Do you have a question that is not answered here? Please let us know at
contact@freedomnotfear.org
Freedom not Fear 2022
2–5 September (Friday–Monday)
Mundo B, Rue d’Edimbourg 26, Brussels (Fri–Sun) · European Parliament (Mon)
Locations
- Venue: Mundo B, Rue d’Edimbourg 26, Brussels (OpenStreetMap)
- Hotel: Adagio Access Brussels Europe, 12 rue de l’Industrie, Brussels (OpenStreetMap)
- European Parliament (EP): 60 rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60, Brussels (OpenStreetMap)
- DK: Rue de Danemark 70B, 1060 Brussels Saint-Gilles (OpenStreetMap)
See our online map for locations and suggested walks:
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/fnf-2022-locations_801696
The map contains the above locations as well as recommended walks from Brussels Central (the nearest railway station within the Brussels North–South railway) and to DK (the Saturday dinner location). The more straightforward walks between the main venue, the default hotel and the European Parliament have been left out for brevity.
Catering / Food
There will be no breakfast and no dinner organised at the venue or the hotel.
Vegetarian/vegan lunch will be provided at the venue – if you are not registered, to help us estimate the number of people we should expect, please e-mail us to say on which days you will attend lunch: contact@freedomnotfear.org
On Saturday evening, 3 Sep 2022, 19–22h, we are organising a joint FNF dinner and networking evening at a different venue, 30 minutes walk from Mundo B. The food will be prepared by a group of volunteers and you pay by donation, we recommend to contribute at least 10 €. Let us know if you would like to take part in the dinner, so we know how many people we have to prepare for: contact@freedomnotfear.org
Visiting the EP
- Make sure to bring your valid passport/ID to the visit.
- Currently, there are no Covid-related restrictions when visiting the EP. However, there used to be a requirement to present a valid EU Covid certificate. If you have one, better bring it.
- We will meet at 9:15 in front of the visitor entrance at the Paul-Henri Spaak building (OpenStreetMap)
- How to get there: train: Gare de Luxembourg, bus: Place du Luxembourg, metro: stations Schuman, Maelbeek and Trône are about 10 mins walking distance.
- The EP is wheelchair-accessible
Programme & Content
The rough schedule is:
- Friday, 2 Sep 2022, 18:00: start with a keynote and discussion
- Saturday and Sunday, 3/4 Sep 2022: your sessions
- Saturday night: joint dinner and evening programme
- Monday, 5 Sep 2022, 10:00–11:30: visit to EP and meeting with MEPs
- Monday, 5 Sep 2022, 12:00–15:00: meetings with MEPs, Commission staff and other EU policy makers.
Programme
There will be a pre-liminary programme compiled from all session proposals we got submitted. The call for session proposals is closed, however, it will still be possible to propose some sessions spontaneously at the event. Find more information on the programme here: https://freedomnotfear.org/2022/programme-at-freedom-not-fear-2022
Language
The main language of communication and workshops will be English. However, it is possible to also offer workshops or sessions in other languages. If someone is not comfortable communicating in English at the event, please support each other with translations.
Covid Policy
Currently there are no official restrictions or mandatory measures for events in place, but we all know that the Corona virus has not disappeared. Freedom not Fear participants are asked to take personal responsibility for their health and the health of others, so we encourage you to come to the event only when tested negative. The city of Brussels is offering tests, also for foreigners:
https://coronavirus.brussels/en/belgian-cst-for-foreigners/
If you‘re experiencing any Covid-like symptoms, or are tested positive, please stay at your accommodation and inform us via email or phone! Further help can also be found here: https://coronavirus.brussels/en/home-2/
To ensure your well-being and that of others during our gathering, please be mindful of each person’s individual space. Although face masks are not required anywhere at Mundo‑b, individuals who want to wear them for whatever reason are encouraged to do so and should be respected in that decision.
