News and views from outside the bubble

We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Steady, an online platform which supports organisations like ours in continuing to provide new content and campaigns to help shape the future of Europe.

We hope you will enjoy our first newsletter 'Your new Voice in Europe' which we are sending to all our newsletter subscribers.

If you would like to support the work of  New Europeans International (Opens in a new window) and have not yet joined as a member, please click here (Opens in a new window).

Our top stories

Emergency appeal from Great Thunberg

We have been asked by Avaaz to pass on this appeal from Greta Thunberg and inspiring youth leaders like Vanessa Nakate and Dominika Lasota as world leaders meet for the historic climate talks in Glasgow (COP26).

Read more and add your name here (Opens in a new window)

Is citizen-led democracy here to stay?

In an op-ed for the Brussels Times to mark the first European assemblies as part of of the Conference on the Future of Europe, Roger Casale, founder of New Europeans International, asks whether direct citizen engagement will become a permanent feature of EU decision-making?

European Citizens’ Panels are a central feature of the Conference on the Future of Europe, Photo credit: European Parliament

So far, only the European Parliament in its resolution on ‘Citizens’ dialogues and Citizens; participation in EU decision-making’ (Opens in a new window) has been clear about how European leaders can build on the outcomes of the CoFoE.

A similar commitment from the Commission and the Member States to create permanent mechanisms for citizen participation, would do much to energise the conference and widen both interest and engagement, argues Roger Casale.

Read more here (Opens in a new window)

Bewilderment as heroic mayor of Riace who welcomed refugees given shock sentence

On 30 September, Domenico (Mimmo) Lucano, the former mayor of the town of Riace in Calabria, Italy, was sentenced to a jail term of 13 years.

Read more here (Opens in a new window)

His 'crime' was to use public funds to create sustainable integrated settlement opportunities for refugees in a depopulated European region.

Mimmo Lucano has become an interentional symbol of a more humane and progressive approach to migration and asylum.

New Europeans International is supporting a petition to launch a wave of solidarity towards Mimmo Lucano and we will keep you updated about his case.

Sign the Mimmo Lucano solidarity petition here (Opens in a new window)

Solidarity with Belarus Association of Journalists

New Europeans International is working closely with the International Federation of Journalists (Opens in a new window) (IFEJ) our partners organisations MEDEL- Magistrats européens pour la Democratie et les Libertés, (Opens in a new window) European Civic Forum (Opens in a new window),  MEDIA-Dialogue for Democracy and Peace (Opens in a new window) to  to support the work of the Belarus Association of Journalists (Opens in a new window) (BAJ).

We have backed and are calling for support for an  IFEJ statement (Opens in a new window) made at their annual conference in Zagred in October, protesting against the dissolution of the Belarus Association of Journalists by the Lukashenko regime and are holding regular meetings with Andrei Bastunets, BAJ President to help keep human rights in Belarus at the top of the EU and international  agenda.

Read more here (Opens in a new window)

The Friday Casebook

If you missed this month's Friday Casebooks, catch up here with our regular take on the week in Europe presented by Roger Casale and Lena Kronenbürger.

Projects and campaigns

Assemblies of solidarity

Assemblies of Solidarity is a citizens-led project aimed at connecting groups that are disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

Our first Assembly took place in partnership with the Greek Forum of Refugees (Opens in a new window)in the Pedio tou Aereos park in Athens on 30 September (see above).

New Europeans is a project partner in collaboration with European Alternatives. (Opens in a new window) Our work focuses on the issue of health and well-being and the future of Europe, building on our campaign for a European Health Union (Opens in a new window).

Find out more about the project here (Opens in a new window)

European Republican Cafés

"EuReCa - EUropean REpublican CAfés" aims to create a network of cafés within EU states to debate with citizens about the future of Europe.

Our partners are ACMOS Turin (Opens in a new window), Voxeurop (Opens in a new window), Europa Now (Opens in a new window) and EU Democracy Lab (Opens in a new window). The project was launched on the Island of Ventotene in July. New Europeans will be organising European Republican Cafés in Groningen, Budapest and other EU cities over the next two years.

Find out more about the project here (Opens in a new window)

The Fagiolino Project

New Europeans is planning a new project to promote a more inclusive discussion and debate about the future of Europe. Our partners are the Sarzi Foundation (Opens in a new window), the Rossi - Salvemini Foundation (Opens in a new window) and Ethnos Films (Opens in a new window).

Fagiolino was the favourite puppet of Ernesto Rossi (Opens in a new window), one of the authors of the Ventotene Manifesto (Opens in a new window) for a Free and United Europe - a European Punch. Today the Sarzi family (Opens in a new window) are continuing the tradition and using puppets to give a voice to those who often feel most marginalised from our communities.

To find out more about this project, please email:  registrar@neweuropeans.net

Events

Forthcoming events

UN day to end impunity for crimes against journalists - Tuesday, 2 December 2021

The United Nations (UN) has dedicated November 2 as a special day to condemn all attacks against journalists and media workers.

New Europeans will be partnering with the National Federation of Journalists in Ukraine for a conferene in Kyiv.

Speakers will include Lina Kushch, First Secretary of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and a board member of New Europeans.

For more information, please contact:

registrar@neweuropeans.net

Past events

Economic Forum in Karpacz Poland

New Europeans took part again this year in the Economic Forum (Opens in a new window), the 'Polish Davos', a gathering of politicians, opinion-formers, journalists, academics and business leaders that takes place in Karpacz (previously in Krynica) each year.

As a partner organisation of the conference, New Europeans was asked to chair panels on new horizons for the EU-UK relationship, including the future of citizens' rights and on artificial intelligence.

For more information, please contact:

registrar@neweuropeans.net

'Europe in an Age of Risk' - our new series of reflections on future of Europe

Following the 'Age of Anger', it seems as if an 'Age of Risk' is slowly emerging as the dominant paradigm for Europe and the EU.

We were delighted to introduce our new series, with a talk by Dr Jan Grzymski took place at the University of Groningen with additional participation via Zoom: Are we witnessing the birth of a bio-political Europe?

For more information and to watch the podcast, click here. (Opens in a new window)

Italian Parliament press conference on citizens' rights in the EU and UK

At a press conference (Opens in a new window) on citizens' rights in the Italian parliament on 7 October,  Roger Casale, founder of New Europeans, spoke about the need to build a new consensus around the challenges still facing EU citizens in the UK and Britons in Europe and how best to address these going forwards.

For more information, please contact:

registrar@neweuropeans.net

More about New Europeans

New Europeans is a membership organisation with branches across Europe, not just in the EU and internationally.

New Europeans International is a not-for profit international association founded in 2017 and based at the Press Club Brussels Europe - our mission is to work for a Europe of the citizens, a democratic Europe of equality and social justice anchored in human rights.

New Europeans UKis a registered charity founded in 2013 and  based in London whose mission is to give EU citizens in the UK a voice, support EU citizens and their communities in accessing their rights post Brexit. For more information about New Europeans in the United Kingdom, click here (Opens in a new window).

www.neweuropeans.net (Opens in a new window)