probe
Author: admin
Discussion on Basic Income at the initiative of MeRA25
On Friday, March 14, 2025, a discussion took place in the MeRA25 space on X regarding Basic Income.
You can listen to the conversation here.
The moderator was Yiannis Goumas, from the central committee of MeRA25.
Participating, among others, were Ms. Marianella Kloka, Deputy Coordinator of the Rights Sector, Mr. Alexis Smyrlis, Director of Political Planning, Ms. Efi Pavlogeorgatou, member of the Athens Municipal Council, Ms. Olga Tsimidaki, as well as Mr. Vasilis Perantzakis, from the Pirate Party.
Start Unconditional Basic Incomes (UBI) throughout the EU
We sigh the European initiative for an Unconditional Basic Income here.
Objectives
Subject Matter:
Our aim is to establish the introduction of unconditional basic incomes throughout the EU which ensure every person’s material existence and opportunity to participate in society as part of its economic policy. This aim shall be reached while remaining within the competences conferred to the EU by the Treaties.
Objectives:
We request the EU Commission to make a proposal for unconditional basic incomes throughout the EU, which reduce regional disparities in order to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU.
This shall realize the aim of the joint statement by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission, stated in 2017, that “the EU and its member states will also support efficient, sustainable and equitable social protection systems to guarantee basic income” in order to combat inequality.
Our aim is to establish the introduction of unconditional basic incomes throughout the EU which ensure every person’s material existence and opportunity to participate in society as part of its economic policy. This aim shall be reached while remaining within the competences conferred to the EU by the Treaties.
Objectives:
We request the EU Commission to make a proposal for unconditional basic incomes throughout the EU, which reduce regional disparities in order to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU.
This shall realize the aim of the joint statement by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission, stated in 2017, that “the EU and its member states will also support efficient, sustainable and equitable social protection systems to guarantee basic income” in order to combat inequality.
Web address of this initiative in the European Commission's register
NEWSLETTER – February 2018
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Event for the Basic Income at The Cube Athens (Greece)
Organized for the public by the Athens Hub ambassador of Thousand Network (https://
Generously hosted by TheCube: http://thecube.gr/
Strategy for the years 2015-2020 on a European Uncondition Basic Income
On 19 & 20 March there was an inspiring public conference ‘Unconditional Basic Income as a Response to Inequalities in Europe’ in Maribor, Slovenia which attracted over 80 participants from 17 countries. Over the following two days Unconditional Basic Income Europe met to agree a common strategy to expand the European movement for basic income and get concrete results by 2020.
Unconditional Basic Income Europe, which was born from after the European Citizens Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income in 2013, celebrated its foundation last year at a major conference in Brussels. Since then, we have been busy getting UBI-Europe officially registered as a non-profit association under Belgian law and consolidating our membership. In the meantime, the movement kept growing through our network of national-level organisations where most of our activists have been focusing their energy.
It was time to get together again and discuss our common vision for Europe and shape a strategy to achieve our goals. Such was the purpose of our meeting in Maribor, Slovenia this March.
Objective for 2020: Have UBI in at least one European Country and an EU-wide step towards an emancipatory UBI
Such a step could be achieved by the introduction of a partial basic income scheme as outlined in the Eurodividend proposal elaborated by prominent UBI advocate Philippe van Parijs, or through alternative proposals like a basic income for children.
Whatever they might be, the meeting agreed that any such first steps should not harm current social protection systems and degrade the situation of the majority, and especially not the poorest. On the contrary they should improve social protection systems and contribute to reducing social inequalities within countries, and within the European Union.
In order to achieve our goal, UBI-Europe identifies 4 strategic orientations for 2015:
-
Make basic income a mainstream topic in Europe
-
Intensify our lobbying activities in order to leverage support among EU policymakers – and facilitate cooperation between them
-
Assert the feasibility of and arguments for UBI as an attractive alternative for Europe
-
Expand UBI-Europe as a diverse grassroots movement
Several projects contributing to these aims were discussed at the meeting in Maribor. We are in the process of elaborating a more detailed action plan. Our next steps will be unveiled as we are working on them.
UBI-Europe stands against austerity and undemocratic Treaties
UBI-Europe is aware, that the crisis management of the EU and their austerity policy is a severe obstacle for UBI. So we are part of the struggles to overcome them. This is why UBI-Europe has decided to join the Stop-TTIP campaign.
