Come and join Attac’s first European Summer University:
Another Europe for another World –
Act together now for alternatives!

From 1st to 6th  August 2008, the European Attacs organize their first common Summer University (ESU). This event is an important mile stone in Attac's success story in a new period of globalisation and the alterglobalist movement.

Since the foundation of Attac, the alterglobalist movement has won many struggles. We were able to delegitimize neoliberal ideology and the current globalisation process is now widely recognised as undemocratic, anti-social and destructive for the planet. The flagship institutions of globalisation, WTO and IMF, are in a big crisis. In Europe we were able to stop many neoliberal projects – on EU-, national and local level. Furthermore, we developed and proposed a lot of of alternatives to neoliberal globalisation. In Latin America several governments were elected for promoting anti-neoliberal programmes.

Nevertheless, Attac and the alterglobalist movement as a whole were not yet able to stop the socially and environmentally destructive effects of free trade and free capital mobility. Also the European Union follows an undemocratic, corporate-driven agenda which calls for our continued resistance. But we have to recognize that the economic integration practised in the EU is so advanced that regulation against growing inequalities can no longer be effective at the national and local level alone. We also have to realize, that we haven't succeeded in wining even only one of our key struggles for international social and ecological regulations and rights such as the Tobin Tax, the closure of tax havens, fair trade rules or European social and tax rules.

This balance establishes a new challenge for our movement. In order to win our struggles for alternatives, we have to learn to act together. As one united movement, we have to learn to better coordinate our campaigns at international level. We will only win our campaigns for international alternatives if we pressure for the same demands at the same time in as many nation states and locations as possible. This is particularly true in Europe.

The European Summer University is a key mark in the development of Attac. In order to coordinate our actions and campaigns internationally, we will get together, learn from each other and set priorities across borders. Our main answer to globally organised capital and its free movement are internationally organised campaigns for alternatives. But a democratic movement has to set priorities together with its grassroot activists. The ESU will be the first opportunity for all European Attac activists to meet and work together for our alternatives. With your help the ESU will become the basis for common priorities and campaigns - campaigns, we can win, as we will act together!

The European preparatory group of the ESU:
Agnes Peterseil (Attac Austria), Alexis Schwartz (Attac Germany), Carolin Franta (Attac Germany), Christelle Baunez (Attac France), Gerard Dumenil (Attac France), Idar Helle (Attac Norway), Jean-Marie Coen (Attac Wallonia-Brussels), Johanna Schreiber (Attac Germany), Lucile Daumas (Attac Morocco), Maurizio Coppola (Attac Switzerland), Pia Lichtblau (Attac Austria), Petra Stein (Attac Saar), Ricardo Gómez (Attac Spain), Sven Giegold (Attac Germany), Valeria Sodano (Attac Italy)