DURING the unemployed protests a successful meeting of the Euromarch campaign was held in Paris, *Delegates from Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, Britain and Switzerland all expressed their solidarity with the French occupations and calling on solidarity actions to be organised across Europe.
The French delegates were actively involved in the movement's leadershis. Some delegates had to leave the meeting to attend a press conference following a meeting between Jospin and leaders of the occupations.
The reports from delegates were extremely positive and many countries sent large delegations onto the European TUC demonstration in Luxembourg last November:
The meeting agreed to organise a number of European wide actions. Firstly, in Brussels in May European governments aim to agree on the list of countries to enter the single currency in the first round. Though it was recognised that there was not time for a major mobilisation at Brussels, all countries will attempt to send small delegations.
Cardiff Summit The second action called for was around the European Summit in Cardiff on Jume 13. Every country was asked to send a delegation. Obviously this will be of central importance in Britain to build the maximum possible mobilisations.
There were initial plans laid for anether Enropeas-ride ug. bilisation when Germany holds the Presidency in the first half of 1999. It is likely that a demonstration will be called probably in Cologne in June 1999.
It is expected that this will be pitched to attract more sizeable delegations from each country than will be possible for Cardiff though discussions are still in the early stages.
At any rate the meeting was buoyed up by the protests of the French unemployed movement and more determined than ever before to organise across the continent to resist the drive to social exclusion facing us all.
Socialist Outlook VV