Report on the Preparatory Assembly of the ESF-4 in Prague — 20-22 May, 2005

Prague’s European Preparatory Assembly of ESF-Athens,2006 has taken place with the participation of about 200 people, among them more than 40 Eastern Europeans. Present some Trade Unions, as CGIL, CGT, turkish and greeks, a rumanian and a czech one. The meeting, organised by the Initiative Committee of the Czaech Social Forum originally had te be held at the City Hall, but at the very last minute the vice mayor of Prague, Mr. Dr. Peter Hulinsky in a mail sent to the organisers has desisted to host the Assembly in the City Hall, following a report presented by their internal services (Magistrat) in which they have called his attention to the fact, that ESF, as an „anti-globalisation organisation since 2003 was under control of security services (BIS) of the Czech Republic”. „I propose not give them hospitality in the City Hall” – has written Mr. Martin Trnka to Dr. Hulinsky. With extraordinary ability the czech organisers have changed the place of the meeting in few hours, saving the situation and by this the same Assembly, and granting us the necessary conditions for the work. It was the first time, that an EPA was teking place in a former socialist country of Eastern Europe. The two main themes on the agenda of Prague’s EPA were the preparation of the Program of ESF-4, to be held in Athens in April 2006, and Eastern Europe.

About the Program of ESF-4

In base of the preliminary consultations on the main spaces of Athens’ ESF, the following frames of themes are appearing:

1. War and Peace, the rule of Europe in the World,
2. Europe in the Globalized World, institutions,
3. The Immigration in Europe,
4. Discrimination, Racism, Extreme Right,
5. Social Rights, as Common Good and the Aveilability to these Rights,
6. Poverty and Social Exclusion,
7. Work, Right to Work, Unemployment, Precarity, Economic Growth, Productivity,
8. Environment and Sustainable Development,
9. What Democracy in Europe? Federalisme, Integration, Institutions,
10. Economical and Financial European Policies and the Institutions,
11. Education, Culture, Medias,
12. Equal Rights of Women,
13. Strategy of the Movement (from Seattle to our Days),
14. Where is going the EU?
15. Social Projection Space on What kind of New World do we want? With whom and how? Our Social Alternative to the neoliberal present. (Joint proposal of Hungarian and Romanian SF CWG-s),
16. Avenue of the Movements: testimonies on social situations and conditions.

These thematical spaces have to be harmonised in the following 3 months by all of us, at the same time we can begin to present our seminar and workshop proposals. Next EPA will take place in September in Istambul, and before Istambul we will probably have a special Program Group meeting.

Concerning the debate, central place was given to the Referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty of May 29 in France. Representative of french FSU TUC, Sophie Zafari has informed us about the progress of the political campaign and its atmosphere in France, considering, that there was not excluded the possibility of victory of the vote of NO, meaning the rejection of the EU neoliberal Constitution. The victory of NO could create a new situation in all Europe and can open the way to a really democratic Constituency process from below. International Network REDDS (Democratic Social Rights for Europe) is calling an important international assembly for November in Rome for the beginning of such a constituency process. REDDS considers important the participation of eastern european social movements at the building up of the Social Europe of Peoples. Struggle for this should continue also in the case of the victory of the YES, in order to defend the interests of an estimated 48-49 pc. of french voters voting in any case against the Constitution.

Eastern Europe

We had four regional meetings as eastern europeans, with the participation of more than 40 people from Albania to Russia, from Latvia to Hungary, from Poland to Romania. In these useful meetings of good atmosphere the Poverty and the problems of Existence, the unemployment and of very low incomes in East Europe occupied the central central places. We have convened to present these social problems of East Europe on ESF-4 of Athens. We have also decided to organise Marches against the Poverty, Unemployment, Precarity and Social Exclusion in Central and Eastern Europe at the end of January 2006, during the Economical Summit of Davos. We have invited our western friends to join us in our campaign. We have decided to exchange informations on ESFEAST net about social situations of our countries. We need trustable (not propagandistical) informations and datas about Poverty, Unemployment, Under Nurishment, etc. in order to dispose of ammunition to argumentate in our own countries, by developing initiatives, press campaigns, social and political mobilisations for the implementation of Human and Social Rights, against the social exclusion. This exchange of informations should begun by the Hungarian Social Forum CWG, by giving a resume of datas and conclusions of hungarian Poverty Conference held on 20th March 2006 in Budapest.) We have proposed to organize before ESF of Athens 2 or 3 open meetings in some cities of Eastern Europe in order to sensibilize the public opinion to the social problems and our proposed solutions, and to prepare ourselves to the ESF. (Belgrade and Bucarest have been mentioned.) We also hope, that these meetings could help us in overcoming or at least moderating some internal divisions and contradictions caracterising our movements.

The idea of a central european or eastern european social forum has been launched once again. Some people have agreed with, others have considered, that it would be unuseful to devide our forces in our fighting for Peace, Human and Social Rights, beeing these Rights Universal and not regional ones, and there were also people not rejecting the idea, but wanting to know more about, and telling, that such an initiative had to be based on a large unity of the social forces, directed to the achievement of the social goals fixed in the Porto Alegre’s Charter of Principles and not serving some individual and egoistical interests of power. Among the social goals they have mentioned the overcome of neoliberal capitalistic system, the rejection of all forms of imperialism and domination, the elimination of the exploitation of man and of natural environment, the building up of a democratc and free society centered on human beeing. (There was no consensus obout the proposal.)

Conclusions and remarks

Problems of Poverty and Social Exclusion, Unemployment and Precarity, the fundamental social problems of our Region, have been included into the agenda of ESF-4 of Athens. We had to participate very actively at the definition of the plenaries, seminars and workshops on these themes, in order to give highly qualified voice to the participants at ESF of our main social alternatives and the necessity of the changing of the social relationships in unity with our western european friends. The Hungarain Social Forum CWG also invite You and your Organisation to join our common Initiative with the Romanian SF CC to open a Space of Social Programmation in Athens about the theme „What kind of New World do we want? How? With Whom?” (We have already distributed our paper concerning this plan, and we will send it once again.) We would also like to know, what is your opinion about the marches against Poverty, and how could you organise them in your countries.

The next European Preparatory Assembly of ESF-4 (Athens,2006) will take place in Istambul 22-25 September.

Budapest, 25th May 2005
Endre Simó