The European Legal Lab for Commons is dedicated to legal support for the commons. It was founded in 2020 following the Commons Camp, an event that brought together European commons activists in Marseille on January 17, 18, and 19, 2020. Exchanges among commoners highlighted the need for legal support to preserve the commons and underscored the importance of a collaborative and comparative approach within the European network. The Legal Lab for Commons was created to structure and sustain this network, providing legal tools for the preservation and development of the commons (whether they are urban or rural).
The Lab has two objectives:
to identify legal tools to address the challenges faced by commoners,
to contribute to the development of a legal framework that supports the creation, preservation, and development of the commons.
The laboratory was initially co-led in its preliminary phase by B.A.BALEX and Remix the Commons. Today, it brings together a core group of five people based in France, Spain, and Italy, who coordinate the life of the Lab, its projects, and its many interactions with partners, organizations, collectives, commons users and activists across Europe.
The lab’s structure is based on three divisions:
a legal division that offers support upon request,
a division dedicated to the study and analysis of mechanisms for protecting the commons at the European level,
a documentation division that compiles and disseminates the work carried out within the laboratory.
