Heerlen 4 Fourth European Green grassroots weekend
Antwerp, Belgium, 14-16 October 2005
The
Heerlen Group invites you to its fourth international meeting, hosted by Groen! Antwerp, the local branch of the green party of Flanders. At the core of the meeting is the rise of right wing nationalism, the Vlaams Belang being about to take over local government in 2006. Other issues are: The EU crisis - a democratic answer; A European social safety net?; Our Europe - future strategy of the Heerlen Group.
The Heerlen group is a grassroots initiative of members of over ten European green parties. Our aim is to strengthen European citizenship by democratising the European Green Party by establishing direct contacts between party members and local groups; by furthering cross border debate and the exchange of local experiences; by creating bridges between local practice and Brussels policies; and by lobbying both at party board level and within the
European Green Party (EGP) .
Background
The Heerlen group met first in the beginning 2002 in Heerlen, a Dutch border town 15 kilometres from the point where the countries of the founding members meet, one and a half year before the Federation of European Green Parties transformed itself into the
EGP, the first ever European party.
One of our landmarks was the introduction of the individual supportership into the statutes of this party.
Read more, join and contribute?
Newsletter and mail list: Jos van Dijk, josvdATwxs.nl
or
at yahoo
Grassroots Calendar, agenda, debate and more: www.greenyourope.net
Program
Heerlen 4 - 2nd draft programme:
Friday 14 October 2005:
18.00 Reception and evening meal at the "Internationaal Zeemanshuis", Falconrui 21 2000 Antwerpen for those who wish to stay overnight.
Saturday 15 October 2005:
8:30 Registration
9:30 Welcome and introduction of the Heerlen Group
10:00 Greens against right wing nationalism, panel debate. With: Ludo Dierickx (ex-member of Belgian federal parliament): introductory reflection; Orhan Kaya (Rotterdam, member of city council for GroenLinks) on Rotterdam/Dutch & ??? (Groen!) on Antwerp/Belgian situation; Naοma Azough (member of Dutch parliament for GroenLinks); plenary discussion. Chair: Peter Alberts
12:00 Lunch
13:30 15:30 A European social safety net ? Workshop. Pro's, con's and complications of a European approach. Chair: Jan Mertens. Position paper(s) will be forwarded / put online on our web page.
15:30 16:15 tea break
16:15 18:15 The European Union after the French/Dutch No - democracy at last? Workshop. Analysis of French/Dutch rejection of the constitution treaty, followed by proposals for alternatives and how to vote them. With Willem Bos (Comitι Grondwet Nee/Committee Constitution No, Netherlands); Patrick Farbiaz (Les Verts pour une autre Europe, France, to be confirmed); and many others. Chair: Marianne Saenen ???
19:00 Evening meal in town, followed by spiritual discovery tour
Sunday 16 October 2005:
10.45-12.45 Towards our Europe - future strategy of the Heerlen Group. Concluding session.
After a short survey of what has been achieved till now, we discuss the future of the EGP and our role in it and agree upon an action programme for the coming year. Proposals and other contributions are most welcome & should be sent to Marianne Saenen, marianne_sATswing.be
, Chair: Lin Tabak.
Registration Form
Name
Address
.
Town/city
.
Country
.
Phone
Mail
.
O registration and Saturday lunch 12,-
O registration, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner - 25,-
O registration, Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner - 35,-
Drinks not included.
Accommodation:
To be booked through us:
0 International Sailors' House: overnights stay and breakfast 34,50 Euro/night for a single bed room/ 54,00 Euro/night for a double bed room. (limited availability)
O Fri/Sa
O Sa/Su
O single
O double
O Prefers to be accommodated by members of Groen! (if available)
To be booked by yourself:
0 New International YouthHotel Provinciestraat 256, B 2018 Antwerpen Belgium 00 32 3 230 0522 / F 00 32 3 281 0933; niyh@pandora.be 18,10 in 8-bed dorm, 19,50 4 bed dorm.
O Youth Hostel "Op Sinjoorke", Eric Sasselaan 2, 2020 Antwerpen 0032 3 238 0273 / 00 32 3 248 1932 ; Antwerpen@vjh.be .
Return form to:
johnlekensATskynet.be - with 'Heerlen 4 registration' in the subject box.
Or write to John Lekens, Pinksterbloemlaan 34, B2180 Ekeren, Belgium.
Questions? 00 32 3 645.30.93 (home) or 00 32 4 86 76 45 77 (mobile)
A detailed program will be forwarded as soon as available.
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Introduction impulse text to Session 2:
A safety net for the people in Europe - pro's, con's and complications of a European approach.
Chair: Jean Mertens.
Diana Siebert:
We as Heerlen Group want more integration and we want more justice in social and tax systems. We are against social and tax dumping. Thus, at least on the middle and long term, we need more europeanness in social security and taxation. Thanks to the European Working Groups of Mόnster and Cologne Greens there was written in the election program of Bόndnis 90 / Die Grόnen: The internal European competition must not lead to tax-, social and ecological dumping. We need a common European basis for taxation and a common taxation corridor to hinder the erosion of national tax incomes. We want to strengthen the compatibility of the European systems of social security. Against European-wide intensifying wage competition we want to set i. a. minimum wage regulations.(excerpt of page 119)
But what social and taxation policy do the Greens in Europe want? What IS this policy that should become more European? We probably agree on kerosene tax, on petrol tax, on other eco taxes as well as on Tobin tax. But what else? How far should the states and the EU regulate the social security? Do we prefer the Scandinavian tax system that means doing many through high direct taxes and a high VAT? Or do we want low VAT but wage-depending paying for social insurance (as in Germany for pension, health, nursing, against unemployment, on accidents and even to church) ? Or should there be EU taxes ?
It is obvious that it will be very difficult to get the traditionally very different national tax systems nearer each to another.
At the same time the European society/societies are getting older, they are ageing. The proportion of busy people to non-busy (retired and other) people is getting lower and lower. This is a challenge to change all the national social security systems and taxation in the European countries. But speaking about europeanisation this is not only a challenge but also a chance because if it has to be changed it could be changed in a European way. So let us discuss where to go