“The TTIP agreement is a danger for social standards in the EU. The EU must address its own humanitarian, social and economic governance problems before further opening up its trade. By giving multinational corporations the right to overturn decisions by European governments it also hinders attempts to make Europe more democratic,“ said Klaus Sambor, co-founder of UBI-Europe and member of ATTAC Austria.
UBI-Europe supports efforts towards improving the European Citizens Initiative
In order to get the EU to move towards new radical solutions such as basic income, UBI-Europe also acknowledge the need for more democratic institutions in the EU.
One of the key pillars for a better European Union should be a significant improvement of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) instrument. “Our own experience with organising one of the first ECIs shows the ECI is not yet citizen-friendly and suffers from many unnecessary obstacles, especially the data requirements. This is why we fully support the ECI Campaign in its effort to reform the ECI. Their proposals are completely reasonable and are sorely needed to avoid the ECI being abandoned by civil society.” said Stanislas Jourdan, former coordinator for the ECI for Unconditional Basic Income which collected 300,000 signatures in 2013.
Welcome to our new board
Our general meeting also was the opportunity to elect UBI-Europe’s new official board. Congratulations to our newly elected members:
-
Chair: Barbara Jacobson (United Kingdom)
-
Vice Chair: Lena Stark (Sweden
-
Vice Chair: Vahur Luhtsalu (Estonia)
-
Treasurer: Quentin Fabri (Belgium)
-
Secretary: Marlies Kunnen (Netherlands / UK)
-
Co-ordinator: Stanislas Jourdan (France)
Follow our next steps!
If you want to join our efforts to make UBI a reality in Europe, signup as a supporter here and watch for upcoming announcements. Donations would be warmly appreciated in order to keep us running and facilitate the organisation of our upcoming projects! In fact, if every of our 40,000 supporters donate 5 euros, we would be able to fund all UBI-Europe’s activities for the coming year and more.
Unconditional Basic Income Europe
Is Greece closer to a Basic Income Scheme?
In the letter send to the Eurogroup by the Finance Miniter, concerning the program of the Greek Government, there is a reference to a Basic Income using the term Guaranteed Basic Income:
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0LS0V520150224?irpc=932
In the Greek version, the term Guaranteed Income (Εγγυημένο Εισόδημα) is used:
http://www.nooz.gr/economy/olokliri-i-epistoli-sta-agglika
This reference is in the context of facing the humanitarian crises and the reform of the welfare policy for certain ages pention. The letter also refers to the evaluation and extention of the Minimum Guranteed Income scheme that already exists.
A vision of the future: Turning Crisis into an Opportunity for an Unconditional Basic Income in Europe
A vision of the future:
If not NOW? When?
Turning Crisis into an Opportunity for an Unconditional Basic Income in Europe
UBIE Conference
Athens, 26-28 September 2014
Melina Merkouri Cultural Center
66 Irakleidon & Thessalonikis street
We invite you to participate with UBIE (Universal Basic Income Europe) in a day of talks, brainstorming and planning about the future of emancipation in Europe and beyond.
UBIE is a network of organisations and individuals from 25 European countries who have different cultures and languages, but a common view that an Unconditional Basic Income is a sustainable and long term solution for our societies.
We work together to promote the idea of an unconditional basic income until we get its implementation everywhere in Europe, and its recognition as a universal human right.
Why this event?
Unconditional Basic Income is not a very well-known in Greece. The crisis, huge unemployment and media propaganda create desperate and very often hypnotized citizens.
In a country where finding a job with a salary of 400 euro per month sounds like a BLESSING, basic income may not seem like a priority.
But it is in this environment, where there is now a great need for the implementation of Unconditional Basic Income. Austerity, unemployment, poverty, [widening inequalities of wealth, education and access to meaningful employment] and the lack of democracy are red warning signals that Europe needs basic income more than ever before.
This conference will be a unique opportunity to attract a wider audience (the Precariat audience) so that more people will know and understand the concept and the importance of basic income for their lives and our society.
