In collaboration with SOLIDUS, the TransSOL team hosted “Sustaining Solidarity in Europe” on 15 May 2018 in Brussels at the Factory Forty venue. The public event brought together social scientists, NGO/CSO representatives and members of the public in order to collectively address the factors that promote or discourage transnational colloaboration across European countries.
Discussion began at 9am and ended at 6pm, and TransSOL researchers Christian Lausen, Simone Baglioni and Maria Kousis made important contributions to the public dialogue. Co-organised by SOLIDUS, and featuring Marta Soler and others from the Barcelona team, the public also heard talks by Holger Lengfeld, Yuri Borgmann-Prebil and other key figures from both the EU Commission and within academia. In addition, representatives of civil society organisations (David Adams from the European Guide Dog Federation and Kapka Panayotova from the European Network on Independent Living) joined in a Fish Bowl discussion.
These are difficult times for European solidarity, given the crises and mobilisations against it. But the event gave a more nuanced picture of the state of European solidarity, and civil society practitioners gave ample evidence of sustained solidarity initiatives and the necessary measures to futher it. The event also featured an artistic contest, showing that the youth are committed to furthering the idea of a common Europe. Winners of the contest were Asta Selchau, Stijović Radisav and a team from Montenegro who made a short film called Gimnazija 30.septembar Rožaje.
The programme can be found here.