About us
Network of European progressive elected representatives and local authorities (REALPE)
Founded on 3 March 2005 at a meeting of European local councillors from about fifteen European countries, this informal network intends to:
- Be a connecting link between progressive local councillors from the 27 EU member-states among themselves, and with the European united left (GUE-NGL) group at the European parliament
- Initiate common exchange and reflections in favour of a Europe of citizens for social progress, solidarity, sustainable development, peace
- Build up common initiatives to that purpose.
Initiatives undertaken since our creation
- The founding meeting decided to launch a petition of several hundred elected representatives throughout Europe against the draft European constitutional treaty (May 2005)
- Co-organization of workshops at the Athens European social forum (May 2006) to « rethink Europe » and to « defend and modernize public services in Europe ».
- In the framework of the Progressive summer university of Catalonia, co-organization of seminars on participatory democracy (July 2006)
- European meeting on public local companies in Europe (Strasbourg, October 2006)
- 5-6 November 2007 : European States general for the right to housing (Brussels, European parliament)
- 17-21 September 2008: European social forum in Malmö (Sweden) – Seminar co-organized with IFE-EFI and the Global march of women “feminists in action for another Europe, another world”
- October 2008: European petition for the respect of universal suffrage in Ireland
- 14 November 2008: Training session on transborder cooperations (Metz, France)
- 18 March 2009: Meeting of local councillors for another Europe – European parliament, Brussels
- 12 September 2009: launch of the project « Giving a feel for Europe », in the framework of the « active citizenship in Europe » European commission programme.
- 2-3 February 2010: Seminar on “Women’s rights in Europe : new democratic challenges!”, Sisak (Croatia)
- 23-24 April 2010: Seminar on migrants’ contribution to the European union, Brussels, Belgium
- 9 May 2010: Day of Europe, live on-line connection and dialogue between citizens and local councillors from Bagneux (France), Agios Athanasios (Cyprus) and Hannover (Germany) ; film-making about EU citizens and their relations with EU institutions.
- 2 July 2010: European social forum of Istanbul, seminar on Water as a public good of humanity.
- 12-13 January 2010 : meeting of European local councillors and MPs on the consequences of austerity policies on local authorities.
Favourite areas of action :
Public services – migrations – water as a human right – role of women in politics – participatory democracy – European budgets
Elected representatives and local authorities have joined from 15 EU countries already : Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, , United kingdom
