Mobilisation against Fiscal Compact in France: “Against the Fiscal Compact – for an Alter-Summit“

One week before the big demonstration in Paris on 30 September against the Fiscal Compact called for by a broad alliance of trade unions, social movements and political actors, among them the Front de Gauche, the federal council of the French Greens („Europe Écologie Les Verts“) has with a clear majority spoken out against the ratification of the Fiscal Compact by the French National Assembly.

The members of the Green parliamentary group, who are part of the government majority, are recommended to act accordingly in the vote on this issue. As a consequence, Daniel Cohn-Bendit has announced to suspend his party membership. Since the European Summit in June, the parliamentary representatives of Front de Gauche have been calling for resistance. Also some representatives of the Socialist Party forming the government majority have declared their refusal to grant consent. After all, the current president of the republic, François Hollande, had in his election campaign declared his commitment to a renegotiation of the treaty.
At the same time, support for the alter-summit is mounting. Only recently a French preparatory committee was founded, including trade unionists and representatives of social and political movements such as Front de Gauche. In the same decision the French Greens declared their support for the social movements in their struggle against austerity and, in particular, their preparation of the “Alter-Summit”.