Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

About European Alternatives

Mission

European Alternatives is a transnational membership organisation promoting democracy, equality and culture beyond the nation state. The nation state is no longer the appropriate political form in which to define democratic decision-making and active citizenship, equality between people, the respect and extension of rights. The nation state is not the appropriate political form to promote a responsible politics for the environment, ensure political control over the economy and an equitable distribution of wealth, or promote peace between people. European Alternatives seeks to promote alternative forms of political subjectivity and collective political action.

European Alternatives believes that social and political change requires artistic and cultural engagement as much as other forms of engagement: social and political change being understood by the organisation as a complete renewal of society which is not limited to any one domain or sector.

European Alternatives does not believe that Europe can be defined in geographical or ethnic terms, neither by borders nor roots. Europe must be understood as a space of exchange, of experimentation and of dialogue.

Principles and means of action

European Alternatives promotes its objectives by means of public events and the annual TRANSEUROPA Festival, research, activities promoting active citizenship, youth projects, campaigns and publications. It is active throughout Europe and in the rest of the world, and carries on its activities, locally, regionally, and transnationally at various levels.

European Alternatives rejects the inter-national logic of decision-making based on the logic of nation states, and endeavours to be fully transnational in its decision-making structures as in its activities.

Constitution

European Alternatives is governed by a democratic transnational Constitution, which you can read here.

What we stand for and what we are working on:

Democracy

European Alternatives seeks to uncouple the rights to democratic participation from national citizenship. In an increasingly globalised world, decisions taken in any part of the planet, at any level, potentially have huge impacts in other parts of the world. Politics and democracy must reflect this fact and empower individuals to decide in what world they want to live.

European Alternatives seeks to address a ‘democratic deficit’ which currently exists at all levels of European society – regional, national and European. It seeks to stimulate new forms and avenues of democratic engagement.

European Alternatives empowers individuals, civil society and social movements to act in a coordinated way throughout and beyond Europe to influence decision makers at every level.

European Alternatives promotes the importance of a society based on freedom and the increased democratic participation in the management of the economy and of common goods. Current projects in this field

People, Power Participation European Initiative for Media Pluralism Transeuropa Network Equality

European Alternatives stands for the principle of solidarity, fighting the zero-sum game of national vetoes in Europe that defend increasingly feeble national economical and political privileges.

We promote European standards that spread to all countries the most advanced social legislations available in terms of welfare and minority rights.

European Alternatives fights xenophobia, homophobia, and sexual stereotypes and prohibitions

Current projects in this field

• European Campaign on Fair Internships
• Specific strands of People, Power, Participation
• Anti-Discrimination Days

European Alternatives believes that social and political change requires artistic and cultural engagement as much as other forms of engagement: social and political change being understood by the organisation as a complete renewal of society which is not limited to any one domain or sector.

Culture is not the possession of anyone. European Alternatives resists the increasing identitarian discourse in European societies, whereby national cultures are defined against ‘outsiders’ or ‘Europe’ is defined in a culturally exclusive way. European Alternatives elaborates a discourse of solidarity which goes beyond the national choice of multiculturalism or national integration. We embrace the European principle ‘unity in diversity’ in its most radical consequences.

European Alternatives advocates free access to culture and education for all, and investment in education, research and knowledge as both a fundamental good, a prerequisite of democracy, and the only defense against perpetual economic and social crises.

Current projects in this field

• Transeuropa Festival
• Transeuropa Network
• Visualising Transnationalism