The ‘Save your zone’ campaign has seen significant development institutionally. During November and December, the EADT sent hundreds of letters explaining its position to the mayors of the main cities in Spain, Italy, France and Germany, as well as to dozens of trade associations, employers and unions.
In the political arena, the EADT has received diverse support for its campaign. It has also taken the debate on the need to defend our city and business model to plenary sessions in many cities. These debates and political support have joined an uncompromising defence of local businesses against Amazon, which had been done previously by two important mayor’s offices, Paris and Barcelona.
In addition to explicit support for our campaign, we have managed to ensure that other city halls have responded positively to the arguments made by the EADT, opening a path towards possible new collaborations and campaigns.
This has also happened with multiple associations and unions that have supported this initiative in Spain. Hundreds of businesses in the country’s major cities joined the campaign by exhibiting ‘Save your zone’ stickers in their shop windows.
The campaign has also received significant notoriety in national and local media. Likewise, the campaign video has been viewed and shared by thousands of consumers and citizens on social media.
‘Save your zone’ focuses on the effects of a disorderly Digital Transition process – the enormous difficulties for nearby businesses to compete on an uneven playing field – but our point of view is much broader. Because today, more than ever, what is at stake is the prosperity and sovereignty of our cities and of Europe. They depend on many factors, but an institutional response is crucial, with mechanisms such as, among others, the Digital Services Act, which is in the draft phase.
For this reason, the EADT will continue working to defend a Digital Transition process in line with European values and in defence of the political and economic sovereignty of the Union as well as that of the citizens.
