ESF: After the Meeting in Paris

Dear friends, Just below a message from the french committee: The CIFS (French initiative committee on social forums) met on the 15th of November to assess the european assembly held on October, 23-24 in Paris and to consider the follow-up steps that should be taken. During the European assembly, we exchanged and debated on the

Dear friends,
Just below a message from the french committee:
The CIFS (French initiative committee on social forums) met on the 15th of November to assess the european assembly held on October, 23-24 in Paris and to consider the follow-up steps that should be taken. During the European assembly, we exchanged and debated on the situation (crisis, mobilisations…) as well as on the state of play and the future of the ESF. Various proposals taking into account these debates have been formulated at the assembly.
With regards to the ESF process as such, the CIFS joins the will expressed during the last assembly to redynamize the process, even without any concrete proposal for a hosting place, calendar, or alternative proposals on the shape that next ESF could take.
We find it useful to continue on with the debate on the future of the ESF and to work on its relaunch, its enlargment (geographical, social actors, networks that have moved away…), to work in the coming year on the organisation of a european seminar, for instance on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the forum (in Florence?).
Thus, the CIFS proposes to carry on with the work on these prospects mentionned during the assembly on October, 23-24th.
Meanwhile, the proposal to organise a european conference in May or June 2011 on Europe facing the crisis: Debt, austerity plans… must become a reality, and provide the ESFprocess with an immediate perspective. The working group should come up quickly with proposals regarding the organisation, the date and the location.
Lastly, the organisation of a counter-summit on the occasion of the G8 and G20 meetings in France should also be included in the agenda of the ESF. Recently the CIFS sent some  information on this matter.
Thus, the organisation of the next european assembly at the end of February / in early March is important and could enable us to carry on with these different issues and the implementation of the proposals.
It is needed that the organisations in Hungary do confirm their invitation and that a european working group works on the preparation of this assembly.