European Newsletter - Feb'25

1. Facilitate NETWORKING and exchange of information between associations members (and individuals)

• Exchange of info in our monthly meetings
• Continue with European Newsletter on monthly basis events and promote associations members. You are always welcome to let us know if you have content you would like to share!
• Organize webinars for European Networking with specific topic.
• Form partnerships with other aligned groups like Wellbeing Economy Alliance

1. ADVOCACY and POLICY INFLUENCE

• Facilitate and empower our Circle members to bring Degrowth conferences to their national parliaments
• Formulate policy proposals towards the EU. Collaborate with groups, like the REAL and MERGE projects for instance. We need to be more specific here and choose 1 (max 2) to start with

1. GROW

• in active individuals in circle, in Matrix, in meetings. Currently 6
• in number of associations participating in monthly meetings. Currently 4
• in number of EU degrowth associations in IDN. +3 (ex. Ontgroei NL)

You can find more info in the minutes (external link)

As usual, if you are interested in participating more actively in this circle, you are welcome to join our first online meeting of the new year on Wednesday February 12th, 4:30 - 5:30 PM CET.

You can find us here: https://u-bordeaux-fr.zoom.us/j/88409933358 (external link)

• PhD/postdoc in Energy Law and degrowth

Romain Mauger, Head of Legal Research Unit at the Iberian Centre for Research in Energy Storage, Cáceres, Spain is looking for 4 PhD candidates and 1 postdoc to join the team he is setting up for the ERC project DELaw: Degrowth through Energy Law: Using the legal framework for electricity batteries in Europe to achieve a degrowth-focused energy law.
The 4 PhD candidates in Law will study the relevant national regime (about batteries, raw materials and degrowth) in various EU countries (Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Europe).
In addition, the postdoc should have a PhD from a field of social sciences (broadly understood) but the key requirement is to hold proven knowledge about Degrowth theory (or closely related ones). All positions are for 4 years and to be undertaken on site, in the beautiful city of Cáceres, Spain (with 2 work-from-home days/week). The image below provides more information about the application itself (deadline, where to find the position, etc.).
Robert’s hope is to set up a team of bright minds for this project that contributes at its own scale to the Degrowth movement. He can be reached at romain.mauger@ciiae.org (external link)

• Call for degrowther graphic artists!

Do you have some experience as an artist in comic creation? Manuel Casal, a well-known degrowth activist and author from Galicia (Spain), founder of 15-15-15.org (external link) magazine, is looking for a graphic collaborator to create an ambitious graphic novel on Climate Change and its relation with Growth that could help trigger the Revolution we need! If you’re interested please get in touch with him at ir@instituto-resiliencia.org (external link)

Support Degrowthuary! [Europe]

GOOG Berlin is a group of people committed to helping bring about socio-ecological transformation by advocating for degrowth ideas, values, and policies. We’re excited to introduce you to Degrowthuary. To make it a success, we need your help!

Degrowthuary is a social media campaign designed to spread knowledge about degrowth and encourage people to take concrete actions to move towards resource-conscious lifestyles and join the degrowth movement.

Our mission is to make degrowth fun and practical for a wide audience. The campaign will combine clear, engaging content on degrowth with simple daily challenges, proving that shifting our lifestyle is easier than we think. With humor, engaging videos, and real-life tips, we aim to reach eco-conscious people who haven’t yet discovered degrowth—or just need a simple guide to living with less.

The campaign will run throughout February, starting from 1st February, on Instagram and via our newsletter.

We need your help to share the campaign with your followers and/or members. You can:

• Follow us on Instagram: @degrowthuary_2025
• Share our first Instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/DFFdDVyOl3L/ (external link)) and encourage your audience to participate in the campaign
• Repost the campaign’s posts, stories, and reels
• Inform your audience about the campaign and invite them to sign up for our mailing list (http://eepurl.com/i7ExiY (external link)) via your newsletter.

Turin [Italy], February 20-23rd

“scuola di politiche oltre la crescita” (school for policies beyond growth) www.benvenutiinitalia.it/scuola-di-politiche/ (external link)

Oslo [Norway], June 24-27
The conference ISEE-Degrowth 2025 (external link) is jointly organised as the 18th Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) and the 11th International Degrowth Conference.

Madrid [Spain], Sept 26-27th
Beyond Growth España Conference: Toward a just degrowth

• September 26th in the Spanish Parliament (Congreso de los Diputados)
• September 27th: Social Forum - Make hope possible

Estonia, September
Beyond Growth Estonia Conference in their parliament.
More info to come

Agroecology Europe Forum 2025, October 2nd-4th in Malmö [Sweden]

The co-creation call of Agroecology Europe Forum 2025 is open to proposals the 1st February - the 31st of March.

MiljöMatematik welcomes you to an information webinar and a facilitation workshop, to support the development of co-created programme sessions for Agroecology Europe Forum 2025.

Agroecology Europe Forum 2025 (external link) is a landmark event shaping the future of European food systems through the power of agroecology! Under the theme of “Transformation in Action!”, the Agroecology Europe Forum 2025 will spotlight collaboration, integration and bold action to accelerate agroecological transitions across Europe. We are bringing together diverse stakeholders to energise, strengthen and expand the European agroecology movement. Share knowledge and experience, gain inspiration, showcase success stories and tackle challenges in a visionary space filled with innovative ideas and actionable solutions. For the first time, the 5th Agroecology Europe Forum is hosted in the Nordics, transforming into a vibrant festival welcoming both food system changemakers and the public. We want everyone to have a taste of the transformation that agroecology offers!

We now welcome food system actors from all sectors with or without explicit linkage to - or previous knowledge of - agroecology to co-create the programme for Agroecology Europe Forum 2025. Are you a farmer, advocate, student, policymaker, researcher, chef, distributor, advisor, retailer, food producer or food-enthusiast in another way? Do you work in alignment with the principles of agroecology? Do you have a wish to contribute? Join us!

• Co-creation information webinar (online) Date: 3rd of February, 14:00-15:30 Location: Zoom - register for invitation Register here (external link)

• Co-creation facilitation workshop (on-site) Date: 6th of February, 13:00-16:00 Location: Färjeterminalen, Malmö, Sweden Register here (external link) OBS: limited availability.

Sund Folkehøgskole, fall and spring 2025-2026 [Norway]

Sund Folkehøgskole is establishing a new program from Fall 2025–Spring 2026, on the topic of Degrowth. The reason for instating the program is the development we see in society today, with climate change, increased differences, the destruction of nature and far too high consumption (in Norway).

More info on the program here (external link).

If you like what you read and want to further help building this network and bringing Degrowth to all the corners of our society, then you should join the International Degrowth Network and the tool where we work Matrix!

Join as an individual (external link)Join as an association (external link)

Feel free to share this email with other people or groups that may be interested. Thank you so much in advance!

If you have any other questions or proposals relevant to the European degrowth context, you can contact us at europe@degrowth.net (external link).

We wish you a nice month!

Your degrowther European circle