Travel restrictions
Currently there are no measures in place for travelers returning to/arriving in Belgium. Exception: When returning or arriving from a country with a high risk of a variant of concern (VOC), specific measures are in place (sometimes an entry ban). You can consult the list of VOC countries online. (There are currently no countries on this list)
More about the current situation in Belgium: https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/
Travel & Reimbursement
As soon as you have registered and received a confirmation from us, you should book your travel in order to secure tickets. Make sure to consider possible restrictions due to Covid and book refundable tickets, since there is no reimbursement of expenses for cancelled travel. Make sure to always keep receipts and boarding passes.
Please also consider environmental issues – if traveling by plane is only little cheaper than bus/train, and you are willing to invest some more time, travel by land could be the better option. It is also possible to combine different means of transportation. When planning your departure, please keep in mind that we will try to schedule meetings on Monday afternoon (after the mandatory EP visit) with MEPs and other policy makers until about 15:00.
Travel reimbursement
People who have registered will receive a reimbursement of their actual travel expenses after having taken part in the official visit to the European Parliament. Make sure to keep all tickets and receipts since we need the original tickets for reimbursement. The maximum reimbursement for your travel expenses is 0.09 € per km travel from your home to Brussels and back, plus an accommodation allowance of up to 100 €, if desired (see “Accommodation”). You can expect to receive the allowance within a month after FNF.
Accommodation
We arranged some rooms in Hotel Adagio close to the venue, which is relatively affordable for this area. You can book a single or double/twin room when registering for the event or register without accommodation and arrange your own accommodation instead. If you book a double/twin room, you can either provide a name of a person you would like to share a room with or we chose a room-mate for you.
Registered participants who take part in the EP visit are eligible for an accommodation and food allowance of up to 100 €, so please keep all receipts for any food, accommodation, (local) travel. You can decide to claim the full amount or donate any part of it to cover FNF organisational costs.
Who can take part / receive support
- The FNF (un)conference on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is open for everyone. However, since we are focusing on EU policy and meeting your MEPs, our main target group is EU citizens.
- To take part in the official EP visit, and receive allowances, you must be a citizen of an EU member state, a former EU member state or an EU candidate country. For the application you need to provide name, complete private address, nationality and date of birth.
- If you are not a citizen of a current or former EU member state or an EU candidate country, but live in a current or former EU member state or an EU candidate country, please contact us BEFORE registering, because we would need to hand in your relevant residence permits for approval.
- People who are a resident in a third country cannot benefit from financial support by the EP. If you reside in a neighbouring EU country, please contact us BEFORE registering, because we would need to apply for an exemption (derogation) at the MEPs’ office.
Registration
Option 1: No EP visit, no (travel) allowance:
Freedom not Fear 2022 is self-organised and free, you do not need to register to take part in the conference at Mundo B from Friday to Sunday evening. If you do not register, please e-mail us at contact@freedomnotfear.org to let us know when you are planning to come, so we can plan for food and room capacity.
Option 2: EP visit & (travel) allowance:
By registering you benefit from a reimbursement of your actual travel expenses (see “Travel reimbursement”) and optional affordable accommodation arranged by us. For any allowance you MUST take part in the official EP visit on Monday 10:00–11:30. No show = no money. If you want to take part in the EP visit, you MUST register before 17 August 2022 via this form: https://civi.digitalcourage.de/fnf22
Registration fee & expenses
We are asking for a registration fee of 50 € for the expenses we need to cover in in advance, such as venue hire, hotel booking and catering. During the event we will kindly request your donation for lunches and our joint dinner on Saturday evening as well as donations to support organisational expenses. However, we will not charge anything, contributions are highly appreciated but voluntarily. After the event you may receive a reimbursement of your actual travel expenses plus an allowance of up to 100 €, see below for conditions.
How is FNF organised?
Freedom not Fear is traditionally organised by a group of committed volunteers with support from last year’s organisers and administrative support from Digitalcourage in Bielefeld, Germany. The organising team is newly set up every year and starts preparing the event around February. Looking for an adequate venue, booking accommodation, contacting MEPs and dealing with a lot of EP administration and communication is part of the tasks as well as calculating a budget, looking for donations and funding, writing texts, setting up forms, advertising the event and communicating with participants. Interested to join the organising team for 2023 or donate for the event? E-mail us at contact@freedomnotfear.org.