Call by the Party of the European Left

I.

The election of the European Parliament in June 2024 is not an election of secondary importance.

The social and ecological crisis of capitalism is both international and European. So is the preservation of peace and the struggle to overcome the domination of big and finance capital.

Today in Europe a broad ideological, social, and cultural hegemony of the reactionary, authoritarian, patriarchal, individualistic values exists which favours the rise of the far right. The left has not yet found an adequate answer to this.

The Party of the European Left is sounding the alarm!

There is a democratic crisis in Europe, with increasing electoral abstention, while parts of the ruling classes resort to authoritarian means of governing.

This poses a crucial and historic challenge for the left.

National differences and nuances aside, neo-fascism has a common goal of trying to prevent the frustration and indignation felt by those directly affected by the crisis from being directed against the capitalist system and channelled into the agenda that neo-fascism presents everywhere: racism, chauvinism, misogyny, muzzling of the press, restrictions on trade union rights and agitation against individual groups such as the LGBTQ+ communities – nothing new in history, if we remember the rise of fascisms in the first half of the 20th century.

On the other hand, there are also impressive mass movements. We see the wakening of the young generation, which demands decisive measures to save the environment in the interest of its future. There are huge feminst movements against violence against women and for equality in all areas of life. We see the resistance oft he trade unions against reinstating the policy of austerity, against the deterioration of pension systems, for recognition of the achievements of health and care workers, educators, railway workers, for fair wages, against youth unemployment and precariousness, for the expansion of public services and for a new type of economic and industrial development that can cope with the climate crisis as well as with the digital revolution.

The challenge is to transform the impetus of these movement into a force that changes the political balance of power in Europe. It is not only important to resist the radical right in the institutions, but also on the streets.

We are at a crossroads. Within the neoliberal framework the EU is unable to cope with these challenges and this also facilitates the normalisation of neo-fascism in the eyes of a large part of the populations

Democracy at all levels in Europe and popular sovereignty must be the springboard for European cooperation rather than austerity and neoliberal competition.

The European Parliament elections in June 2024 will be the first European-wide political confrontation of the two tendencies.

This is an extraordinary responsibility for the left, which must understand that this is not merely an electoral dispute but has an ideological and social component.

The European left advocates social and ecological transformation to avert the danger of a universal catastrophe.

III.

The election to the European Parliament is organised as simultaneous parallel ballots in the different countries oft he EU.

The Party of the European Left recognizes the diversity and plurality of the Left. It wants to contribute to the strengthening of unity and solidarity among the left with a view to building political and social majorities that speak to those who are angry, and in dispair, that meet the challenges of the crisis of civilisation and the revolution of labour and production, and that respond to social, ecological and societal demands.

We are aware of the differences in the social circumstances in which our parties operate and the differences in the historical trajectories they have followed, which in some cases lead to different strategic choices at both national and European level.

But, above all, we recognise that there is more that unites us than separates us. The different families of the left are complementary to each other and must be aware that it is essential to put the objective of defending democracy and the social conquests, feminist today endangered by the advance of fascism, in first place.

We call for unity and convergences based on common answers to social and democratic demands.

With the cooperation within the Left in the European Parliament, a positive example of cooperating in respect of diversity already exists.

The Party of the European Left has begun to draw up an electoral manifesto that aims to be the basis from which to support social, trade union and political struggles to demonstrate that there are solutions from the left to the problems that millions of people in Europe are suffering, and has laid the organisational foundations for an electoral campaign.

We invite all parties of the European left to develop together with us a number of common proposals, messages, and communication strategies for the election campaign.

The EL is the only party of the left that has the right to nominate a leading candidate, and will exercise this right.

We invite all parties of the European radical left to open the debate on this possibility and to consult with us on which personality would best able to represent the left as a whole as the leading candidate, who would be able to unite us in in the election campaign, with all our diversity and to open up new opportunities for the left in Europe.

During the election campaign, we want to establish a practice of cooperation for after the elections by strengthening networking and deepening dialogue.

The Party of the European Left is available for this purpose.