About the Event

The devastating war in Ukraine is a humanitarian disaster, with horrific consequences for the country’s inhabitants and more lives lost every day. Europe has taken a leading role in the international response, not just because of proximity and the direct consequences that this unprecedented conflict is having for the continent, but also because it marks an undeniable turning point that demands a joint and transversal response.

This crisis, however, will require not just short-term, but also mid-to-long term action, and a shift in how Europe positions itself in various domains. There are economic, energy, geopolitical and other implications, and important choices to be made. Faced with all this, we need to create room for debate where we can bring green and left-wing perspectives to the questions and consequences we will have to face.

Anna Lührmann and Ernest Urtasun will try to give us answers from this perspective, a European vision that will draw different perspectives from both Germany and southern Europe.

Context

GEF’s Green Red Dialogues, organised with the support of Fundació Nous Horitzons, aim to tackle pressing issues of our time and the challenges Europe faces with an explicit social and green lens. In doing so, these debates connect the red and the green and highlight Southern European perspectives on crucial topics like energy, mobility, and security in the 21st century.

Speakers

• Anna Lührmann – Minister of State for Europe and Climate of the German government 
• Ernest Urtasun – Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA 

Practicalities

Date and Time: Monday, April 25th (18:00 – 19:00 CEST) 

Location: Online, via Zoom 

Language: English and Catalan, with simultaneous translation 

Registration: Please sign-up in advance via this link.  

Further Reading

Since the war in Ukraine began, our independent publication, the Green European Journal has been publishing articles and interviews to look into the regional context and impacts, the role of media and civil society, and the energy and environmental dimension, as well as its implications for the future of the European Union. Here’s what the Journal has published so far.

This webinar is organised by the Green European Foundation, with the support of Fundacio Nous Horitzons and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. 

About the Event

This Green Red Dialogue confronts the European Union’s Next Generation EU fund, a fund created to support member states in their economic and social recovery and resilience from the COVID-19 pandemic. Such massive investment has a great impact in setting the EU’s economic path for generations to come, but are feminist issues being considered ?

We will discuss the gendered effects of the COVID-19 crisis regarding job creation and overall livelihood improvement, and of course, whether the scheme contemplates the fundamental values of gender equality .

Context

The Green-Red Dialogues began in 2020 as a way to reflect on current issues from explicitly green and social perspectives. The challenges we face as a result of the COVID-19 crisis are new and unpredictable. Today it is more urgent than ever to reverse the consequences of a capitalist system that not only brought forth the pandemic but has also caused irreparable cracks in our planet. A capitalist system that has been shown to foster social inequality and that assaults the Earth.  

We cannot fall into fatalistic discourses and convey the message that all is lost. Instead, we must disseminate proposals and make the citizens of the European Union aware that another option is possible – that green policies are compatible with the economy, progress, and development. 

With this in mind, the Green Red Dialogues continue in 2021, once again providing the space for European policy makers, academics, activists, and citizens to address the challenges of today – combining current affairs and in-depth analysis to spark vibrant discussions about greener, more socially just solutions. 

Speakers

 Alexandra Geese – Greens/EFA MEP 

Laura Lopéz – MP for Catalunya in Común 

Dolors Comas – politician and anthropologist, Rovira i Virgili University 

Welcome by Susanne Rieger (GEF) and moderated by Marc Rius 

Practicalities

Date and Time: Tuesday, December 21st (18:00-19:00) 

Audience: The webinar is free and open to the general public. There will be simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and English.

Please register in advance via this link.  

Recommended Reading

Delve more into the topics of this event by checking out some related articles in the Green European Journal! 

• The Pandemic Is Gendered – and so Is Recovery (Rosa Martínez Rodríguez) 
• Coronavirus Recovery and Just Transition in Spain: A Unique Opportunity (Joaquín Nieto and Lucía Baratech) 
• “Green Policies Are About Our Entire Way of Life” (Inés Sabanés) 
• Just Transition: Time for a Rethink? (Rosa Martínez Rodríguez) 

About the Event:

Germany will be heading to the polls on September 26th to elect a new government. Citizens across Europe will follow the results with anticipation – also in Spain and Catalonia.
Is a green government possible? What will the results mean for German relations with Southern Europe? Will a potential Green Wave help Spanish and Catalan Greens gain more space and influence too?
We will discuss these and other questions with our guest speakers. Together we’ll try to get insight into what could be a consequential moment in European politics.

