The inspiring things we’ve done together this year
December 2, 2024
By Olga Vuković
It’s a real privilege to be part of the WeMove Europe community. A community that, time and time again, comes together to create change that none of us could have on our own.
We did so much together this year - take a look. It’s truly inspiring. You’ll see, some battles we won, some we lost, and some will simply need more of our energy next year. Either way, not one of them would have been possible without the support of the members of our community..
2024: A big year for European Democracy
This community could not sit out a big year for European democracy - with the European elections. We knew all the things this community believes in were at risk - from the safety of our planet, to dignity for people on the move, and so much more.
So this community did what it does best - jumped into action! Through petitions, plan-making, paper postcards, and vote-tripling tactics we helped to get the progressive vote out across the continent. From street canvassing, to organising rallies and pub-quizzes, to plastering thousands of public places with posters. While extremists did better than we hoped, that only fueled our energy. And that’s precisely what our community has been doing since June: putting up a hopeful resistance! [1]
Historic action for violence against women and girls
The European Union has passed the first-ever EU law to fight violence against women and domestic violence. There will be crisis centers for survivors, better accessible national telephone helpline numbers, and shelters for victims of domestic violence. Female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and some forms of online violence will also be established as crimes. [2] From a 140 000 strong petition [3], running powerful protests in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris, headlines in El País, Euractiv, and The Washington Post covering our actions [4], and hundreds of emails and tweets sent to key governments - this community played a big part in achieving this historic win.
A game changer for workers across Europe
A two year long campaign came to an end: for the first time in history, people working for giant platforms like Uber will get the same rights as other workers with minimum wage, sick pay, and other employment protections. [5] From over 100,000 people signing the petition, writing messages to politicians and funding our work, this community sprung into action. [6] Our partners, the ETUC Confederal Secretary has a special message of thanks to share with our community.
“Thank you to the WeMove community and everyone who contributed at every stage of the process, before and after every victory, before and after every thorn on our side, to finally arrive at the result we can celebrate. When we organise, we can achieve great change.” - Ludovic Voet
Freed from the claws of a prehistoric toxic treaty
A toxic fossil fuel treaty gave Big Oil and Gas a free pass to protect their profits and sue our governments for taking climate action. But together, we pushed major countries to leave the treaty and got the European Parliament to follow suit. From fun flash mobs, a huge dinosaur right outside the Commissioner’s office, your emails and tweets -- our collective efforts made a real difference. The European Parliament's vote to pull out of this toxic treaty is a game-changer. [7] We're closer than ever to breaking free from big polluters.
Protecting our oceans
For years leadership on ocean protection was more focused on the mining industry’s profits than protecting the deep sea. But this summer, and after over a year of action and pressure from this community, global leaders changed the conversation from one on digging, dredging and destroying the deep sea for minerals, to protecting it. They elected a new leader who is not in the pocket of the mining industry, but is in fact an ocean expert. [8] That’s a big win for people and the planet. Stay tuned to find out what’s next in the fight for our ocean.
We’re still talking about plastics
When millions of tiny plastic pellets spilled into the sea and washed up on the shores of Galicia [9] over 90,000 of us signed a petition to hold these polluters accountable. [10] And our voices were heard! Members of the European Parliament voted on new rules to crack down on toxic pellet pollution. [11] We’ve helped protect our planet and our communities, like those in Galicia.
Taking on big business for their destructive practices
The rules of the game have finally changed! For decades big business held all the cards. No matter the damage they did to our forests, rivers and communities, in their greedy hunt for profits, we struggled to hold companies to account. The deck was truly stacked in their favour. Now, EU leaders have agreed on new rules that put power back in the hands of the people. Big business can now be taken to court by communities that fall victim to their destructive practices. [12]
A huge victory for nature
It took two years to see it through but In June this year the EU adopted the Nature Restoration Law in a final vote. [13] This law meant countries would have to use fewer pesticides, plant 3 billion trees to regrow forests and make space for nature to recover. This community fought hard to make it happen. We sent hundreds of tweets to the Environment Commissioner, gathered over 100,000 signatures and contacted EU lawmakers to ramp up the pressure right before the crucial vote. And together, we achieved a historic win for nature.
This is what happens when people who believe governments, leaders, and corporations should be accountable to them, come together. We get our power from each other, and together we make great things happen. Every campaign we run is made up of actions, big and small. From putting on events to producing videos. It’s all funded by people like you and me, donating what we can.
**Historic action for violence against women and girls**
The European Union has passed the first-ever EU law to fight violence against women and domestic violence. There will be crisis centers for survivors, better accessible national telephone helpline numbers, and shelters for victims of domestic violence. Female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and some forms of online violence will also be established as crimes. [2]
From a 140 000 strong petition [3], running powerful protests in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris, headlines in El País, Euractiv, and The Washington Post covering our actions [4], and hundreds of emails and tweets sent to key governments - this community played a big part in achieving this historic win.
**A game changer for workers across Europe**
A two year long campaign came to an end: for the first time in history, people working for giant platforms like Uber will get the same rights as other workers with minimum wage, sick pay, and other employment protections. [5] From over 100,000 people signing the petition, writing messages to politicians and funding our work, this community sprung into action. [6] Our partners, the ETUC Confederal Secretary has a special message of thanks to share with our community.
“Thank you to the WeMove community and everyone who contributed at every stage of the process, before and after every victory, before and after every thorn on our side, to finally arrive at the result we can celebrate. When we organise, we can achieve great change.” - Ludovic Voet
**Freed from the claws of a prehistoric toxic treaty**
A toxic fossil fuel treaty gave Big Oil and Gas a free pass to protect their profits and sue our governments for taking climate action. But together, we pushed major countries to leave the treaty and got the European Parliament to follow suit. From fun flash mobs, a huge dinosaur right outside the Commissioner’s office, your emails and tweets -- our collective efforts made a real difference. The European Parliament's vote to pull out of this toxic treaty is a game-changer. [7] We're closer than ever to breaking free from big polluters.
**Protecting our oceans**
For years leadership on ocean protection was more focused on the mining industry’s profits than protecting the deep sea. But this summer, and after over a year of action and pressure from this community, global leaders changed the conversation from one on digging, dredging and destroying the deep sea for minerals, to protecting it. They elected a new leader who is not in the pocket of the mining industry, but is in fact an ocean expert. [8] That’s a big win for people and the planet. Stay tuned to find out what’s next in the fight for our ocean.
**We’re still talking about plastics**
When millions of tiny plastic pellets spilled into the sea and washed up on the shores of Galicia [9] over 90,000 of us signed a petition to hold these polluters accountable. [10] And our voices were heard! Members of the European Parliament voted on new rules to crack down on toxic pellet pollution. [11] We’ve helped protect our planet and our communities, like those in Galicia.
**Taking on big business for their destructive practices**
The rules of the game have finally changed! For decades big business held all the cards. No matter the damage they did to our forests, rivers and communities, in their greedy hunt for profits, we struggled to hold companies to account. The deck was truly stacked in their favour. Now, EU leaders have agreed on new rules that put power back in the hands of the people. Big business can now be taken to court by communities that fall victim to their destructive practices. [12]
**A huge victory for nature**
It took two years to see it through but In June this year the EU adopted the Nature Restoration Law in a final vote. [13] This law meant countries would have to use fewer pesticides, plant 3 billion trees to regrow forests and make space for nature to recover. This community fought hard to make it happen. We sent hundreds of tweets to the Environment Commissioner, gathered over 100,000 signatures and contacted EU lawmakers to ramp up the pressure right before the crucial vote. And together, we achieved a historic win for nature.
This is what happens when people who believe governments, leaders, and corporations should be accountable to them, come together. We get our power from each other, and together we make great things happen.
Every campaign we run is made up of actions, big and small. From putting on events to producing videos. It’s all funded by people like you and me, donating what we can.){kind=link}