Fight and win

[DE | NL]

By Uwe Sattler

With a new programme and a new leadership structure, the Party of the European Left aims to tackle the political challenges of our time. The focus: resistance to austerity and militarisation

Peace, disarmament, social security, global cooperation instead of confrontation – with these key demands, the European Left Party (EL) intends to take action at European level and in individual countries in the coming years. A corresponding strategy was adopted by the nearly 300 delegates at the party’s 8th congress, held over the weekend in Brussels. They came from 20 countries and represented over 40 member, observer and partner parties of the EL. “Win the future, fight austerity, stop militarisation” was the motto of the party congress, which was attended not only by delegates but also by representatives from trade unions, non-governmental organisations and social movements.

The European Left Party is a kind of umbrella organisation for left-wing and left-green parties, which is itself recognised and operates as a political party at EU level. Its membership includes ‘classical’ communist and reform-oriented parties as well as left-green parties and alliances with a wide variety of national and historically shaped positions.

Although there are certainly differences on individual political and economic issues, the challenges facing the parties in their home countries and at European level are largely identical. In particular, policies of cuts to the social safety net and public services are evident everywhere. In an interview with die-zukunft.eu and “nd”, EL President Walter Baier sees rearmament and militarisation in particular as the underlying factors: “The rearmament programmes are swallowing up enormous amounts of money that are lacking in the social sector and in public services, including the housing sector.” He argues that the struggle for peace and disarmament is therefore closely linked to social issues.

Pressing the ‘reset button’ in Europe

The strategy adopted in Brussels also takes this into account. Its 13 chapters range from the struggle for peace and the fight against austerity and environmental destruction to intergenerational justice, feminism and ‘green’ agriculture that ensures food security. The ‘reset button’ needs to be pressed in the EU. In the spirit of the manifesto drafted by Altiero Spinelli and his anti-fascist comrades-in-arms in 1941 on the Italian prison island of Ventotene, the European Left Party is today fighting “for an EU capable of establishing a truly democratic union of peoples in Europe”.

Natalie Maurer believes the strategy puts the EL on the right track. “I think that with our political document we have laid a very good foundation for future work,” says the lawyer specialising in European affairs. The 27-year-old attended an EL party congress for the first time as a member of the Left Party delegation and emphasises that the German Left had worked very intensively on all the issues in the final document, tabled motions and participated actively in the renewal process. “This includes, in particular, the chapter ‘Europe press the reset button’, which lays the foundation for a peaceful and social Europe.” The Left Party activist, who is active in Giessen, was impressed by the openness of the debate and by the fact that, despite differing positions in some areas, a joint policy paper was produced. “Of course, the strategy is very comprehensive, but a red thread runs through all the chapters. And that is precisely the aim: to improve the life of all people, both within and outside Europe.” The task now, she says, is to communicate the political goals and strategies more intensively and efficiently. After all, “Europe” is not just an issue in the EU elections, but largely determines – often unconsciously – people’s everyday life, whether in terms of labour rights, migration or social issues. “When we on the German left mobilise against unaffordable rents, we must of course also consider how to link this to the European Left’s housing campaign,” Maurer cites as an example.

It is important to her, says Maurer, that the Left in Europe acts in solidarity, even beyond the continent. Indeed, aspects of global politics played a greater role than at previous EL party congresses. The threat to Latin American countries, particularly Cuba, posed by the US is addressed, as are the genocide in Gaza, the war in Sudan and Yemen, the situation of people in Iran – particularly women – or in the Kurdish regions. “Our anti-imperialism calls for a European Union that plays a balancing and mediating role in the world rather than imposing its own imperial agenda,” states the Brussels strategy. But the delegates also made their position clear in the truest sense of the word through actions in support of Cuba and Gaza – including waving flags and chanting slogans in support of the peoples under attack or under threat.

Structural renewal

A key point at the congress in Brussels was also the structural renewal of the EL. Alongside differences over the Russian war in Ukraine and the stance on NATO, criticism of leadership structures and decision-making mechanisms had led two years ago to the founding of a second European left-wing “umbrella organisation”, the European Left Alliance (ELA). The ELA includes a number of former member parties of the EL.

Against the backdrop of this criticism, the EL had initiated a reform process, which has now been translated into resolutions. The EL’s leadership has also been renewed. Whilst Baier remains sole president, he will be supported by a committee of vice-presidents comprising two women and one man. It was decided that at the next General Assembly in a year’s time, a genuine dual leadership comprising one woman and one man shall be formed. However, their ‘power’ will be limited in future: the EL’s entire leadership structure has been reformed through a constitutional amendment. In future, the alliance will be collectively led by an executive board comprising representatives of the member parties; the presidency is part of this body.

Visibility remains an issue

The problem that persists even with the European Left Party’s updated strategy and administrative restructuring, however, is its lack of visibility – a shortcoming the alliance has struggled with since its founding in 2004. Admittedly, there have certainly been high-profile campaigns, such as the one under the slogan “Peace is our Victory” for peace in Ukraine, or the housing campaign for affordable housing mentioned by Maurer, which has been running since last year. The Left Party delegate sees plenty of room for improvement here; after all, there are good ideas and approaches in the individual countries that need to be linked at a European level: “We as delegates will of course take this mandate from Brussels back home with us and we will also bring these issues into the ongoing programme debate within the German Left Party, for example. After all, it is clear that problems such as militarisation or social cuts cannot be solved at the national level alone,” emphasises Natalie Maurer.

A step towards greater visibility was certainly the public event on Saturday evening, at which not only was the strategy presented, but numerous high-profile guests also spoke – from Peter Mertens of the Belgian Workers’ Party to the co-chair of the US Democratic Socialists, Megan Romer, and the British left-wing politician Jeremy Corbyn. Janina Böttger, a Member of the German Bundestag for Die Linke, pointed out that the far right’s policy of social cutbacks plays directly into their hands. This was both a warning and a call to action: in her home state of Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD currently leads in the polls by a wide margin.

Here are some photos from the 8th EL Congress