Top News
Report
March of Anger. Public Sector Workers in Poland Say: Enough is Enough!
- On 15 September, one month ahead of Polish elections, public sector workers marched to the Prime Minister’s office. The Trade Unions’ Forum and All-Poland's Trade-Union Confederation had joined in a Protest Committee to say no to low wages and inadequate state response to inflation in the public sector and beyond.
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Deadline extended: 30 September 2023
Call for Papers for a Social Ecological Transformation
- 30 September 2023 |
- Dialop, a transversal dialogue project between Socialists/Marxists and Christians, Sophia University Institute in Florence, Italy and transform! europe are seeking young researchers in the fields of social sciences, humanities, and theology.
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Contribution from the Freedom Fest 2023
Equity & Social Justice in a Digital World
- Join us as we explore fresh perspectives from Roland Kulke on Equity and social justice in a digital world. Watch the video session of his thought-provoking contribution on the dynamic interplay between technological progress and social justice, presented at the Freedom Fest 2023 Forum on Knowledge, Innovation and Technology held in Kerala, India.
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Account
The Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, the European Parliament, and the Supply Chain Directive
- The Rana Plaza disaster happened 10 years ago on 24 April 2013 in Bangladesh, killing over 1000 textile workers. The European Parliament remembered the victims and discussed a Commission proposal aiming to make EU big corporations accountable for their suppliers on environmental and workers' issues. Conservative MEPs were divided during the debate.
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The Left and the Inter-Imperial War
- Looking into Europe's geopolitical evolution since 1989 and citing Rosa Luxemburg Heinz Bierbaum and Michael Brie explain why Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine must be considered an inter-imperial war. Both call for the left to urgently conduct a Europe-wide debate on a concept of collective security both for Europe and its close neighbourhood.
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History and Present
The 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban Revolution: Where is Cuba heading now?
- The offensive against the Moncada barracks on the 26th of July 1953 marked the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. The 70th anniversary is a good opportunity to reflect on both the long history and the contemporary updating of Cuba's system which combines planning and market.
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Interview
MEP Marc Botenga (Belgium, PTB): Building the Left in- and outside of Parliament
- MEP Marc Botenga (PTB, Belgium) speaks about workers' alliances across Europe and why we need more of them, the EU bureaucracy and political culture he witnessed, some fights at the European Parliament with the Commission, PTB's rise in Belgium and party building. An interview conducted by Loren Balhorn for the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.
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Working Paper
Notes on the New Conflict Lines and their Perception in the EU Population
- Using Eurobarometer data, transform! Co-President Cornelia Hildebrandt analyses the Ukraine war's impact on EU population perceptions and anticipates 2024 EU election's issues. The social issue especially dominates, while EU measures taken in 2019-2023 in the wake of Brexit, pandemic and war show that social improvements are indeed possible.
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transform!
In Solidarity with Boris Kagarlitsky
- Left-wing theorician Boris Kagarlitsky has been arrested in Russia on Tuesday on a charge of “justifying terrorism” based on his discussion about the motivations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Crimean Bridge explosion. We at transform! europe call for his immediate release. Read below the appeal by Rabkor to free Boris.
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Asylum reform
EU-Tunisia Deal: The Spirit of 1951
- Tunisia and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding for a "strategic partnership" on renewables, economic development, and — for all — migration in July. The ongoing EU ’s asylum reform and this long-sought deal with Tunisia aiming at externalising borders are the latest steps in its war on migrants. The author calls for new counter-strategies.
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Analysis
The Spanish Radical Left and the Upcoming Election — "We Need a Passion for Justice."
- Marga Ferré, co-president of transform!, analyses in this dense interview the left's recent defeat in Spain, the new radical-left electoral coalition Sumar led by Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz, their governmental record, their chance to win in the upcoming 23 July general elections and the ways to counter the menace of the far right coming to power.
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Interview
Fausto Bertinotti: "We are at the Beginning of a New Phase"
- The former leader of the Communist Refoundation Party (1994–2006) and former President of the Chamber of Deputies (2006–2008) analyses the evolution of anti-fascism and the Left, and what he sees as the deliberate strategy of Meloni´s government to destroy anti-fascist roots and weaken the Constitution in Italy.
