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The International Commission of European Citizens (ICEC) has sent this New Year message to the self-determination movements throughout Europe.

The Scottish Independence Convention announced a major international conference that was held in Scotland on 5 October. The conference, organised jointly with the International Commission on European Communities (ICEC), brought together 15 or more of the continent's leading independence and autonomy movements. Held in Edinburgh, it provided a chance for movements from across the continent to meet, discuss their progress, make contacts, network, and plan for the future.

Among the nations represented were Greenland, the Faros, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Flanders, the Veneto, Sardinia, Sicily, South Tyrol, Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Corsica. There was also a representation from the North of England to update attendees on a number of different parties and initiatives taking place there. 

In addition to the conference, a declaration was signed. Previously, discussions about Europe's autonomy and independence movements treated each as an individual case separate from the others. The declaration aimed to send out the message that Europe was too centralised and that many nations and regions wanted either more autonomous power or full independence. The objective was not only to place the continent's autonomy movements into the context of widespread dissatisfaction with the centralisation of Europe but also to highlight that independence and autonomy movements led in proposing that Europe should be reformed through more democracy, not less. Both advocates for a European super-state and the anti-EU populist movements believed that the future of Europe should involve less democracy.

Co-convener of the SIC, Isobel Lindsay, said:

“We hosted this conference on behalf of the International Commission of European Citizens (ISEC), an EU-registered NGO promoting the rights of self-determination. The focus was on the democratic rights of nations and regions in Europe and the importance of respecting and promoting our socio-cultural distinctiveness. We needed to strengthen our self-determination networks and learn from our varied experiences, and there was a warm Scottish reception for our friends from so many different parts of Europe.”

Full conference live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrqGwDNO8_Y 

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The advocacy for independence for european nations from old imperial occupations.