Stories

EU “copyright reform” threatens freedom of information, open access and open science

In early October, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee will vote on the Digital Single Market copyright legislation. Here we […] February 20, 2018

‘Health Care Is Not A Business, But A Fundamental Right’

Recap: Access to Medicines Movement Meets in Brussels On Wednesday the 31st of January, activists, doctors, advocates, MEPs and representatives […]

Will You Join Us In Madrid?

  The next European Commons Assembly will be in Madrid in October. And you can still be a part of […]

About solidarity

Recently, Commons Network added a new member to our team: Irene Alonso joined us in January as an intern from […]

Conference: Bottom-up Citizens Movements and Urban Commons

Commons Network director Sophie Bloemen will host a workshop on urban commons on Saturday (September 23rd) as part of the […]

The European Commons Assembly: You Can Still Come To Madrid

It’s almost time for the next European Commons Assembly, a global gathering of commoners and commons activists in MediaLab Prado, […]

Community Networks: Sharing Collective Connectivity For Everyone?

Can we see communication as a commons? Can citizens use community networks to become more autonomous? How is it going […]

#ECAmadrid: Introducing The Commoners

On the eve of the European Commons Assembly held in Madrid this week, we asked the participants to introduce themselves […]

Watch The Livestream Here: #ECAmadrid

The European Commons Assembly is about to start, in MediaLab Prado Madrid. Hundreds of commons activists get together in Madrid […]

#ECAmadrid: Activists!

On Thursday, as part of the European Commons Assembly in Madrid, local activists will join the commoners from all over […]

Is (renewable) energy a common good?

Nr. 2 of  a series of posts on renewable community energy by Commons Network fellow Cecile Blanchet. How relocating energy […]

Responses to EU Horizon 2020 and IMI Consultations

12 March 2017. Commons Network responded to the European Commission Public stakeholder consultation on the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 as well […]

Announcing: A European Commons Assembly

Our call 26 September 2016. Civic and community initiatives are working to vitalize our urban, rural, scientific and digital commons, […]

On the rise: European Commons Assembly

Networking, unity and policy around the commons paradigm On September 26, a group of nonprofits, activists, and other civil society […]

The European Commons Assembly Debuts in Brussels

Proposes new citizen-based institutions for revitalizing Europe and policy. On November 16, 2016 commoners from across Europe will gather in […]

Commoners hit the capital of Europe: Commons Assembly in Brussels

22 November 2016- In the wake of Trump´s shocking victory and in the midst of a deep EU crisis accelerated […]

Community energy meets the Sustainable Development Goals

Berlin, December 12. Nr. 3 of  a series of posts on renewable community energy by Commons Network fellow Cecile Blanchet. […]

Commons Network at energy conference “Future without the NAM”

Our Energy fellow Cecile Blanchet participated on Saturday 7 January  to  “a future without the NAM“in the Netherlands. The focus was on […]

Commons Network co-hosts ‘the City as a Commons’ at Pakhuis de Zwijger-Amsterdam

Amsterdam 1 September 2016- An evening on the rich history and promising future of the commons. How can we govern […]

Dispatches from the European Commons Assembly

February 1st 2017 Watch: Three days in Brussels Read: Stories on ECA         Many people are engaged in […]

Commons Network Co-Host of PeerValue Conference

Peer Value: Advancing the Commons Collaborative Economy is a conference integrating conversations and plans of action for shaping and connecting […]

Public Return for Public Spending – Horizon 2020

Press Release                                      […]

Thoughts from the Peer2value conference

  During two days at the beginning of September, the commons collided with renewable energy. Lots of very interesting exchanges […]

Energy as a common good

February 22- 2017 Locally designed and owned energy systems can provide several comparative advantages in Europe and beyond: it favors […]

Letter to the EU Commission on pharmaceutical system review

Open letter to the European Commission on the follow-up of the June 2016 EU Council Conclusions on “Strengthening the Balance […]

The doctors’ voice in the European medicines debate

On March 27 and 28, the Commons Network will co-host a brainstorming-strategy meeting and a public event at the European […]

End of Transparency: Paving the way for Trade Secrets in TTIP

June 15th, Brussels, in EUROPOLITICS: Fear struck communities in 2009 as the H1N1 influenza virus (commonly known as swine flu) erupted […]

Dutch propose evaluation of the IP system for medical innovation: Civil Society supports!