Context:

The Green-Red Dialogues began in 2020 to trigger a reflection on current issues from explicitly green and social perspectives. The challenges we face as a result of the COVID-19 crisis are new and unpredictable. Today we highlight the need to reverse the consequences of a capitalist system that generated the pandemic and has also caused irreparable cracks in our planet. A capitalist system that fosters social inequality and that assails the Earth.
We cannot fall into fatalistic discourse and convey the message that all is lost, and consequently, there isn’t much more to do. Instead, we must disseminate proposals and make EU citizens aware that an alternative way of living is possible – that green policies are compatible with a prosperous economy, progress, and development.
With this in mind, the Green Red Dialogues continue in 2021, once again providing the space for European policymakers, academics, activists, and citizens to address today’s challenges – combining current affairs and in-depth analysis to spark vibrant discussions about greener, more socially just solutions.

Speakers:

Reinhard Bütikofer – German MEP, European Greens
Carme Colomina – researcher specialising in the EU, disinformation, and global politics at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs)
María-Paz López – La Vanguardia, Berlin correspondent

Welcome by Susanne Rieger (co-president of the Green European Foundation)
Moderation by Marc Rius

Practicalities:

Date and Time: September 30th (16:00-17:30)
Audience: The webinar is free and open to the general public.
There will be simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and English.
Registration: Please register in advance via this link.

This event is organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Nous Horitzons and with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this event.

About the Event:

COVID-19 has once again put on the table the need for a change of model, based on solidarity and equity for all European citizens. If we apply the same instruments that we have used up to now, we are in danger of leaving many people behind, creating a socially and economically unequal Europe. What model of Europe do we want? How can we ensure that people can live with dignity? How can we contribute to the creation of a social security system that works for all? How can we make it possible for people to live with dignity from their work without having to accept multiple jobs or over-exploitation?

The second Green-Red Dialogue will address the topic of Basic Income. The Green European Foundation has worked with experts on this topic for the past three years, formulating “European Green Perspectives on Basic Income” together with several partner foundations including Fundacio Nous Horitzons.

Now is a good time to present the conclusions of that research and put back on the agenda an issue that in the current crisis situation is more relevant than ever. The effects of the coronavirus have left much of the population excluded and the outlook for the coming years is not very encouraging. Current welfare and subsidy models have been shown to fall short both in protecting groups at risk of exclusion and encouraging economic development in Europe.

According to experts in the field, basic income could: improve the situation of people with a low purchasing power; prevent overexploitation, job insecurity, and illegal work; prevent fraud by companies against their employees; allow higher taxes to be levied on high incomes; and enable economic development through empowering groups at risk of exclusion by dignifying them and thus contributing to a fairer and more egalitarian society.

These and other questions will be addressed in this second discussion on Basic Income – featuring Pepe Fernández Albertos, Aina Vidal, and Philippe Van Parijs.

Context:

This event is part of the Green Red Dialogues. The main purpose of this series of talks is to reflect on current issues from a green and social perspective. At a time when we have to face the global challenges as a result of COVID-19, it is important to reflect on a green way out of the crisis. The current capitalist system has demonstrated that it promotes social inequality and that it attacks the planet, and therefore, all the inhabitants of the earth. We must urgently reverse the effects of the climate crisis and promote socially just and environmentally friendly models. We need to ensure that these proposals reach citizens, and explain that it is compatible with the economy, progress and development.

The first dialogue dealt with green responses to the health and climate crisis.

Speakers:

Philippe Van Parijs, professor of philosophy and key promoter of basic income.

Pepe Fernández Albertos, doctor in political science from Harvard University and researcher at the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.

Aina Vidal, deputy at the Congress of Deputies of En Comú-Podem.

Moderator: Marc Rius

Practicalities:

Date: September 17^th (18:00 – 19:15 CEST)

This event will take place in Spanish and English, with simultaneous translation provided via Zoom.

You can join the Zoom call directly here. The webinar will also be livestreamed on the YouTube channel of Fundació Nous Horitzons.

This event is organised by the Green European Foundation, with the support of Fundació Nous Horitzons and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation.