing and spreading. Today the SSE framework sees the cohabitation of at least three binomials:<\/p>\n

– reparation vs transformation, with a long term view to exit from capitalism;
\n– transition \u2013 through gradual, far-reaching ecological change \u2013 vs bifurcation, a radical, systemic change of direction;
\n– resistance vs defence: from refusing the status quo to building a different future.<\/p>\n

In this context, the central question is how to get out of our niches and become a strong ecosystem without being institutionalised and\/or taken over by the state and the market. We discussed two issues that are becoming fundamental:<\/p>\n

– fighting against state appropriation by neoliberalism. SSE is changing, but the State is changing too: today it is no longer a neutral space, but increasingly favours corporate capture and criminalises social action;
\n– preserve and nourish the internal democracy of SSE organisations and popular education in democracy, which are the anti-virus against social washing and taking over mechanisms.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, we need to use politics to grow the space outside the State but under our control. Our task is to build a new imagination, a new narrative, to speak to young people.<\/p>\n

Workshop 2: Commons, commoning and transformative economy practices: how to network at the European level?<\/strong>
\nOrganised by: RIPESS Europe, Remix the Commons, RIES – Rete Italiana per l’Economia Solidale<\/p>\n

This second workshop was introduced by Frederique Sultan (Remix) and Jason Nardi (RIPESS Europe). In an Ostromian reading, commons show the capacity of people to self-organise outside the state and the market, managing a resource in a sustainable way also for future generations. In the European political practice, commons \u2013 as devices of self-organisation and \u2018doing together\u2019 \u2013 have become laboratories of democracy, human rights, and building of new institutions.<\/p>\n

After numerous previous attempts to network these experiences, the questions arise: how does the practice of commoning allow us to construct ourselves as commoners and political actors? How do the commons make a system out of their diversity?<\/p>\n

There are several themes that unite us and at the same time cause discussion:<\/p>\n