Last weekend, March 12, the Regional Commission of Europe and North America of WFDY gathered in Wien (Austria). This meeting had the presence of 16 organizations from 13 different countries.

The meeting was a significant opportunity for WFDY members to interexchange experiences of the struggles developped in each country against imperialism and for the rights of the youth, as well on the intense activity taken forward by each of WFDY members.

It was also an opportunity to debate and make a collective evaluation on the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students, which was considered a great success, both for its intense and rich preparatory process, as well as for the days in South Africa themselves.

Furthermore, the meeting allowed all organizations to coordinate common actions, with special highlight to the fact action decided for March 24 to remember the imperialist attack against Yugoslavia (11 years ago) and take to the streets the rejection of any sort of imperialist intervention in Libya.

Finally, this occasion was also an opportunity for an open meeting with KJO members and for a seminar about the consequences of the overthrown of Soviet Union (occured 20 years ago), as well as for a visit to the “Red Wien”, where participants could learn about the historical struggle of the Austrian working class.

The next CENA meeting will take place in Germany, hosted by SDAJ, in July.

In the past few days the students of Austria have developed significant actions in the struggle against the Bologna Process and its impacts of privatization in the Austrian educational system.

These actions, massively participated by the Austrian students, are crucial for defeating the European Union, World Bank and World Trade Organization’s imperialist strategy to prevent the children of the working class to ever access the highest levels of education, knowledge and culture.

The same imperialism that destroys and invades countries and makes millions of people starve to death in a world where the food production is actually higher than the needs of the world population, wants the future generations to be an army of silent and non-critical workers, whose only goal of life is to contribute to the concentration of wealth and increase of profits of the major economic groups.

WFDY believes that the so called “Bologna Process” is a tool of imperialism in a way to build an educational system according to the aims of the imperialists and in full contradiction with the rights, wishes and needs of mankind.

All through Europe, the consequences of the implementation of the Bologna Process are an evidence of the wish of imperialism to privatize and narrow to maximum levels the access to Education, particularly to wide knowledge and to the ability of creative development of futher knowledge.

Therefore, WFDY salutes the struggle of the Austrian students and calls upon them and their representative structures to continue the struggle until all its goals are achieved. Furthermore, WFDY calls upon all its member and friend organizations to spread the news and solidarity towards the Austrian students, making a contribution to the reinforcement of the struggle in their own country for a Public, Free and Quality Education!