[fse-esf] report from the migration network meeting in Berlin

[Nikolaos Nikisianis]

REPORT OF MIGRATION NETWORK MEETING, BERLIN EPA

A.	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.

B.	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:

o	Email list of participants, email list "Action2" (coming from previous ESFs)

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

o	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.

C.	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):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

o	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.

o	Migration labor and trade unions. Informal labor and participation  
of "illegal" migrants in the trade unions.

o	Legislation process in the EU countries.

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

o	Right to vote for migrants in Europe.

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

o	Learning and use of mother language.

o	Migrants of "Second - or more - Generation" and perspectives. The  
struggle for citizenship.

o	Protection of the rights of minor refugees.

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

o	Migrants remittances and development of origin countries.

o	"Migration industry" and transfer cost

o	Connection with local struggles.

o	Urban exclusion.

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

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

o	Empowerment of the migrants’ organizing efforts