More than a regional issue
11 December 2015

The results of the regional elections in France, although not surprising, have sounded alarm bells for all of us. All Europe will look to the results of the second round this Sunday. The rise of populism and the reasons which have led to such a disaster have already been commented on: a lack of real social cohesion, the fear factor, mistrust in elites and in the democratic system. Now it appears that citizens are ready to vote en masse for a party created by someone who tortured people in the Algerian war, and is currently led by two blond women who seem young and modern, but who want to put in place policies which are reactionary, divisive and a threat to social peace.

This is appalling, but even more disgusting is the attitude of conservatives in France who refuse to allow the republicans to retreat in favour of the leading Democratic Party or to work out a consensus programme. Instead of fighting the Front National (FN) they want to weaken socialists.

This comes as no surprise, however, given the blatant use by conservatives campaigning in the last presidential elections ‘without complexe’ using FN arguments in an attempt to win over their electorate. They were the apologists of racist and anti-democratic rhetoric, giving it legitimacy. They played with fire, and now we are getting burnt.

SOLIDAR’s French member organisations stand for Republican values, for active citizenship, for cultural diversity, for European and international solidarity. Now they need our solidarity and if they are defeated, we all will feel defeated. The civic response must be: use and do not abuse our democratic rights and freedoms, the right to vote. Whatever the result will be on Sunday: Europe’s future is under threat, and not only from terrorism. More than ever we need a social Europe, a real social agenda and common European policies to rebuild trust in the future, trust in our democracies!

Together for Social Europe
Social Progress Watch 2015: our recommendations for inclusive growth and upward convergence
10 December 2015

The European Commission recently launched the Annual Growth Survey 2016 (AGS), setting policy priorities to strengthen the economic recovery in the EU and foster convergence. The AGS states that, although poverty and unemployment remains at a historically high level, there are some signs of moderate recovery in the European Union that need to be consolidated by focusing on three priorities: re-launching investment, pursuing structural reforms to modernise our economies, developing responsible fiscal policies.

SOLIDAR welcomes the focus on social investment and on the need to promote “upward economic and social convergence”. However, SOLIDAR stresses the need for strengthening the social dimension of the European Semester. Our recommendations for promoting inclusive growth and upward convergence are included in the SOLIDAR Social Progress Watch report 2015.
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Progressive structural reforms to reduce inequalities and to promote jobs, growth and social investment
10 December 2015

SOLIDAR organised a lunch time debate on 1 December at the European Parliament’s Library with the presentation of our edited volume on “Progressive structural reforms to reduce inequalities and to promote jobs, growth and social investment” as well as this year’s edition of the SOLIDAR Social Progress Watch in 14 countries. The edited volume presents the outcome of the SOLIDAR Social Progress Lab – a thinking space for scholars, policymakers and civil society – and collects analyses by 10 academic scholars from across Europe focussed on identifying and targeting inequalities, shaping social investment and European policies affecting social safeguards. After the presentation of the outcomes of our Social Progress Watch 2015, showing the serious impact of one-sided austerity policies and narrow-minded structural reforms on equality, social cohesion a nd employment at national and local level, a debate on alternative structural reforms was held with several MEPs: Maria Joao Rodrigues (Vice-President S&D), Philippe Lamberts (Co-President Greens/EFA), Agnes Jongerius (S&D), Brando Benifei (S&D) and Georgi Pirinski (S&D), civil society representatives and academics.
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Building Learning Societies
Adult education and lifelong learning change lives
10 December 2015

The financial and economic crisis had a profound impact on people and the societies we live in, increased the distress faced by households, exacerbated poverty and social exclusion, and weakened social ties. The impact on the socio-economically vulnerable has been even greater. SOLIDAR member organisations work closely within those communities to provide social and educational services to bridge inequalities and empower people to actively participate in society.

SOLIDAR’s member organisation Worker’s Educational Association (WEA) from the UK published its impact report 2015. For this report, over 1000 adult students were surveyed, answering questions on the wider impact of their learning with WEA. More precisely, the report looked at progress made in four core areas: employability; health and well-being; community engagement and cultural education. It presents evidence that adult learning has a considerable impact on individuals, communities and wider society. WEA’s work transforms outcomes for people in deprived communities; it reduces social exclusion, increases social mobility and enables families to break the cycle of deprivation. Eighty percent of WEA students reported that WEA courses exceeded or met all of their expectations and for 19 per cent they met some of their expectations.
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Organising International Solidarity
SOLIDAR Newsletter on Economic and Social Rights 4 All on International Human Rights Day
10 December

SOLIDAR members work in more than 100 countries in the world together with independent, representative and accountable community-based organisations and social movements, social economy actors (namely workers’ cooperatives), independent trade unions and local NGOs committed to promote Economic and Social Rights as enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCRs).

In the framework of the European Year for Development (EYD) 2015 and International Human Rights Day (December 10th), this newsletter on ‘Economic and Social Rights 4 All’ provides an overview of how SOLIDAR members are bringing about real changes in the lives of thousands of people by promoting Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCRs) with a particular focus on human rights

• to freedom of association,
• to just and favourable condition of work,
• to health,
• to education,
• to social protection, and
• to an adequate standard of living “for oneself and one’s family”.

In this newsletter: FOS fighting for freedom in El Salvador, Solidar Suisse in South Africa to promote just and favourable conditions of work, Solidarité Socialiste in Burundi defending the human right to health, FICEMEA campaigning globally against the privatisation of education, ARCS to promote the human right to social security in Jordan, and Solidarité Socialiste on land rights in Colombia.

You can read the full version of the newsletter here.