This is the ESF Migration Network open wiki workspace. The last meeting of the Network, at Berlin EPA in February decided to use this space as a tool to help us better prepare the Network's seminars, workshops and generally its presence at the Malmo ESF in September. All participants of the Network can submit and describe here their proposals for seminars, workshops and actions so that the rest can see them, get inspired by them and try to make contacts for a more self-organized merging process. As a first attempt to make that function most conveniently for everybody who takes part and uses the openesf tool of the Migration Network, we suggest that we have only the report of the Berlin EPA at the first page, as our starting point for a more active and quarterbacked preparation work. Following to this everybody can put a small description of their proposals  (topic, title, who or from which group or organization is the editor) with the full content of it being in another page.

We hope that the first grouping attempt by Giovanna (Bella Ciao) can be a helpful example. For editing instructions look at the HELP contents at the bottom of the page, the ESF web-team has done a really good work to make our lives and work easier.

REPORT OF MIGRATION NETWORK MEETING, BERLIN EPA

1. General

In the meeting participated ~30 representatives from Germany, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Kurdistan and France.

Considering the participation and our common interest, we all agreed that we will keep collectively working for the development and enlargement of ESF Migration Network. We exchanged ideas and proposals about the topics in priority that we should put forward in ESF process and we came in agreement about the process that we follow the next months in order to build collectively our program of events in Malmo ESF.

2. Points of agreement:

• We shall keep calling all the networks, collectives, groups, that are working with migration issues - and special migrants’ organizations and organizations from origin countries - to participate in our network. This report should be widely distributed and used as a call for participation.

• As far as the program of our seminars in next ESF, we want to make a step forward and avoid the repeat of same general presentations. In the same time we have to merge related topics in order to have limited in number, inclusive and participial seminars. So, we want to combine specific topics to inclusive seminars, through a process of voluntary merging, limit presentations and allow more discussions. This process of exchanging proposals and voluntary merging will be facilitated through:

  • Email list of participants, email list “Action2” (coming from previous ESFs)

  • openesf site and space for migration network on fse-esf.org

  • an open group of five facilitators who will produce or/and distribute proposals

Because of luck of time, this process should take place until the end of April.

• As we also did in Athens, we will sum up seminars and workshops by an ending assembly of our network, which will link all different approaches and topics. In this assembly we will present all the conclusions and work on common decisions.

• We want to collaborate with other thematic networks (like anti-repression, labor and globalization, education etc) in order to have common events and seminar with trans-thematical orientation, connecting our problematic and avoiding the fragmentation.

• In ESF process we shall empower immediate migrants’ participation in all panels. This presupposes the possibility of using their languages (for example Arabic).

• We also discussed and we have to elaborate some final proposals about our participation to ending demonstration and the possibility of having an autonomous or/and thematic space for migration inside ESF.

3. Topics and priorities

At the discussion about the priorities of the network there were many different proposals together with the political frame in which they were proposed. We decide to present these first ideas in order to help our cooperation. Topics and issues that were suggested were (randomly presented):

• Increase of the deportation numbers in the inner countries of EU.

• Repression at the border regimes (in cooperation with anti-repression network).

• FRONTEX and its role at the borders, its importance for the European migration policy

• Externalization- Globalization of border control both at the Southern and the new Eastern borders of Europe.

• Dublin 2 treaty, proposal for Europe-wide campaigns against it.

• Repression of the political refugees in Western Europe related to anti-terror war.

• Racist violence, attacks against migrants and refugees, state, formal and informal repression. Monitoring and resistance.

• Migration and labor, connection with the ‘Latino Parade” in the USA, how to keep up with the good efforts started with the last Euromayday protests.

• Migration labor and trade unions. Informal labor and participation of “illegal” migrants in the trade unions.

• Legislation process in the EU countries.

• Social Europe vs. Forteresse Europe. Proposals for forwarding social political rights of the migrants,

• Right to vote for migrants in Europe.

• Recognition of migrants social and cultural identity (concerning skills, abilities and knowledge).

• Learning and use of mother language.

• Migrants of “Second – or more - Generation” and perspectives. The struggle for citizenship.

• Protection of the rights of minor refugees.

• Empowerment of the networks with Africa, evolve of the organizations of the migrants’ families in the departing countries.

• Migrants remittances and development of origin countries.

• “Migration industry” and transfer cost

• Connection with local struggles.

• Urban exclusion.

• Multiculturalism, origin culture and its influence on migrant women.

• Movement Transnationalization. How to achieve this, re-examine of the method of Action Days. Tools to improve communication among the participants of the network.

• Empowerment of the migrants’ organizing efforts

 Migration Network Members Suggestions

A first grouping attempt by Giovanna (Bella Ciao) as a proposal for the grouping of the topics and priorities that were suggested at Berlin EPA.
With her own words: "The following are the ideas emerged from the meeting in Berlin of February 22nd 2008. They have been grouped into themes in order to start working at the seminars' titles" (grouping by Giovanna Fassetta, Collettivo Bellaciao - 7th March 2008)