This fall, transform! europe hosts a space of debate and reflection on the impacts of the past decade European policies on Southern countries. We aim at looking into the future and building common cooperation strategies as an alternative model to the current European Union.
Southern European countries represent the failure of the existing European integration. Despite their differences, all of them were the victims of various ‘bail-out packages’ imposed by the Troika as well as by the general authoritarian EU policies of austerity, which supposedly were the answer to exit from the recent systemic crisis. The result was that their structural weaknesses, like labour precariousness, have increased together with unemployment, poverty and the loss of labour and social rights. In front of this situation, a Conference gathering scholars and political actors from parties, trade unions and movements will reflect on what has been done and, particularly, on what has to be done by the Left, trade-unions and social movements, which in most Southern countries are stronger than those in the rest of Europe.
Registration (free but limited to the available space): moutinho@transform-network.net
This Conference is organized by transform! europe and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung – Liaison Office Madrid
Programme
Day 1, 26th October
18.00 – 18.30
Welcome by the Organisers
Haris Golemis, Scientific and Strategic Advisor of transform! europe
Tatiana Moutinho, Facilitator of the Project “Cooperation Strategies for Southern Europe” of transform! europe
18.30 – 20.30
Effects of European Integration on Southern Europe: what is to be done?
Annamaria Simonazzi, Professor of Economics, University of Rome Sapienza University, Italy
Costis Hadjimichalis, Professor Emeritus of Economic Geography and Regional Planning, Harokopio University, Greece
Day 2, 27th October
09.30 – 11.45
The South under Austerity Programmes: Effects on Economies and Societies. The role of the Left
Eduardo Garzon, Economist, United Left, Spain
José Soeiro, MP from Bloco de Esquerda, Portugal
Yiannos Katsourides, Political Scientist, Director of the Prometheus Institute, Cyprus
Petros Linardos-Rulmond, Economist, Vice-President of the National Institute of Labour and Human Resources, Greece
Andrea del Monaco, Economist, Italy
11.45 – 12.00 Coffee Break
12.00 – 13.45
Fighting Tax Evasion
José Gusmão, Economist, Bloco de Esquerda, Portugal
Federico Severino, Director of Institute 25M, Spain
Cuca Hernández, ATTAC, Spain
13.45 – 14.30 Lunch Break
14.30 – 16.30
Deregulation of Labour Markets in southern Europe: Effects, Resistances and Government Policies
Steffen Lendhorff, Economist, Institute for Work, Skills and Qualifications, Germany
Adoracion Guaman, Associated Professor of Labour Law and Sociology, Spain
Maria Karamessini, Professor in Labour Economics and Economics of State Welfare, Panteion University, Director of Manpower Employment Organization (OAED), Greece
Hermes Costa, Sociologist, Professor at CES-University of Coimbra, Portugal
16.30 – 17.00 Coffee Break
17.00 – 19.15
Fighting Precarity (session I)
António Mariano, President of the Dockers’ Trade Union, Portugal
Carlos Gutierrez Calderon, Youth of Comissiones Obreras, Spain
Yota Lazaropoulou, General Secretary of National Bank employees’ – former Ethnodata Trade Union, Greece
Daniela Busin, CGIL, Italy
Day 3, 28th October
09.30 – 11.30
Fighting Precarity (session II)
Andrea Allamprese, Universidade of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Nasos Iliopoulos, Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Greece
Wanda Guimarães, MP from the Socialist Party, Portugal
Daniel Carapau, Activist against Precarity (PREVPAP), Portugal
11.30 – 11.45 Coffee Break
11.45 – 13.45
Social transformation in Southern Europe: Facing the Constraints of the European Treaties and Institutions
Effie Achtsioglou, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity, Greece
Representative of the Portuguese Government, Portugal (to be confirmed)
Economist, Portugal (to be announced)
Carlos Sanchèz Mato, Municipality of Madrid, Spain
13.45 – 14.45 Lunch Break
14.45 – 16.45
Conclusions, Proposal for Enhanced Cooperation of the Southern Radical Political and Social Left, follow-up