European left established on the terms of the EU
On May the 9th a new European Left Party was established in Rome. The choice of date was no coincidence, as the EU wants May the 9th to be the National Day of the Union. The choice of Rome was neither a coincidence, as it was in Rome the first steps towards an European Union was taken, through the Rome treaty.
The new Party wants to be a critical voice inside the system of EU. Therefore most of the Communist-, Workers- and Left-Parties in Europe participated in the early discussions around grounding of a European Left Party. During the process most of the Parties has withdrawn from the project.
13 Parties, mostly small left-social democratic parties remained. With exceptions like the German PDS, United Left of Spain, the Communist parties of France and Slovakia and the Italian Refoundation Communist Party. Nevertheless the total number of members where enough to be registered as an EU-party and as so will receive directly financial support from the EU.
Have to accept a federal Europe
The main reason why the most Communist Parties and parties like the Left Party of Sweden withdraw from the project was the new parties subordination of the regulation under article 191 of the constitution of EU. Where the frames of activity the party have to accept to act inside are decided.
All EU-parties have to be a factor in the development of EU towards a federation, through a common program and by voting unified as a block in the EU-Parliament. Therefor all questions of national interest will be subordinated the common program. Neither will representatives freely support national interests in questions considering national sovereignty. As a obviousness the parties will have a common election campaign before the election of the EU-Parliament.
These questions are in fact undermining the democratic institutions of the member states sovereignty even more. And as a result the possibility of the people in every member state to fight the increasing monopolisation both national and international is weakened.
Splits
The foundation of the European Left Party has been making a disturbances in a lot of the parties who has been included in the process. So also in some Communist Parties. The whole process has done great damage to the struggle against the federative development of EU. Some Parties at breaking point with a real risk of being split up.
When now the European Left Party are a reality, we have the hope that the Party don\'t develop to be a Party justifying the EU system, but will live up to it\'s own definition as a EU-critical Party, fighting for more social justice, for peace and against the increasing neo-liberalism.
The European Left Party is not ideologically based on Marxism, instead they define their political view as a Party of social justice, ecology and feminism. Our hope are therefor that the European Left Party will be an important and close partner of Communists and other progressive forces inside the EU.
Communist Party of Norway Central Committee