It is no secret that the Eurozone’s economy is stagnant – according to Eurostat the 19-member Eurozone grew by 0.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2015, while the average unemployment rate remains above 10 per cent, with striking inequalities between countries. The only European response so far has been the so-called Juncker Plan. Put briefly, the European Commission missed the opportunity to tackle the ecological crisis and the social disintegration poisoning societies from within. Once again, aid is conditioned solely on competitiveness, ignoring criteria of sustainability or social utility.
By emphasising the Productive Transformation project at its previous members’ meeting and making it one of its two core programmes, transform! demonstrated its commitment to finding global solutions for a better, fairer Europe. The very concept of productive transformation not only implies the reconstruction of Europe’s productive capacities, but also the establishment of a new model of development that meets social needs and ecological imperatives – and that implements economic democracy, with the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders at every stage of the production process. We believe that without a strong industry, deeply transformed in its ends and means, Europe will be unable to escape from the present crisis and will not initiate the economic, social, environmental, and ultimately the political evolution that is urgently needed.
Throughout the year, transform! will hold several thematic workshops in different EU countries in order to address the various facets of a progressive plan for Europe’s productive transformation. As before, we aim to bring together economists, trade unionists and Left politicians to meet our ambition.
The first of the series will take place in Athens on Thursday, 17 March – in cooperation with the Nicos Poulantzas Institute and the Brussels office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.
Beyond Competitiveness:
New Forms of Cooperation at the Regional and Cross-Borders Levels – For a Left European Industrial Policy
Research Question:
How can we take advantage of the potentials and complementarities of national and regional productive structures – avoiding, in particular, the imbalances related to the terms of trade and the effects of polarisation – through a Left industrial policy?
Registration and information:
Maxime Benatouil
benatouil@transform-network.net
Programme
Thursday, 17 March, 2 pm – 7 pm
“Optimizing Cross-Border Cooperation and Industrial Relations within the EU”
Florian Horn (Brussels Office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation)
“Trade’s Flows and Fragmentations in relation Production Chains”
Nadia Garbellini (Punto Rosso)
“Investment Programmes and European Industrial Policy: where is Germany at?”
Jürgen Klute (Former MEP – GUE/NGL)
“The New Greek Development Law: Potentialities and Difficulties within the Framework of the 3rd MoU”
(A representative of the Greek Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism)