An economy for the community” “

“Europe has all the characteristics to enable it to propose itself as a pilot-continent for globalization on a human scale that may give a voice to all the varied expressions of peoples and civil society”. Convinced of this is Luigino Bruni , professor of political economy at the State University of Milan-Bicocca, who will be tackling related questions at the European Social Forum now being held in Florence (till 10 November). The programme of the Social Forum comprises over 160 seminars, 180 workshops and 30 conferences that will mainly be held in the Fortezza da Basso, as well as 75 cultural events in the city and in neighbouring towns and a final demonstration against war on 9 November. Officially registered participants number some 20,000, plus 1,000 volunteers. Bruni will coordinate the seminar organized by the Focolare Movement on the economy of communion. Many other meetings are being devoted to themes of justice, peace, human rights and interreligious dialogue promoted by various Catholic organizations (including the Lilliput Network, Pax Christi, Table of Peace, etc.). The Catholic participants have been allocated Santa Maria Novella as their meeting place. A permanent space for ecumenical prayer will be established there. The economy of communion, which originated in Brazil in 1991, based on an idea of Chiara Lubich (founder of the Focolari) to reduce the gap between rich and poor, now comprises some 800 businesses worldwide, of which half in Europe. What does the economy of communion consist of? Could the multinationals operating in Europe accept this challenge? “The aim is to transform traditional businesses into efficient enterprises with extra profits to be allocated in part to the firm itself, in part to the poor and in part to education, because without education no lasting economy is possible. The poor themselves are being involved in this innovative process, either in the form of handicraft activities or by working within the firms themselves. Now we’re trying to involve the multinationals. Of course it’s a challenge that requires a strong ethical commitment, but we are arousing some interest. The multinationals themselves are developing a new social awareness, also because consumers would otherwise not purchase their products. Businesses must increasingly conform to standards of ethical conduct, also at the social level. Today the firms that do not promote the interests of society, and don’t distribute part of their wealth directly to people in need, will suffer the same fate as those that pollute: i.e. they’ll be boycotted”. The economy of communion originated in the southern hemisphere. Will adjustments have to be made to apply it to the European situation? “In Europe too the poor, to whom the firms’ profits are in part devolved, remain part of a community. This project is not a form of welfare to the anonymous poor. It is based on the idea of civil society composed of communities of communities. Some poor people have now become entrepreneurs themselves, because they were treated with equal dignity. The project is not one of ‘good’ firms that give money to the poor, but of communities of civil society that organize themselves to directly solve their own problems. So also the European idea is that of a ‘Europe of communities’, in other words a mature civil society which organizes itself and in which businesses also devote themselves to social aspects. Not a Europe where the multinationals confine themselves to giving 1% of their profits to those in situations of need”. Could Europe act as a model in proposing a more community-conscious economy to the rest of the world? “Without doubt. Europe has a great heritage that other continents don’t have. It has a rich, complex and long history. The contemporary economy did not originate solely from Protestant communities – as Max Weber asserted – but a good deal earlier, from the heart of the Christian Middle Ages. We have a centuries-old tradition of civil economy, i.e. an economy integrated into the very fabric of society. From this ancient tradition – a heritage of history, ideas, errors, attempts – we can draw the necessary resources to respond to the new challenges. Europe has all the characteristics to enable it to propose itself as a pilot-continent for globalization on a human scale that may give voice to all the varied expressions of peoples and international civil society”. Patrizia Caiffa