german

The stimuli, ideas, approaches which have come together at the Congress will be summarized, with regard to the central transformation areas (cultural/lifestyle, politics/economy/law, practical/niche projects)  Participation possibilities and activities beyond the congress will be presented.  This will be made possible through the representatives of the thematic areas active at the congress or participants who have been following the subject areas and are particularly interested in undertaking further work.

The role of Solidarity Economy compared with other economies will be discussed against the background of the current crisis in Southern Europe.  The discussion will focus on both new and more established initiatives and projects.  It will also address the relationship of alternative approaches to the possibilities and the constraints of economic policies. A thorough presentation of Southern European Projects will take place in its own Forum and will be followed up with in-depth workshops, which in turn link into this podium.

Food sovereignty and land grabbing, exploitation of resources and expropriation - issues for the global South? Not only them!  Brandenburg is being sold out, extensive farming by conventional agricultural businesses in Berlin’s surrounding areas and exploitation of the soil and regional structures, mono-cultures and seed limitations are erasing the eco-diversity of our maps, consumers are losing the contact to their food and their consumer habits are forcing exploitative work structures, production chains and land speculation.

The ecological advantages of renewable energy have been emphasized countless times, however until now the social possibilities, which can be opened up through a de-centralized energy production, have been largely ignored. These advantages are the development of municipal common goods and the strengthening of local self-administration.

If solidarity economy is such a great idea, then why is its extent and scope so limited? What are the socio-technological conditions that impede its spread? Our hypothesis is: Solidarity economy is a far more evident procedure than is usually being perceived. Yet, it cannot work under currently dominant institutional set-up. After a short introduction, we will move on to collectively work on the political parameters for a solidarity economy. At four different tables, we will delve into specific topics.

We invite those players involved in the sector, who want to administrate local and regional authorities in the interests of the residents and who promote solidarity, regional and alternative economic cycles.  We want to be inspired by good practice.  The goal of the event is to  show, by means of good practice, how solidarity economy enterprises and the community can profit from collaboration.