Here we are: Ripess Europe celebrates its 10th anniversary. Initially created in 2011, the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy – Europe or RIPESS Europe, was born as a result of the meetings of the Globalization of Solidarity. The 4th Lux’09 International Forum on the “Globalisation of Solidarity”, which took place in Schifflange in April 2009, helped to launch a dynamic of trust and exchange between social and solidarity economy (SSE) networks at the European level.
For Europe, Eric Lavillunière (INEES) and Christine Gent (WFTO) have undertaken to coordinate the structuring of a European RIPESS platform.
And it is in 2011 in Barcelona that RIPESS Europe was born, with the participation of representatives of networks from Belgium, Catalonia, France, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, and Germany.
Since its inception, the network has continuously grown and now has more than forty members from over twenty countries across Europe, including Greece, Germany, Bulgaria and Finland. In close collaboration with its members, RIPESS Europe coordinates numerous European projects on themes as varied as food sovereignty, clean energy, inclusive economy, fair financing, education, cultural issues and eco-feminism.
Today, more than ever, the network is mobilizing for the construction of tomorrow’s world. Approximately one year after the outbreak of the Covid19 crisis , the urgency to change the system has never been so strong. RIPESS Europe promotes and defends many European initiatives of the Social and Solidarity Economy that offer alternatives to the climate, ecological, social and economic crises we are going through. You can discover an overview of them on the page dedicated to Covid19 which proposes a list of initiatives and regional solutions of the members of the network.
For the years to come, the network is defined around three strategic axes.
The first is to promote territorial ecosystems and support the emergence of new networks. The second aims to promote the solidarity economy as an alternative economic paradigm. Finally, the last one aims at creating and strengthening alliances, especially in the field of awareness raising and promotion of SSE, both at the institutional level and with other allied organizations.
The 10-year campaign is being actively prepared within the network and will be centered around an event in September 2021, hopefully in face-to-face. RIPESS Europe is taking advantage of this anniversary to renew itself with the adoption of a new logo and the renovation of the website as well as the launch of meetings, videos and interviews of its members. The campaign will also be an opportunity to bring together all members and allies of the network (Ecolise, Urgenci, FTAO, etc.). RIPESS Europe issues a monthly newsletter that allows you to follow its news and to which you can subscribe HERE .
