The debates of the EFF show how European feminism
is still vital and alive. The monograph points
to some of the core feminist debates in Europe
around solidarity, affinity, movement organizing,
body politics and sexualities, economic precarity,
funding and migration.

The main conclusion from the EFF experience
is that there is no one European feminism but a
plurivocality of European women’s voices that
are taking up feminism in different themes and
activities. Nor is there a clear one Europe. The
EFF raised many questions about what makes
a European. Certainly we understood that to be
European meant more than holding a passport of
one of 27 countries that make up the EU. The EFF
decided that anyone who defined themselves as
European and as feminist could join. Still, questions
had to be asked: if it is not geography or
citizenship that determines being European, then
is there some European culture to which we all
identified? Clearly not, as the EFF found many
differences among Eastern, Southern, Western
and Northern Europeans as well as for newly
arrived Europeans seen as migrants or non-
Europeans however long they may live in Europe
and with whatever legal status. Then what about
the groups who have lived geographically within
Europe for centuries, such as the Roma, but have
never belonged to mainstream European culture?
The EFF encouraged such questions about feminism
and Europe, and the answers were left open
and fluid in the forum.
Similarly, the EFF emphasizes that there is no
such phenomena as ‘European feminism’. Nor is
there agreement about what ‘wave’ of feminism
we are in, or indeed if it is a good idea to talk
about waves. Some spoke about a ‘third wave’
of feminism to distinguish the web-based crowd
of younger women from the older generation
of activists who fought for abortion and sexual
self-determination and had very different agendas
according to what side of the wall they were
on. What emerged is that young women from all
ethnicities and religions and parts of Europe are
taking up activism in general, and within that
feminism, with renewed vigour. The theme of
intergenerational dialogue and intersectionality
takes different hues according to who is speaking.
Young voices from the ‘third wave’ were critical
and made sure they had the space.
As one of the initiators of the young feminists’
network said at the AWID conference in 2008:
"To build an organized movement and coordinate
joint activities and responses a network
is essential. However, creating a network is a
huge responsibility, continuity for a reasonable
period is necessary; certain activities like sharing
information, meetings, joint initiatives should
be organized. If there is no capacity to take this
responsibility, further development and wider
structures for involvement are not being created,
which prevents young women from gaining voice