On Friday, September 6, 2024, at Kino Atlas in Prague, CELSI researcher Monika Martiskova discussed the current state, vision, successes, and failures of social forces striving for a social and ecological future.

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung provided a platform for discussing the current social situation and potential strategies for changing it towards a more solidaristic future for the Czech Republic - The Social-Ecological Forum.

Does Central Europe have a Social and Sustainable Future?

After three decades of post-communist transformation, socially and ecologically oriented political parties, trade unions and activists are mostly on the defensive and often have to fight for the mere legitimacy of their existence.

In their quest for change, moreover, they encounter the increasingly obvious hollowing out of the dream of catching up with the West and the rise of right-wing conservatism. And this is often especially true of the people these actors would like to reach with their vision of a just and sustainable future. Instead, transformation fatigue and loser frustration is spreading among those.

What all determines the situation of social forces striving for a social and ecological future in Central Europe? Do the actors concerned agree on a common vision? What can they take from their individual partial successes and where have they failed?

What beliefs do they need to rethink and what strategies do they need to adopt in the future? What makes sense to collaborate across post-communist Europe, but also across the branching Czech movement, and where are the limits of such collaboration?

These questions were debated by:

• Vedran Horvat, Director of the Institute of Political Ecology Zagreb (IPE) and candidate of the party Možemo! (HR)
• Monika Martišková, Analyst, Central European Labour Studies Institute Bratislava (SK/CZ)
• Vojtěch Michal, activist, Tenants' Initiative (CZ)
• Jan Sowa, social theorist, Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw (PL)
• Moderation: Anna Kárníková, environmentalist