Civil Society urges Member States to defend the need for a critical review of the intellectual property system and incentives for […]

Radical Democracy in the European Parliament

June 16th- Brussels. At the event Radical Democracy: Reclaiming the Commons hosted by MEPs Julie Ward (S&D) and Paul Dennanot […]

Art & Commons in times Digital Capitalism

    On July 2 Sophie Bloemen of Commons Network speaks at this Berlin event about arts, commons and self-organisation […]

Internet as a Commons in the European Parliament

On the 1st of October The Commons Network, the Green Group  and the Heinrich Böll Foundation organised Internet as a Commons: […]

TTIP & COMMONS – European Parliament

What does TTIP mean for the commons ? What can we say about TTIP from a commons perspective? Commons Network […]

Images: Public Space in the Digital Age- October 1st European Parliament

On October 1st Commons Network in cooperation with the European Green Group and the Heinrich Böll Foundation held and expert […]

A Commons perspective on TTIP & Europe

July 7th European Parliament: Intervention Sophie Bloemen on TTIP, CETA & Commons – Committee meeting Intergroup on Public Services & Common Goods.  […]

Le Temps des Communs in Paris: Urban Commons

  On October 10th Commons Network’s David Hammerstein talked about urban commons  at the festival ‘Temps des Communs’ in Paris. Here […]

Why Does Community Energy Matter?

Community energy: a commons approach.  Nr. 1 of  a series of posts on renewable community energy by Commons Network fellow […]

Stop Trade Secrets- A Dangerous EU Legislation Which Must Be Rejected

What is the problem? Trade secrets are everything companies keep secret to stay ahead of competitors. A secret recipe or […]

Activist Campus in a Castle: Commons Network takes part

The campus of European Alternatives brought together 80 activists from different parts of Europe to exchange, reflect and strategise together […]

The EU can take the lead for affordability, openness and accessibility

Below is a short summary of David Hammerstein’s talk at the event “Health for sale”, The Hague, February 6th, 2016 […]

Why you should be concerned about TTIP and Access to Medicines

February 17 2016. Both the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) are confronted with increasingly high medicine prices. […]

Constructing Urban Commons

The New Towers of De Keyser, Marieke Giele, TU Delft March 7.2016  On the 3rd and 4th of March I […]

Launch Commons Intergroup European Parliament May 26th

Article: What we Share, A Commons Integroup takes of in the European Parliament   2015-05-18 14:12:59 – Commonsnetwork

Dutch EU Presidency takes note of excessive IP protection for medicines

 Call for backing comes as Health Ministers meet in Amsterdam today 18 April 2016    AMSTERDAM—We strongly support the Dutch […]

Commons Network selected for Idea Camp on Urban Commons !

June 12th, Berlin. Commons Network has been selected by the European Cultural Foundation for the 3 day Idea Camp ‘Build the City’ on the Urban […]

Roundtable: Why the EU needs Knowledge Commons

On June 1st, hosted by Isabella Adinolfi in cooperation with Commons Network, civil society considers Internet, copyright, health and climate […]

EU trade secrets directive threat to health, environment, free speech and worker mobility

17 december 2014: Multi-sectoral NGO coalition calls for greater protections for consumers, journalists, whistleblowers, researchers and workers — We strongly oppose […]

High priced hepatitis C treatments spark massive public outcry and political debate in Spain

January 15th 2014 In one of the the largest public health marches in Europe in decades thousands of hepatitis C […]

Back in Europe

16 March 2014 – Although I came to understand the Commons concept fully while living in the United States, being back in […]

New Book on Data Sharing and Open Science

February 5th, 2014 A new book on Research Data and Open Science featuring Commons Network fellow Wouter van den Bos has recently come […]

Trading away Europe

March 21, 2014 Negotiating on trade issues must be exciting. Apart from the long hours spend on detailed boring issues; it’s about power, […]