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Report
The “Alytaus Tekstilė” Factory in Lithuania — Theft and Controversial Privatisation Histories
- This story is about a major Lithuanian textile factory which did not survive the “economic shock therapy”, and about its laid-off workers, who see the transition as “theft” by the new elites. It is still uneasy to criticize the new “capitalist period”, the author, a young Lithuanian trade-unionist, argues — and this has nefarious consequences, too.
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Commentary
Beware Europe’s New Green Colonialism
- Europe is leading the world in cutting carbon emissions largely by consolidating new forms of extractivism and sacrifice zones in the South. The authors Nnimmo Bassey, Breno Bringel, Liliana Buitrago, Madhuresh Kumar, Kavita Naidu, Vasna Ramasar, and Maristella Svampa analyse recent EU policies and advocate for alternatives to Green colonialism.
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Economics Working Group Blog Series
Economics Working Group Blog Series - Part 5
The Case for a National Development Bank: The Main Issues
- The role of National Development Banks (NDBs) has been rising worldwide since the financial crisis, the global supply chain crisis, and among growing geo-political tensions. Unlike EU member states, NDBs in the European Union aren't subjected to Maastricht austerity criteria and may thus offer a major tool for the transformational policies we need.
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Economics Working Group Blog Series - Part 4
Does the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Through the EU AI Act Go Far Enough?
- On 14 June, the European Parliament passed a draft law to regulate artificial intelligence that must now be further discussed with the EU Council and the Commission. However, the AI Act expected to be announced by the EU at the end of 2023 provides insufficient answers to the essential questions raised by this new technology.
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Economics Working Group Blog Series - Part 3
European Works Councils (EWCs) - An Underestimated Institution
- The 2024 European Parliament elections are increasingly contingent on the rise of the radical right in Europe. In response to this threat, Heinz Bierbaum highlights an important tool of left politics. He discusses the role of "European Works Councils”, and shows why they are important for a left strategy.
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Economics Working Group Blog Series - Part 2
Stability and Growth Pact – Beware of the Fiscal Challenges!
- Last week, the European Commission unveiled its long-awaited proposal to reform the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). What does the Commission's proposal look like? Does it provide a good basis for the upcoming negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council of Governments? Marica Frangakis is rather sceptical.
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Economics Working Group Blog Series - Part 1
Financial Crises as Wars
- transform! europe has launched a new Economic Working Group (EWG) in 2023 to respond to the current crises caused by late capitalism. This first article of the EWG blog series looks at some aspects of the financial crises that punctuate the history of modern capitalism.
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Upcoming Events
Register Now
transform! yearbook 2023 Conference: ‘Facing the State. Left Analyses and Perspectives’
- 22 September 2023 - 23 September 2023 | Athens
- The transform! yearbook, the annual journal of transform! europe is out! We would like to invite you to the official presentation in Athens on 22-23 September! At the two-day conference, exciting insights into this year's issue "Facing the State. Left Analyses and Perspectives" will be presented.
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International Conference
Socialism in Our Time
- 30 September 2023 - 01 October 2023 | Berlin
- Once again this year, Jacobin magazine and transform! europe are organising the International Conference "Socialism in Our Time" in Berlin in Berlin from 30 September to 1 October. Join us for two full days of debate, discussion, education and celebration with hundreds of socialists from across Europe and North America.
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Conference
2023 Global Climate Jobs
- 06 October 2023 - 08 October 2023 | Amsterdam
- As one of the supporters, transform! europe invites you to join the 2023 Global Climate Jobs Conference in Amsterdam from 6 to 8 October, when climate, social and labour movements and activists will come together to organise and build social power for radically progressive policies that stop climate change!
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Nicosia Book Fest 2023
- 07 October 2023 - 08 October 2023 | Nicosia, Cyprus
- Join us at the transform! europe stand at the Nicosia Book Fest in Nicosia, Cyprus on 7-8 October! This successful book festival has been organised since 2016 by an observer organisation of our network, the research institute "Promitheas".
