Europe is facing increasingly violent conflicts, both within EU countries and on the EU periphery. After six years of recession and four years of austerity imposed by the “troika” bringing record levels of poverty and unemployment, there were street battles involving militants of the far-right Golden Dawn party in Greece last year. In Spain, police clashed with ‘the Marches for Dignity’ protesters in Madrid who yearn for a secure future instead of corruption, government cuts, unemployment and evictions. In several towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, government and party buildings were burned while a popular revolt against the ruling political caste raised questions of social justice. Opposition conflicts also erupted in Bulgaria.
Considering this explosive context, we want to highlight the current social and democratic significance of the Unconditional Basic Income: it can become the basis for “Building Social Cohesion in Europe”. This is the motto of this year’s International Basic Income Week, which is scheduled to run from September 15–21, 2014.
From ECI UBI to UBIE
In January 2013, activists and initiatives in 14 countries started the European Citizens’ Initiative for an Unconditional Basic Income (ECI UBI). In the end, people in 25 EU member states were involved and managed to collect more than 300,000 signatures in the European Union. At the same time, in Switzerland a citizens’ initiative collected more than 120,000 signatures to get a national referendum on Unconditional Basic Income, which will occur in about 18 months time.
Consequently, representatives from all these European countries came together twice in 2014 to create a new European alliance called UBIE (Unconditional Basic Income Europe). In this new network we are pursuing our goal to get unconditional basic income implemented everywhere in Europe, and its recognition globally as a human right. On this basis, the 7th International Basic Income Week is likely to become a big success with more than 25 countries participating, more than ever before.

We want you to be a part of it!

Organize an event!

If you want to organize an event in your town or community, we will try to offer support:

We have a shared website and can help with finding speakers as well as with public relations work. Get in contact with activists in your region using the contactform.

For more information and dates for organizational meetings, visit your regional organization and/or website:

DE http://www.woche-des-grundeinkommens.eu/
NL http://week-van-het-basisinkomen.nl/