Enough with “business as usual”!

The EU is heading for elections while a barrage of claims and allegations regarding the state of the rule of law within? institutions and Member States undermine the credibility of traditional EU parties and, by default, reinforce the xenophobic and nationalistic ones. From the overriding of decision making processes by the Commission President on migration deals and environmental policies, her denial to step down from her position before running for office and the fresh allegations about her role in the so-called “Pfizer-gate” to the unfreezing of funds to Hungary and the rapid exacerbation of the situation regarding the rule of law in Greece and elsewhere, the image of the EU as a Union of liberal values comes under question. Inter Alia, through its strategies and advocacy priorities that were published in March, is committed to providing an assertive, critical Europeanist viewpoint and engaging citizens with EU institutions at different levels, including electoral participation.

In Greece, ongoing struggles intersected in a series of? demonstrations in early March. The governmental cover-up of the criminal responsibilities of political figures for the tragedy at Tempi, the unapologetic breach of the constitutional clause on the public and self-managed character of higher education and the indignation over child rape and trafficking committed by a person with close connections to the ruling party mechanism, along with the discreet treatment of a long list of child rapists involved in this case by the justice system, led thousands to the streets. Our festival, PDSFF24 | Love & Revolt, taking place on the same days, fostered meaningful exchange on these issues with filmmakers, activists and the Athenian audience. We altered the festival programme to be able to join protests, while our Femscapes exhibition opened on 8 March in honour of? International Womens’ Day.??

For Inter Alia, the next two months leading up to the EP elections represent a final stretch for building transnational civil power and maintaining hope for an alternative vision of Europe for its people; as well as a time to fight against fear and apathy. Let’s strive for this together!

The Inter Alia team

News and Updates

?Inter Alia's strategy 2024 – 2026

Every three years, Inter Alia publishes its strategy for our main fields of work: education; political engagement; and culture and arts, as well as youth, which is an underlying target group for all our activities. After a collective process involving staff members and our advisory board, we bring to you four texts that summarise our ambitions and plans for the upcoming three-year period. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback at [email protected].

If you had trouble opening the link in our special newsletter, you can check out our strategies here:

?Education,?Political Engagement,?Culture and Arts?&?Youth & the Advocacy Strategy here.

OUR EYE ON THE EU | Check out our new episode

In this month’s edition of “Our Eye on the EU”, our Alexandra and Lorenz give us a clear picture on what role civil society covers in the priorities of European parties, analysing their electoral manifestos. They comment on the decision of the European Parliament to sue the Commission over rule of law and, finally, they report on the results of the investigation conducted on Frontex concerning the Pylos shipwreck.?

Check out episode 11 of our monthly broadcast!

PDSFF24 | Love & Revolt concluded in Astor cinema which was full of people and charged with emotions and solidarity.

Four days of screenings, discussions and celebration concluded on Sunday 10 March. As well as the screening in Athens, PDSFF travelled to Berlin and Istanbul where we presented and discussed notable films from this year’s event with the audience. In the presence of filmmakers from Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Germany, France, England, Portugal, Belgium, Scotland, Argentina and Canada, the Athenian audience shared feelings and ideas about cinema, politics, and love.

Read more here.

From employment and youth affairs to new migration deals, Brussels is making decisions that will affect thousands of people with little attention to detail. As lead candidates and electoral manifestos are out for most European parties, Commission President Von der Leyen herself confirmed that she will run for a second mandate. Interestingly enough, this month the European Parliament has decided to take the Commission to court over the President’s not-so-democratic decision to release funds to Hungary despite concerns around rule of law and corruption. Moreover, the Commission has decided on another third country pay-off to curb migration, a tactic that many MEPs frown upon.

Read the full monthly bulletin here.

?Femscapes of Persistence and Prospects: A three-day multimedia exhibition at the heart of Athens

On 8-10 March, the ground floor of Bagkeion, a historical building and cultural centre in Athens’ Omonia square, was filled with our Femscapes – our visions and narratives of possible feminine futures. Femscapes presented a multimedia collection of intimate narrations of femininities spread across generations and time periods, across countries of origin and countries of residence, and most importantly across words and worlds.?

Read more here.

Inter Alia at the students’ conference #EPAS24

Fourty eight students from different high schools around Greece took part in #EPAS2024 students' conference "Participating in the European elections, shaping the future of Europe". Inter Alia was there to facilitate workshops about the European Union and active participation in the electoral process. Participants produced videos where they themselves took on the role of a candidate for the European Parliament, and presented, in their own unique way, their ideas and their vision for a united Europe.

Read more here.

Our recommendations for April

Let’s talk about Degrowth | Where we are and where we would like to be?

Inter Alia is happy to announce the launch of a series of participatory and interactive activities centred on socio-ecological transformations, with a specific focus on Degrowth.

In the very first session of this series, participants will have the opportunity to discuss their position within society, aspirations for the future, and personal experiences within the environmental movement. Attendees will be encouraged to evaluate their own realities in relation to these pressing matters.

If you are interested in such discussions, register here.

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Ιnter Alia means among others in Latin. Based on a philosophy of cooperation and reciprocity, Inter Alia works to advance political education, social transformation and collective action. It expresses the intention to willingly and joyfully stand among others, co-create, make concessions, and enable common progress and collective intelligence.