Background

From 4-5th October 2010, heads of state and governments from across Asia and Europe met in Brussels for the eighth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM8) to discuss their future priorities and plans. From 2-5th October around 600 civil society, NGO and people's organisations representatives, activists and parliamentarians from across Asia and Europe, met in Brussels for the 8th Asia Europe People's Forum (AEPF).

AEPF is a strategic civil society gathering of Asian and European social movements fighting poverty and inequality and working for social justice. AEPF began in 1996 in Bangkok, in parallel, and in response to the first ASEM summit which pushed for stronger regional blocs and the promotion of corporate power. AEPF is grounded in the common desire of people's organisations and social justice networks across Asia and Europe to open up new venues for dialogue, solidarity and action.

Background

From 4-5^th October 2010, heads of state and governments from across Asia and Europe met in Brussels for the eighth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM8) to discuss their future priorities and plans. From 2-5^th October around 600 civil society, NGO and people’s organisations representatives, activists and parliamentarians from across Asia and Europe, met in Brussels for the 8th Asia Europe People’s Forum (AEPF).

AEPF is a strategic civil society gathering of Asian and European social movements fighting poverty and inequality and working for social justice. AEPF began in 1996 in Bangkok, in parallel, and in response to the first ASEM summit which pushed for stronger regional blocs and the promotion of corporate power. AEPF is grounded in the common desire of people’s organisations and social justice networks across Asia and Europe to open up new venues for dialogue, solidarity and action.

The following call to action is based on the recommendations from the many events that were held throughout these four days, focussing on the relation of corporate power to trade and investment, food sovereignty, climate change, decent work, and peace and security.

Source: tni.org

The Irish government announcement of a €34 billion Euro bailout, two years after the financial crisis first broke, is a reminder that little has been done to prevent it happening again just as the social costs are becoming ever more evident.

Two years ago, Europe was in the midst of a wave of similar bailouts that would reach at least €3 trillion Euros by 2009. The difference then though, was the contrition expressed by former cheerleaders for bank liberalisation, who asked pardon for their former dogmatic insistence on minimising regulation and even admitted that corporations could not be trusted to act in society's best interests.

Source: euobserver.com
DHARMENDRA KUMAR

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - The role of major supermarkets like Tesco in wiping out small retailers across Europe is well known. Now the giants have India in their sights. For a country in which small-scale retail employs 33 million people, but where retail Goliaths are already forcing small businesses to shut up shop, what kind of impact will this have?

In June 2001, Dilip Kumar, 38, took out a loan to run a tiny store East Delhi, India. By selling groceries and other goods for daily use, he supported his wife, two daughters and two younger brothers. Everything was going fine until 2008, when corporate Indian chain stores, Reliance Fresh and More popped up in the vicinity of his shop.