The National day of Remembrance and Commitment for all victims of mafias, that took place as usual on the 21st of March, this year was held within the framework of Europe Hub, the new project in which the CHANCE network has been involved since January 1. This pivotal anniversary for the entire European anti-mafia movement symbolically kicked off activities that will lead to the development of concrete proposals to revitalize the role of youth social entrepreneurship through the reuse of common and confiscated assets.   

The actions were diverse and took place throughout Europe. In Fier, Albania, ENGIM organized legality education workshops for schools together with the KeBuono social bakery, a pioneering experiment on Albanian territory of reusing for social purposes a property confiscated from organized crime.  

In Germany, the group of Mafianeindanke made its presence felt by meeting in four different cities: Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Leipzig, where it celebrated the anniversary together with the volunteers of Eine Welt e.V.

In Valletta, Repubblika coordinated with Libera, The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation and Occupy Justice Malta a press conference on the Maltese journalist killed in a bomb attack in 2017 for her investigations on corruption.  

DeMains Libres gathered in Paris, Marseille and Strasbourg, in coordination with students from Understanding the Mafia who marched at the Italian-French border near Ventimiglia.   

The demonstration also spread to Spain thanks to HOLA Honestidad y Libertad – Contra el crimen organizado y la corrupciòn, while the activists of BASTA! chanted the names of mafia victims in Brussels, a symbolic place for the whole European Union. The same initiative then went on to Bulgaria, to Sofia, thanks to Open Space Foundation, and on to Serbia with Protecta. 

Participation and international interest confirm this as a crucial meeting point in the process of fighting organized crime in Europe, which will continue in the upcoming months with the other initiatives linked to Europe Hub: a six-day online training to discuss the issues of civil economy, how to design inclusive and regenerative development policies, how to enhance territories through youth entrepreneurship, the importance of common goods and confiscated property. Moreover, a social camp will take place in October in Palermo, and an event in December in Berlin, coinciding with Anti-Corruption Day, will mark the closing of the project and the beginning of a new phase for the entire CHANCE network.