ATTAC France

ATTAC France
Name	ATTAC France
Native name	Association pour la taxation des transactions financières et pour l'action citoyenne
Founded	1998
Founder	Bernard Cassen
Type	Non-profit advocacy group
Location	France
Area served	Europe
Focus	Financial regulation, taxation, civil society

ATTAC France ATTAC France is a French advocacy association founded in 1998 that campaigns for the taxation of financial transactions and broader democratic reform of international financial institutions. It emerged in the context of global debates catalyzed by the Asian financial crisis, the World Trade Organization protests, and debates around the European Union. ATTAC France links activists from networks such as Alter-globalization movements, Trade Unions, non-governmental organizations like Amnesty International, and intellectuals associated with institutions such as Sciences Po and École des hautes études en sciences sociales.

History

ATTAC France was established in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and ahead of the 1999 Seattle WTO protests by activists and public intellectuals including Bernard Cassen and allies from the Attac International movement. Early campaigns targeted institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, while advocating policy proposals inspired by studies from Joseph Stiglitz, debates following the Bretton Woods Conference legacy, and critiques associated with the Zapatista Army of National Liberation solidarity. The movement grew alongside coalitions involved in the 2003 anti-globalization protests and connected to European episodes such as the 2005 French referendum on the European Constitution and the Occupy Wall Street era. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, ATTAC France engaged with policy debates around the Financial transaction tax concept within forums like the European Commission and responded to crises linked to the 2008 financial crisis and the Greek government-debt crisis.

Organization and Structure

ATTAC France operates through local sections and coordinating national bodies, linking activists across regions such as Île-de-France, Brittany, and Occitanie. Its governance has involved figures from civil society networks including representatives from Syndicats like the Confédération générale du travail and the Syndicat français de la recherche sector, academics from universities such as Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, and NGOs like Médecins Sans Frontières and Greenpeace. The association maintains working groups on topics including taxation, banking regulation, trade treaties such as CETA and TAFTA, and financial oversight relating to institutions like the European Central Bank. Funding and membership structures combine individual dues, donations, and support from allied foundations connected to networks similar to Fondation Copernic and Fondation Nicolas Hulot.

Political Positions and Campaigns

ATTAC France has championed the implementation of a Tobin tax-style Financial transaction tax and advocated for measures to regulate speculative finance in line with proposals debated by scholars like Paul Krugman and Amartya Sen. The association opposes treaties exemplified by Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations and has campaigned against austerity policies linked to decisions by the European Central Bank and creditor coordination mechanisms involving the European Stability Mechanism. It has supported debt restructurings in contexts such as Argentina and Greece, and allied with movements opposing investor-state dispute settlement seen in cases brought before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. ATTAC France promotes alternatives inspired by models discussed in texts like The Shock Doctrine critiques and policy proposals from think tanks such as Institut de l'Entreprise-contrasting groups.

Activities and Methods

ATTAC France uses a mix of public campaigning, policy research, and grassroots mobilization, participating in mass demonstrations alongside organizations such as La France Insoumise, Solidaires, and Les Verts. It organizes conferences featuring intellectuals from institutions like EHESS, hosts workshops with practitioners from Oxfam and Transparency International, and publishes briefings drawing on research by economists connected to INSEE and universities like Université Lyon 2. Methods include direct actions, public petitions submitted to bodies such as the National Assembly (France), coordinated lobbying toward the European Parliament, and participation in transnational networks including Via Campesina and Social Forum events.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics from political parties such as Rassemblement National and factions within Les Républicains have accused ATTAC France of partisan alignments and of influencing elections through alliances with groups like Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste. Financial commentators from outlets tied to institutions like Banque de France and analysts formerly associated with the OECD have disputed ATTAC's proposals on grounds of market efficiency, citing economists like Milton Friedman as contrasting perspectives. Internal controversies included debates over positions on NATO interventions, stances regarding the Gaza conflicts, and tensions when members sought electoral mandates linked to parties such as Europe Écologie Les Verts. Legal scrutiny and parliamentary debates have at times targeted the association’s funding and tax status in the context of French laws such as those administered by the Conseil d'État.

Influence and Impact

ATTAC France contributed to placing the Financial transaction tax on the European agenda, influencing policy debates within the European Parliament and national legislatures including the Assemblée nationale (France). The association helped shape public discourse during the 2008 financial crisis and influenced NGO coalitions that lobbied for reforms at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Its campaigns affected media coverage in outlets like Le Monde, Libération, and Le Figaro, and it fostered cross-border collaboration with groups in Spain, Italy, and Germany during mobilizations around events such as the Genoa protests and the European Social Forum.

Notable Members and Affiliates

Notable figures associated with the association include Bernard Cassen, public intellectuals from Le Monde diplomatique, economists linked to École d'économie de Paris, activists from Solidarity Collectives and signatories from petitions alongside personalities like José Bové, Alain Lipietz, Susan George, Stéphane Hessel, and academics affiliated with Université Paris Nanterre. Collaborations extended to NGOs including Attac International, ActionAid, and researchers from institutions like the Institut d'études politiques de Paris.

Category:Civic and political organizations in France