European Social Forum: Debating the challenges for its future

1. Introduction

Oscar Reyes, Hilary Wainwright, Mayo Fuster I Morrell and Marco Berlinguer

After three European Social Forums (ESF) we need to step back and ask: what
next? This newsletter is an attempt to provide a multitude of answers to
this question, reflecting upon the Forum’s purpose, practical achievements
and methods of organisation. We present a range of individual and collective
assessments, from many different standpoints. In this introduction we try to
identify some issues which recur in these assessments and which need to be
addressed, if not immediately resolved, in order for the process to develop
creatively
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/intro.htm

2 Individual Assessments of the 3rd ESF and beyond

Bouteldja Naima: Complot Islamiste au Forum Social Européen?
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/complot.htm

Callinicos Alex : Building on the success of the London ESF
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/callinicos.htm

Candeias Mario : Antinomies: Relations between Social Movements, Left
Political Parties and State
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/candeias.htm

Cannavo Salvatore: The Success of the London Forum  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/cannavo_it.htm
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/cannavo_en.htm

De Angelis Massimo: Evaluating the London ESF
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/masimo.htm

Fawkes Guy: Il limite del movimento, la forza del movimento: Intervista a Ken "il rosso" Livingstone
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/ken_livingstone.htm

George Susan: Taking the movement forward
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/susan_george.htm

Gineste Pierre: Reflecting on the ESF
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/gineste.htm

Juris Jeff : The London ESF and the Politics of Autonomous Space
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/jeff.htm?SectionID=41&ItemID=6552

Kagarlitsky Boris: Social Forum Does London
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/SFdoesLondon.htm

Kingsnorth Paul : Time to Get Serious
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/get_serious.htm

Levidow Les: ESF 2004: Facilitating or Precluding Another World? Contradictory process
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/lev.htm

Longhi Vittorio : Trade Unions and the ESF
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/longui.htm

Massiah Gustave: La Place Des «Sans Droits » dans les Forums Sociaux
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/massiah.htm

Nunes Rodrigo : Territory and Deterritory: Inside and Outside the ESF 2004,
New Movement Subjectivities
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nunes.htm
French  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nunes_fr.htm
Portugese  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nunes_sp.htm

Pizzo Ana : Londra val bene una mossa
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/ana_pizo.htm

Wainwright Hilary: The European Social Forum Comes to London
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/wainwright.htm

Yulis Panayotis: One step forward, how many back?
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/one-step.htm
Greek:  http://www.epohi.gr/yulis_european_movement_movements_31102004.htm

3 Collective Assessments of the 3rd ESF and beyond

Attac France: The European Social Forum: Appraisal and Future Perspectives
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/attac-en.htm
French:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/attac_fr.htm
Spanish:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/attac-sp.htm
German:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/attac_du.htm

Attac Europe: Contribution to the discussion on the ESF process
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/attac-europe.htm

Babels France: Bilan du FSE 2004 de Londres
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/babels-france.htm

Belgian Social Forum : Some practical suggestions on the ESF Process
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/belgian.htm

Call of assembly of social movements
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/mmss-en.htm
French:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/mmss_fr.htm

Call of precariat assembly
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/precariat_en.htm
French:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/precariat_fr.htm

COBAS: Il Forum sociale europeo a Londra
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/cobas.htm

French Committee of Initiative
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/french_comittee.htm

FSU (France): Bilan et perspectives après le 3ème FSE
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/fsu_fr.htm

Germany: Explanation of the ESF process
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/articulo_alle_ingles.htm
German:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/articulo_alleman.htm

Greek Social Forum: A statement on the 4th ESF
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/greek.htm

Gruppo di lavoro per l'assemblea di Parigi: Notes for the
extrarordinary meeting of ESF Paris
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/lavatori-en.htm
Italian:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nota_lavatore_it.htm
French:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/lavatori-fr.htm

Local Social Forums Network, UK: A Different ESF Is
Possible
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/another.htm

London Social Forum
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/london.htm

Tavolo Migranti Italia, Act Up Paris, Amplitude-No One Is Illegal Germany
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/migranti_en.htm
Italian:  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/migranti_it.htm

4 Learning from practice

Andreotti Vanessa and Dowling Emma : Social forums as
pedagogical space
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/andreotti.htm

Bodie Annie: Autonomous Spaces
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/bodie.htm

Boeri Julie and Hodkinson Stuart : Babels and the politics of
language at the heart of social Forum
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/babel.htm

Diesner Dagmar: Kids Space
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/kids.htm
Migration report
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/migration.htm

Fuster I Morrell Mayo: InvestigAction and Social Forums
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/mayo.htm

Gosselin Sophie: Nomad
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nomad_sophie.htm

Habermann Friedericke: Popular education
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/popular-education.htm

Hache Alex: ESF and communication
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/communication.htm

Jones Dave: ESF Media and Communications Strategies
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/dave-jones.htm

Nunes Rodrigo : Culture at the social forums
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nunes-icing.htm

Preiss Potira and Tiago Eduardo Genehr: Social forums and the
environment
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/environment.htm

Reyes Oscar :  http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/oscar.htm
Paying for another world

5 Perspectives on the ESF and its future

ESF Questionnaire (please answer in English or French)

1. What are the most positive outcomes of the ESF process?

2. What are the main problems with the ESF process?

3. What changes would you implement to make the ESF process more effective?

4. What has the ESF helped your organisation or collective to achieve?

5. Which struggles, issues, problems, proposals or challenges would you like
to see prioritised at the next ESF?

6. Please include your name, and the name of your organisation or collective
(if any).

We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to respond to the
following questions and return them to info2[at]moviments.net. Responses will
appear here soon.

6 Structures and decision-making at the ESF

Bohn Lars: ESF: Addressing the democratic deficit
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/lars.htm

Nicholas Haerbinger: Towards the WSF 2005
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/nicolas.htm

Maeckelbergh Marianne : Perhaps we should just flip a coin: macro and
microstructures of the European Social Forum Processes
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/flipacoin.htm

Magnus E. Marsdal and others: European assembly: Could we have better
meetings?
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/better_meetings.htm

Hilary Wainwright: For a participatory ESF
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/hillary.htm

Bibliography and weblinks
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/biblio.htm

Eurotopia
 http://www.euromovements.info/newsletter/eurotopia.htm

Useful Guide for Social Transformation in Europe
 http://www.euromovements.info/