From 29 to 31 May 2025, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in the Brussels-Capital Region became the centre of an important initiative to fight organised crime and promote inclusive, democratic solutions: the BASTA! Capacity Building Camp, organised under the RESTART project. This three-day participatory training brought together 25 participants, including legal professionals, civil society organisations, social economy actors, and grassroots activists, all united by a common goal – to explore how public and social reuse of confiscated, unoccupied, and abandoned assets can contribute to social justice, community empowerment, and sustainable development.

The programme combined inspiring keynote speeches, interactive sessions, and on-site visits. Sessions tackled topics like the legal frameworks around confiscation and social reuse, the EU's legislative landscape, and best practices from Italy, France, and Belgium. Participants learned from leading experts such as Marcella Militello (BASTA!), Giorgio Sammito (Libera), Adrien Louis (Fedicoop), and Francesco Menditto (Italian judiciary).

Highlights included:

• Case studies on housing cooperatives, social enterprises, and reuse projects that revitalise abandoned buildings and empower local communities.
• Insights from the PREVENT and RINSE projects, focusing on crime prevention and capacity-building.
• Study visits to real-world reuse initiatives, including Les Ateliers du Midi, Village Partenaire, and Communa asbl, showcasing the practical implementation of sustainable and inclusive models.

Special attention was given to the recent EU Directive 2024/1260 on asset confiscation and its potential for transposition into Belgian law. Workshops explored advocacy strategies and drafted ideas for a Belgian legal framework that enables and protects the social reuse of confiscated goods, aiming to turn criminal assets into social tools for regeneration.

The camp also emphasized the role of non-formal education and civic engagement, showcasing how awareness and mobilisation can lead to systemic change. Through participatory methods and open dialogue, participants co-created strategic proposals, laying the groundwork for stronger alliances and a shared roadmap toward legal reform and public policy innovation.

This camp solidified BASTA!’s mission: to promote a culture of legality, empower citizens to act against organised crime, and build an inclusive society through cooperative, just, and resilient solutions. As part of the European network CHANCE and in collaboration with Libera – Associazioni, nomi e numeri contro le mafie, BASTA! continues to serve as a catalyst for awareness and action, proving that confiscated assets can be reinvested into hope, solidarity, and change.