After a panel of 17 European experts held on February 2015, and a first preparatory meeting convened the 3rd of September in the European Parliament with more than 30 participants belonging to the Social and Solidarity organisations from Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Belgium and from the European networks – with RIPESS Europe represented by Eric Lavilluniere (and other members present) – have collectively drawn a general framework shaping the European Forum on Social and Solidarity Economy (EFSSE) to be hold on January 28, 2016.

Approved last May as a “Strategic Group Initiative”, the EFSSE is aimed at giving a decisive boost to this alternative model of deciding, producing, reproducing and promoting relationships between people based on the principles of democracy, social justice and inclusion, equity, reciprocity and sustainability.

RIPESS Europe is consulting with its members for the strategy and content. The organizational effort is being led so far by 9 delegations and 11 MEPs: Podemos, Syriza, Front de Gauche, Die Linke, L’Altra Europa con Tsipras, Sinn Fein, Bloco de Esquerda, B. Spinelli and Luke Flanaghan, with the logistical support of the GUE’s staff.