Schedule
LUNCH
|
12.00- 14.00 Preparation of food Music and Actions to promote Basic Income Place: Park in Thissio, next to the Thissio metro station (green line) |
|
14:00 – 15:30 Food for all – Basic Income for all, Get together lunch prepared by Social Kitchens |
WORKSHOPS
Place: Melina Merkouri Cultural Center, 66 Irakleidon & Thessalonikis street
|
16.00-17.00 Otto Lüdemann, place: Section A Presentation of the project “Unconditional Basic Income in Europe – Promoting Civil Society” (within the EU-Program: “Europe for Citizens”, application sent out Sep 1st 2014, answer expected dec. 2014)
GOALS OF THE PROJECT Creating opportunities for exchange between activists and for debating UBI with citizens in different European countries with the following concerns: – UBI as tool for overcoming poverty, – UBI as condition for social and political participation, – UBI facilitating innovations in the larger context of social, economic, ecological and cultural development, – UBI as subject of research and experimentation.
LEVELS OF REALISATION 1. 5 Meetings with workshops, incl. EU-wide networking, exchange and press releases at the end of each meeting, exchange and promotion: experts, activists, politicians from national networks 2. Internat. week of basic income (Sep 2015) as another opportunity for mobilizing organisations taking part in an EU-wide exchange, 3. Exhibition about UBI, concept to be developed and possibly translated, 4. Website, WWW.BASICINCOME2013.EU to be developed as a platform of participation, exchange and dissemination of results. FORESEEN Meetings:
March 19th/20th, 2015 / Slovenia, // June 19th/20th France // Feb 26th/28th 2016 / Germany. |
|
16.00-17.00 Faridah Zwanikken, place: Section B
Human right to fight for the existence of the self! The group is called: Action Research. In our cross-disciplinary group during the workshop we will take up the social challenge of the human right to fight for the self and reflect on your experience. We will help each other to translate our knowledge into impactful projects. |
|
17.00-17.45 Jouko Hemmi, place: Section A UBI the route towards a new era of humanity – advice to legislators from an experienced expert. Jouko equates the right to Unconditional Basic Income with constitutional rights and examines its possibilities to remedy social ills and exclusion. |
|
17.00- 17.45 Sarah Thorne and Clayton Lavallin, place: Section B Imagining a Basic Income This workshop will explore some of the key principles behind the idea of an unconditional basic income through imagination and reflection. |
17.45 – 18:15 COFFEE BREAK
CONFERENCE
Moderator: Philippos Dragoumis (Greek UBI team )
|
18.15 Short introduction from Greek UBI group |
|
18.20 Skype Connection with Manos Matsaganis Why does he support Basic Income and why Basic Income is important for Greece?
Manos Matsaganis is an associate professor at Athens University of Economics and Business, and a member of BIEN. |
|
18:30 – 19:00 Guy Standing "Crisis and the Precariat: Why the new dangerous class needs a basic income" Greece is at the forefront of the crisis of globalisation, which has produced a new class, the precariat, consisting of millions of people living and labouring in chronic insecurity, with volatile and falling real incomes. This presentation will define the emerging class structure, explain why the precariat is the new dangerous class and why a basic income is vital if the precariat is to obtain basic security, if the rising inequalities are to be reversed and if chaotic social strife is to be avoided.
Economist and professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),University of London, Guy Standing is a co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network(BIEN). He has written widely about labour economics, labour market policy, unemployment, labour market flexibility, structural adjustment policies and social protection. His recent work has focused on the emerging precariat class ("The Precariat" 2012 "A Precariat Charter, From Denizens to Citizens" 2014) and the need to move towards unconditional basic income and deliberative democracy. |
|
19:00 – 20:00 Roundtable Moderator: Karl Widerquist Karl Widerquist is a Visiting Associate Professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Theory from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the City University of New York. He is coauthor of Economics for Social Workers and coeditor of the Ethics and Economics of the Basic Income Guarantee. He has contributed to journals such as Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; Political Studies; and the Eastern Economic Journal.
Short Presentations:
-Bernard Kundig The Switzerland case (avantages of direct democracy institutions)
-Guy Standing Pilot studies of Basic Income
-Stanislas Jourdan, Mediactivist and member of the French movement for Basic Income. The Euro Dividend as a solution to finance Basic Income
-Skype Connection with Lluís Torrens, a collaborator of the Podemos Why do they support Basic Income?
He collaborates with Spain’s Basic Income Network and has developed several studies on the feasibility of a Basic Income in Catalonia and Basque Country. He is also member of the Council of the Observatory of Civic Participation of Barcelona, and a member of Initiatives per al decreixement (Initiatives for Degrowth) a working group for developing proposals about a new social, sustainable and steady-state economic model Diploma from the General Management Program of the IESE at the Universidad de Navarra. M.Sc. in Economic Analysis for the Department of Economics at the UAB and the Institute of Economic Analysis (CSIC) B.A. in Economics, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
-Chrysogelos Nikos, politician, president of the Greens Why do the Greens support Basic Income?
