The European Left launches a campaign against TTIP
European Left | 09 June 2014
The European Left launches a campaign against TTIP
Two weeks after the European elections, the Council of Chairpersons and the Executive Board of the European Left met this weekend in Brussels. It was the occasion to exchange our analysis of the results in the different countries and at European level, to evaluate the campain of the EL, the candidacy of Alexis Tsipras to the Presidency of the European commission and to discuss the necessary political initiatives to take in the coming months.
On the European elections
The general message of the peoples is: stop austerity. «The crisis is deeper than ever, the citizens have punished the political forces that have implemented the austerity policies with the Troïka», Pierre Laurent said. The right-wing, the liberals as well as the social democrates lost votes and seats in the new European Parliament. Even if the EPP is the 1st force, there is no absolute majority in this new configuration. The «Three musketeers of neoliberalism» will need to find arrangements in order to continue dominate the European institutions and distribute positions beetween each others. The process already started with the discussions about the presidency of the European Commission.
The EL is very concerned by the increase of extreme right and various kind of populists parties. The fact that those forces appeared to citizens like the alternative to the «neoliberal consensus» is very worrying. In France for example, the FN with a «social mask», managed to appear as the «protecting» party. The EL will work actively on this specific issue.
Good news are the results of some left forces. The more visible is the great victory of Syriza for the European election and the very significant gain of the Attica Region. There are also very promising results in Spain. The GUE-NGL group is the one which could register the biggest increase. With approximatively 50 MEPs, the group will be a stronger actor within the European Parliament as well as on the general European scene. The EL congratulates the parties and MEPs for their good results. We will follow the constitution process of the GUE-NGL group with great interest.
On the campaign of the EL
We have reached our objectives. The EL is now a visible and bigger political force at the European level. The number of our MEPs increased. The candidacy of Alexis Tsipras to the presidency of the European Commission has been a powerfull tool to gather hopes and demands of many citizens, political organisations, unionists, NGOs...etc. Alexis Tsipras and the EL managed to be a credible alternative to the establishment, on one hand denouncing the Troïka and undemocratic institutions and on the other hand, offering a left vision with concrete proposals to change Europe. In Italy, the list «Altra europa con Tsipras» reached the necessary 4% and allowed the come back of the Italian left at the EP. The EL congratulates and thanks Alexis Tsipras for his involvement as well as candidates and comrades who have worked a lot for the different campaigns all over Europe, serving the European Left as a whole. We will continue this way to increase the political dynamic. We will make special efforts in direction of Eastern Europe where the participation in elections was particulary low.
Let’s go further
The EL decided several political initiatives for the next period in order to consolidate this promising situation for the left in Europe.
Political campaigns
As decided in the 4th congress, the EL will organise a political campaign against TTIP. We adopted a motion explaining why it is a dangerous project and supporting the European citizens’ initiative launched by numerous organisations. We want to unite and create synergies with social movements, unions, ecologists, farmers, small enterprises...We will take benefits of the festivals of our parties to reveal the dangers of TTIP. We will work with all sectors of our societies directly affected to reveal the concrete problems for the daily life.
After the sucessfull actions led by the EL during spring, the EL wants to continue its campaign for safe and free abortion in Europe. The debate will be intense when the Spanish governement will adopt the law in parliament where the right has the absolute majority. We will deepen our work to make clear for the peoples of Europe the negative impact of auterity measures on women.
Big initiatives
The EL will organise, with the Mediteranean left forces, the 2nd Mediteranean conference.
One main event the EL will organise is a «European forum for alternatives» that could take place during the first semester of 2015, in France, and gather social forces, unions, intellectuals, economists, European networks in order to debate and elaborate proposals to leave the crisis and change Europe. 2015 will also be the moment, especially after European elections, to gather again elected people of our parties for a new meeting of «Parlacon».
International solidarity
During the Executive Board meeting, an exchange was organised with representatives of left forces of Ukraine: the Communist Party of the Ukraine and the movement Borotba, on the situation of the country, different international powers involved, and conditions for a peacefull solution and concrete solidarity with democratic forces threatened today. The EL will prepare a delegation to Ukraine and continue discussions to elaborate common positions.
