Off-summit in Nice : the influence of Seattle

Antiglobalisation movements and European trade unions will be mobilized during the European summit. They called for a “euro-demonstration” on December 6th (50.000 to 60.000 people are expected).

There will be a lot of people in Nice from December 6th 2000. The reason is that beside Statesmen, government leaders, all delegations, European officials and numerous journalists, trade unions and antiglobalisation societies will join the event. So the European council will take place in the same as an off-summit with European trade unions and a definitely off-summit with globalisation opponents. Such organisations called for a “euro-demonstration” on December 6th; between 50.000 and 60.000 are expected to participate.The off-summit of European trade unionsThe construction of the social Europe has began during the Amsterdam Treaty. But trade unions consider that the fundamental rights Charter, passed by the fifteen governments, is very insufficient, even if it represents a step in the right direction. The ECT (European Confederation of Trade unions) which is composed of principal European unions (in France : the CFDT,FO, the CFTC and for one year the CGT) decided to be present in Nice. The confederation also called for a euro-demonstration on Wednesday December 6th , the day before the summit and intends to make 50.000 people walk in the streets of Nice.The antiglobalisation forum : after Seattle and PragueBeside the semi-institutional off-summit, another more diffuse meeting with the Charter desperate opponents. That is to say trade unions (Confédération paysanne, the group of the ten, FSU, CGT-Correcteurs), the network of European marches against unemployment and precariousness, politicians (verts, PCF, LCR, etc), etc. But this summit definitely off is composed of globalisation opponents such as Attac or the anti-WTO confederation. After Seattle and Prague, they intend to manifest against an institutional modification which is scheduled in Nice : modification of the article 133 of the Amsterdam Treaty which extends the procedure of the qualified majority system to both services and intellectual property.Among those who will be present in Nice, we can also find the “sovereign” right wing and the extreme right. So the FN decided to organize a meeting on Thursday December 8th in the afternoon. The Alliance for the sovereignty of France, as well, organizes a sovereign off-summit, while RPF young members (Rassemblement pour la France of Charles Pasqua) will meet on a boat lying at the Nice port. And in the crowded demonstration in Nice, a long string of different small organisations (the Italian “Invisibili”, a spontaneous group). Not to mention the “Italian zapatists”, the new “autonomous group” which plans to be more than one thousand in Nice to make a demonstration, as well, in favor of a social Europe…