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IMF/WB annual meetings
Global Counter-Summit of Social Movements
- 12 October 2023 - 15 October 2023 | Marrakech
- The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will hold their annual meeting in Morocco this October. Join us in Marrakech from 12 to 15 October, on the occasion of the forthcoming annual meetings of the WB and IMF, to discuss the unjust international monetary system but also how we can achieve Climate Justice for all.
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Calls for Proposals
DIALOP Conference [CALL FOR PROPOSALS ► 30 Sept 23]
"For a Social Ecological Transformation: Transversal Dialogue Starting from Laudato Si’"
- This conference is inviting contributions from all disciplinary fields exploring the possibilities of a transversal social ethics in the sense of Laudato si’ and social ecological transformation, and aiming at investigating the relevance of this text for thinking about alternatives to the current anthropological and socio-ecological crisis.
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Carnation Revolution [CALL FOR PROPOSALS ► 10 Sept 23]
Congress "50 Years of the 25 April 1974"
- The Portuguese Revolution of 25 April 1974 and the PREC (Ongoing Revolutionary Process, 1974-76) continue to be discussed in the social sciences and humanities fields, especially in recent decades through innovative approaches. This International Congress welcomes proposals for papers from multiple academic areas.
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New Releases
- transform! europe explores the dynamics of the European elections 2024, addressing low voter turnout, distrust in institutions and the challenge of the 'European issue' in political debates. Dive into the enduring left-right cleavage, sociological...
New Release
Building a European Public Opinion
- Climate change, the living conditions of women, war, immigration: these are some of the issues addressed and told from different points of view and at different latitudes in this ePublication published by the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP) in cooperation with transform! italia and co-funded by the European Union.
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- The aim of this research is to develop and provide basic knowledge on the challenges of the "coal exit" for the areas of North Czech Republic, East Germany and large parts of South-West and Central Poland.
eDossier
Who Votes for the Left and Why? In Search of Our Identity
- Check out our new eDossier with selected contributions from last year's annual Strategy Seminar organised by transform! europe and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation, which took place in Paris in November 2022 and focused on the sociology of the left vote and various conglomerates of the radical left.
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- Youth expresses the most militant and promising part of the political left, playing a central role in social mobilisations and political uprisings. But are left-wing parties in Europe credible to Millennials and Gen Z? Why do even the radical parts...
- It is obvious that political environmentalism unfolds differently according to gender. This study aims to explore the heuristic dimension of ecofeminism and contribute to rethinking our contradictions, methods of struggle and possible cross-class...
- The aim of this study is to examine the far-right in the EP from 2019 until today (September 2022) from different angles and to provide answers to the questions regarding what happened after the 2019 elections, how the European far-right is organised...
EU Peripheries / 100 Shades
Report
100 Shades of the EU: Key Outcomes of the Trieste Conference 3-4 April 2023, Italy
- The conference "100 Shades of the EU: The Political Economy of the EU Peripheries Between Pandemic and War" expanded on the ongoing work by transform! europe on EU peripheries, bringing together academic researchers and trade unionists from across Europe. Here is a summary of the discussions held during the sessions.
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Interview
Exploring Economic Convergence and Political Disparities: Insights from our Comparative EU Study
- The conference "100 Shades of the EU:The Political Economy of the EU Peripheries between Pandemic and War”, held in April in Trieste, advanced the academic and political discussion initiated by the eponymous study published by transform! europe last year. Our facilitator Roberto Morea spoke to conference organiser Tatiana Moutinho.
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- transform! europe presents a comparative study on the economic, political, and ideological aspects of peripherality within the European Union.
Podcasts
Podcast Series
100 Shades of the EU: A Full Overview in 7 Podcast Episodes
- This one-hour podcast series consists of seven short episodes and dwells on some key elements and findings of the study "Hundred Shades of the EU — Mapping the Political Economy of the EU Peripheries" published in March 2022 by transform! with the support of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation.
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transform! yearbook 2022
transform! yearbook 2022 looks at how left politics has been challenged by the Covid pandemic and asks what a programme of left demands for pandemic research, prevention and treatment might look like. transform! yearbook 2022 will be released in June.
The publication is available as hardcopy at Merlin Press and as eBook on the transform! yearbook website.