-Vassilis Perantzakis Member of the Greek Pirate Party Why do the Pirates support Basic Income? |
|
20:00 – 21:00 Debate: Questions & answers Moderator: Christine Papadopoulou (Activist and member of the UBI Greek team) |
After event
After the end of the conference, on Friday the 26th of September, we organised an event for all of you. We are going to walk into the 'underground', offtrack neighborhoods of the city and see the places that tourists never visit. Then, we are going to have dinner at a traditional taverna with great Greek food (price per person around 12 euro).
So, get ready to experience the real face of Athens!
To register for the event, send an email with your name with the subject “UBIE Athens Registration” to info@www.basicincome.gr.
Final sprint for Basic Income.
26 days are left to complete the signature collection phase. We need your help for a final sprint
If you have a blog or a page please put up a banner from here and connect to http://sign.basicincome2013.eu
Also, if you need an article don't hesitate to contact us here: info@www.basicincome.gr
Thank you,
The Greek team for the Basic Income Initiative
24 MEPs call for support for the EU Citizens Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income!
On the 28th of November, 24 members of the European Parliament from 11 different European Countries issued a joint statement (pdf) expressing their support for the European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) for Unconditional Basic Income. This calls upon the European Commission to assess the idea of reforming current national social security arrangements towards an unconditional basic income (UBI).
UBI is a regular, universal payment to everyone without means-testing or work conditions. It should be high enough to guarantee everyone a dignified existence. It would let people make choices about what to do in life without fear of poverty. It would act as a cushion for the increasing numbers of people who have short-term or zero-hour contracts, and those starting up their own businesses.
Many financing schemes have been elaborated over the years in several countries. The European Initiative for UBI is asking for further studies to be started at the EU level.
The MEPs ask all Europeans to support this initiative. All EU citizens eligible to vote can support this ECI either via the internet (http://sign.basicincome2013.eu) or on paper. One million signatures are needed by 14 January 2014 to make sure it lands on the EC’s desk.
The current social security systems are demeaning and inadequate in addressing the roots of poverty, the MEPs emphasize.
“Unconditional Basic Income would transform social security from a compensatory system into an emancipatory system, one that trusts people to make their own decisions, and does not stigmatise them for their circumstances,” the statement says.
“We believe a new form of social security is urgently needed as social security systems in individual countries become increasingly conditional and punitive, they undermine individual dignity, form barriers to civic participation and deepen divisions in European society both across and within national borders.”
They also said this new form of social security is far simpler than existing (often chaotic and burdensome) systems, would help balance income disparities and could help mitigate the social and racial tensions caused by economic migration.
Signatories:
Martin EHRENHAUSER, independent (Austria)
Phillippe LAMBERTS, Greens (Belgium)
Nikola VULJANIĆ, Left (Croatian)
Tarja CRONBERG, Greens (Finland)
Satu HASSI, Greens (Finland)
Catherine GREZE, Greens (France)
Eva JOLY, Greens (France)
José BOVÉ, Greens (France)
Karima DELLI, Greens (France)
Malika BENARAB-ATTOU, Greens (France)
Michèle RIVASI, Greens (France)
Gerald HÄFNER, Greens (Germany)
Ska KELLER, Greens (Germany)
Nikos CHRISOGELOS, Greens (Greece)
Brian CROWLEY, ALDE (Ireland)
Emer COSTELLO, Social Democrats (Ireland)
Liam AYLWARD, ALDE (Ireland)
Nessa CHILDERS, independent (Ireland)
Sean KELLY, Christian Democrats (Ireland)
Pat the Cope Callagher, ALDE (Ireland)
Georges BACH, Christian Democrats (Luxembourg)
Claude TURMES, Greens (Luxembourg)
Carl SCHLYTER, Greens (Sweden)
Jean LAMBERT, Greens (UK)
[update 29/11] Olga SEHNALOVÁ, Keith TAYLOR, Bart STAES and Yves COCHET also brought their support.
[update 30/11] Isabelle DURANT was added
[update 05/12] Jean-Paul BESSET and Nicole KIIL-NIELSEN joined their support