Declaration of the European Conference, Paris, 25th June, 2005

We, the participants of the European Conference in Paris of 24th and 25th June 2005, put forward for debate in all the associative, trade union and political networks in Europe, the propositions contained in the following declaration:
The victory of the “No” in France is that of the No of the Left, pro-European, globalisation critical and directed against neoliberalism and war. Prolonged by the Dutch “No” and the growing mobilisations (to be strengthened) of public opinion in numerous countries for the rejection of this text, it constitutes a major political event for Europe in its entirety. We should seize on this first success against neoliberal Europe and prolong it. This experience reveals to us that a gathering of the people and of citizens can result in anti-neoliberal majorities.
We want to overcome the crisis of this European construction, which has the market as its idol and secret negotiations as its liturgy in order to found a social, democratic, peaceful, feminist, ecological Europe grounded in the solidarity among its people.

Together we want to engage a large citizen's movement on the European scale in order to develop, from the local level up to the European scale, and in solidarity with all the people of the world, political and social dynamics in favour of another Europe. It is a matter of resisting and winning face to the neoliberal policies

Of constructing a large and determined mobilisation on the immediate political objectives (withdrawal of the directives on liberalisation in course, especially the Bolkestein directive and that on labour time, which should be replaced by a new directive, which really limits work time and permits to improve working conditions).
Of demanding that the people may be allowed to decide on their future and that their choices be respected. In this sense, we propose a campaign that could, for instance, be based on a petition in all of the countries and that would demand a fundamental change in the European politics. This reorientation should notably have as its objective: a better distribution of wealth; the fight against unemployment; precarity; poverty and social exclusion; the defence of our environment; the questioning of the dominating role of the European Central Bank and of the Stability Pact; the defence and the development of public services; the action for a real equality between women and men; the respect of the rights of immigrants; a European action in favour of nutritional sovereignty as fundamental right of the people.

In order to debate and construct alternatives to the neoliberal policies in Europe, we would like to begin a European campaign open to all the forces opposed to neoliberalism that should wish so. It should permit:

To favour the irruption of the people on the European scene as the only possible way out of the crisis;
To contribute to the expression of people's and citizens' demands for another Europe;
To create a public European space based on the principles of pluralism, of tolerance, of laicity (separation of church and state), in a spirit of assembly and of unity that will permit the gathering of many forces;
To articulate our alternative propositions;
To reinforce our cooperation with the people of Eastern Europe in order to help ameliorate the material and political conditions of their participation in the fight for a democratic and social Europe, with view to consecrating the budgetary means necessary and to fill the gap that still exists between the two parts of the continent;
To construct a Europe refusing discriminations, racisms, patriarchical domination;
To refuse the logic of war and of militarisation of the European Union, to construct a Europe that acts for another world.

Construct a social, democratic, peaceful, feminist, ecological and solidarity-based Europe

Everywhere there should engage itself a large political debate for constructing another, a social, democratic and ecological Europe. In this sense, we appeal to all the political, trade union, associative, network and movement activists, women and men, to the citizens, women and men, to conduct everywhere initiatives, gatherings and assemblies allowing to work out proposals.

This vast movement could usher in a Manifesto or a Charter of Social, Democratic and Environmental Rights that could outline the Europe that we want; It would unfold itself in the process of the European Social Forum; in particular on occasion of the European preparatory assembly (EPA) of the ESF in Istanbul (September 23 to 25) and of the international gathering organised by the Italian networks in Rome (November 12 and 13); The ESF of Athens in April 2006 will permit to keep track of this work of preparation and to give it a new push forward; Proposals for mobilisation have been formulated on occasion of our meeting: for a day of European-wide demonstrations against the Bolkestein directive in connection with the international demonstration against the WTO in Geneva on October 15; for a day of Europe-wide demonstrations on occasion of the summit of the heads of state on December 15; for a day of local mobilisations for another Europe with assemblies, reunions, local social forums on March 4th, 2004; for an alternative summit Europe- Latin America on May 13 in Austria.

The unifying French collective will bring these proposals to life and will prepare a reunion that will take place in the framework of the European Preparatory Assembly in Istanbul and which will allow us to summarise the work we have done along these tracks.

We put this appeal at the disposal of all those, women and men, who would like to be a part, at the European level, of such a process of construction.

Paris, 25th June, 2005