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Workshop in PGA meeting in Hamburg 23-25 February

Unpacking the Biotech engines:

The manipulating voice of biotechnology lobbies promoting their agenda to
people and State

The last two decades the emerging techniques of Genetic Engineering and
modern biotechnology have broadened the spectra of economic exploitation to
fields previously unspoiled. Most big global players of Pharma-industry,
Agri-chemicals and Bio-sciences have yet found in DNA decoding and
modification innovating means to proliferate profits, raise property and
spread dominion.

Once again as for Nuclear Energy and Green Revolution the Biotech-Boom
threats with its agenda to have devastating effects on social structures,
primary production, people's intellectual property and living entity as a
whole. Gene modification, cloning, living material patenting, pre-birth
control, terminator technology are some of the new terms entering the
scientific, and of course market place.

On the other hand, state & sovereignty mechanisms found a perfect ally to
maximise control and production efficiency. Bio-politics as a term is
getting real-life implemented. A post-modern bio-controlling State is shaped
and abandoned nightmares, like Eugenics, threaten to appear again in more
flexible form.

Beyond the description of facts & consequences of the biotech's onset, most
methods of promotion and imposition follow well known tactics of public
relation & state-corporation interaction aiming to social acceptance and
unpleasant facts suppression. Biotech engines promote their agenda through
well defined, as well expensive ways that target state, education, science
and production. Peoples resistance developed since the very first moment has
made their movements even more careful and sophisticated followed in many
cases by support and protection of the state.

Knowledge of biotech engines concrete tactics can challenge and offend the
promotion of their agenda. Thus, the workshop, within the framework of the
PGA meeting, will focus on the current functions of the biotech lobby as
representative aspects of a huge issue of Biotechnology. Some thematics to
cover would be:

- Brief overview on biotechnology and gmo state-of-the-art today in
Europe & worldwide

- Biotech lobbies: The voice of biotech engines. Action and
tactics.

- Activism Vs the Biotech lobby in Europe & US. Case of Greece as
reference example.

- Other emerging technologies (nano-technology, RFID)

The above subjects will not stand as discussion end point but as motivating
facts to stimulate interaction, bearing in mind the time and data
restrictions, in order to define our point of view and explore ways of
counter- & inter-action.

Material to be presented will be paper editions of certain
counter-information groups, as well short videos of activism in Europe