More than 1,500 people from Spain, France, Greece, Italy, UK, and Germany, among others, participated at the “Plan B” Conference from 19-21 February in Madrid, in debates about the policies of the European Union and the alternatives of the European organizations of the left in order to change the neoliberal course of the EU and to discuss if it is possible to change and transform the EU. More than 3,000 people were in the closing event, celebrated on Sunday.
The main goals of the Conference were the following:
- Fight against the message "there is no alternative" after the imposition of the third memorandum in Greece
- Normalize some debates regarding to break with EU institutions and treaties in order to strengthen left forces in Europe against potential blackmails from the Troika in the future
- Improve social movements’ coordination at European level, fostering European mobilization campaigns
- Creation of internationalist movement able to face the TROIKA and its blackmail and extortion
The debates were focused on 7 axes: Debt, Currency, International Trade, Migrations, Feminism, Social and Labour protection and Environmental protection. The participatory methodology was very useful and successful, in order to achieve the conclusions, that are published here (English version soon)
http://planbeuropa.es/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Resumen-Ejecutivo-1-1.pdf http://planbeuropa.es/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Ejes-pol%C3%ADticos.pdf
Also a calling from the Madrid Plan B Conference was approved. The main agreement is a European Action Day on 28 May.
The main messages during the workshops and debates were that the EU is antidemocratic and that the European people need a common strategy to face the blackmail and the neoliberal policies of the TROIKA.
Most participants agreed that it is necessary to build a European movement and to unify the different struggles in Europe to change things. There were several opinions about the possibility to change the institutions of the EU.
The people in Europe do not accept any more sacrifices for a currency which is outside any democratic control. It is their duty and commitment to forge a plan which will empower them, when in government, to defend the people from the use of the euro and/or liquidity as weapons against them. The people in Madrid said clearly that they will not allow a repetition of last summer’s coup against Greece. And that they were willing to fight for their rights.
In conclusion we can say that we need another Europe of solidarity, anti-austerity, for the social majority, democratic and against racism.