Occitan Think Tank ADEO Joins Coppieters Network

During the 10^th General Assembly of Centre Maurits Coppieters, which took place in April 2016 in Ajaccio, Corsica, ADEO was unanimously admitted as a full member, enlarging the Coppieters network to 12 full members and 5 associated members from 8 different EU members states.

ADEO had requested to join the network with the aim of becoming more open towards Europe and in recognition that exchange between regions and linguistic minorities facing similar challenges is essential to sustaining diversity.

ADEO was founded in 1977 as an Occitan association set up to publish the “Volem viure al país” newspaper, which takes its name from a slogan used by Larzac farmers in their struggle against the French state that was seizing their lands for the development of a large military camp. The expression “Volem viure al país” continues to represent Occitan readiness for autonomy and freedom, which remains alive still today. Since then, ADEO has popularized numerous Occitan political ideas around several contemporary issues, targeting in particular the Occitan political sphere, media, enterprises and the general public.

Occitan association ADEO now accepted as @IdeasForEurope ‘s newest member. Planvenguts! #Occitania #Aiacciu16 #Coppieters16 CC @jornalet

— CIEMEN International (@ciemen_int) April 2, 2016

In 2014, the General Assembly of ADEO decided to expand the organization and become a space for reflection. From that point onwards, ADEO has aimed to operate as a laboratory for ideas; a think tank that intends to produce and diffuse inspired solutions and public policy recommendations incorporating Occitan considerations.

ADEO is also involved in the creation of a special event called “La Dintrada”, a space for gatherings and debates about timely issues concerning Occitania and Europe, which took place for the first time in September 2015. The next edition of this event will take place in Leucate on 24-25 September 2016. This diversification of activities also resulted in the launch of a collection of books and the creation of a website.