Third summit for Unconditional Basic Income Europe begins in Athens
The Unconditional Basic Income Europe (UBIE) Athens Summit began in the city on Friday, linking activists from 25 European countries. The summit will examine instances where a UBI has been attempted, the results and its future prospects.
An idea that has not yet gained a lot of traction in Greece, where it is often confused with the basic wage, UBI was first proposed at the same time as the concept of human rights. According to Antonis Triantafyllakis, however, the concept is quite different since it is given to each individual for life, as a global and non-negotiable right of each human being, not linked to work for wages.
The concept has been tested on a pilot basis in 18 villages in India and in Alaska, where the revenue from oil was shared equally by all citizens, Triantafyllakis said.
The main speaker at the conference is the Prof. Guy Standing, an economist and professor of development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. He is also a co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and author of the book "Precariat: The New Dangerous Class" published in 2011.
The discussion will be coordinated by author and Athens municipal councillor Filippos Dragoumis and BIEN Co-Chair Karl Widerquist.
