EL General Assembly Policy Paper (April 26, 2025)

We present to you the Party of the European Left General Assembly Policy Paper, as adopted on April 26, 2025, in Brussels.

U.S. President Trump’s claims regarding the Gaza Strip, the Panama Canal, Canada, and Greenland exposed the aggressive and imperialist character of his administration. By withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, pulling out of the WHO, and abandoning numerous other international accords, he revealed his disregard for cooperation in addressing global challenges. This proves that ‘America First’ means asserting U.S. dominance over the entire world.

Trump’s presidency threatens the rights of the working class, freedom of speech, and academias. Along with the rise of the radical right and religious fundamentalism, it endangers women’s rights to safety, social equality, and bodily autonomy—rights that are fundamental to any democracy.

Trump’s presidency, along with the global rise of the extreme nationalist right, represents the attempt by the most reactionary nationalist sections of the ruling class to resolve mounting crises—mass unemployment, the effects of climate change, global social inequality, and the disintegration of the US-led world order—through internal authoritarianism and external aggression.

Eighty years after the defeat of fascism, authoritarian leaders like Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, and Erdoğan show—through both rhetoric and action—that the far right is not a relic of the past, but a present and pressing danger. The same applies to the threat of global war, driven by neoliberal elites who have pushed the world to the brink.

For the European Left (EL), the struggle to save the planet through ecological transformation is inseparable from the struggle to preserve peace.

We call on all democratic and progressive forces—including trade unions, feminist groups, social movements, and ecological initiatives—to raise their voices against war and to prevent any further escalation that could involve weapons of mass destruction. The fight for peace is inseparable from the fight against the radical right. This is a global struggle, and the European Left is committed to waging it from within Europe.

Peace and Security for Ukraine

The EU’s approach to Ukraine—failing to support political solutions or initiate its own—relied solely on securing a military victory for Ukraine. This strategy has failed. After three years of war, it is obvious that neither side can decisively defeat the other on the battlefield, and only a diplomatic solution can bring peace. The EL condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as a violation of international law. Simultaneously, it criticized the EU’s unrealistic strategy of “ruining Russia” (in the words of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock), both militarily and economically. Instead, the EL has consistently called for political initiatives to resolve the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, as well as between Russia and NATO.

While the Trump administration aims to withdraw from the war in Ukraine to redirect resources toward confronting China, EU leaders—such as Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas—remain focused on delivering a strategic defeat to Russia. This combination of conflicting imperial interests and diplomatic posturing prolongs the suffering of Ukrainians and increases the risk of escalation into a wider European conflict.

The EL rejects both the continuation and the escalation of the war, as well as any form of predatory peace imposed by Trump or Putin that divides Ukraine’s territory and resources. While normalization of U.S.-Russia relations may contribute to global peace, it cannot substitute for a genuine peace process in which Ukraine participates as an equal party. Neither NATO membership for Ukraine nor the NATO-led “coalition of the willing” proposed by President Macron and Prime Minister Starmer can deliver lasting peace and security. We oppose these reckless proposals, which increase the likelihood of a major war between Russia and NATO.

The EL calls for a return to international law, the establishment of a ceasefire, and its implementation under United Nations supervision. We reiterate the principles of lasting peace: respect for the Ukrainian people’s right to self-determination, and the security interests of all peoples in the region. Only the UN Security Council, acting by consensus among its permanent members, has the authority to mandate international peacekeeping forces.

The EL also supports normalizing economic relations between Russia and the West in tandem with a ceasefire and peace negotiations. We urge the EU to redirect funds earmarked for arms deliveries toward reconstruction, beginning with the cancellation of Ukraine’s debt.

For a Broad Vision of Security

Peace and security serve the interests of the working class, women, and the general population—except for those who profit from war and the arms trade. At the March EU summit, Ursula von der Leyen presented a comprehensive armament plan for Europe, reinforcing her earlier mistake of equating security solely with military strength.

The claim that Western Europe cannot defend itself against a supposed Russian threat is based on misinformation. EU member states, alongside the UK, already spend more on defense than any country except the U.S.—and significantly more than Russia. In fact, non-EU suppliers, and in particular US, British, Israeli and Turkish armament companies, will take the lion’s share of the extensive armament programs financed by public debt.

The EL rejects the militarization of the EU and any aggressive agenda pursued under the Common Security and Defense Policy.

The militarization of the EU and Trump’s policies pose a threat to the welfare states and the workers’ rights won through hard-fought battles at thenational level, which the left is unwaveringly defending. 

Humane security includes women’s rights, protection from pandemics, climate change, and shortages of food, water, and healthcare. This requires shifting resources away from military spending and towards humanitarian needs. Strategic enterprises must be transferred to public ownership under democratic control and thus removed from capitalist and speculative interests.  We demand the immediate suspension of arms procurement outside the EU.  None of the major social or environmental challenges, local or global, can be addressed without confronting militarism in politics and public discourse. Climate justice, public health, and social equity are all inherently linked to overcoming militarism.

For a Global Vision of Security

The EU is not synonymous with Europe—and will not be in the foreseeable future. Enlargement of the EU could reduce socio-economic disparities in Europe, but only if it avoids reproducing the neoliberal model that relegates candidate countries to the role of raw material suppliers and cheap labor sources.

EU enlargement must not become a geopolitical weapon in the rivalry between the West and Russia. These dynamic fuels internal conflict in candidate countries, as seen in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, and Georgia and creates international tensions.

The EL will define its enlargement policy case by case, in cooperation with leftist forces in the candidate countries. It stands in solidarity with grassroots movements—like those in Serbia—that fight for democracy and environmental protection against kleptocracy.

Europe is not the world. Around 50 countries are currently experiencing war or armed conflict, often involving foreign mercenaries acting on behalf of transnational corporations and using weapons supplied by the U.S., Europe, or Russia. Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are tragic examples.

Europe can play a key role in advancing multilateral global governance free from hegemonic centres of power. To achieve this, the EU must promote open, fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial economic, trade, and political relations that move beyond the current colonial and neoliberal models of free trade agreements.

Europe is the continent that is warming the fastest. But climate change is a global problem that is threatening and destroying livelihoods in large areas of the global South. It is empirically proven that wars, arms races and arms exports are among the biggest sources of CO₂ emissions worldwide. Overcoming militarism is therefore an indispensable prerequisite for saving the climate. 

Global security is only conceivable if the living conditions of large sections of humanity are not jeopardised by climate change and environmental destruction. To achieve this, the logic of isolationism and the struggle for supremacy must be replaced with a logic of co-operation and collaboration.

Through its ties to US imperialism and its own neo-colonial ambitions, the EU has placed itself at odds with many peoples and states of the Global South. The EU must redefine its role in the emerging multipolar world and diversify its international alliances and partnerships accordingly. EL calls for an end to all neo-colonial practices and foreign interventions. Global security can only be achieved by eliminating global social inequality. This means, as the African Union has emphasised: the causes of migration, ecological, social and economic crises, lack of job opportunities and insecurity must be eliminated.

We urge the EU to rethink its trade and financial relations with the Global South—beginning with the abandonment of neoliberal Free Trade Agreements.

The adoption of the Migration Pact by the European Council and the European Parliament, just ahead of the European elections, was an unworthy concession to the radical right. It legitimized their inhumane rhetoric without slowing their ascent. We call for a clear break from ‘Fortress Europe’ and stand firmly for the human right to asylum as well as legal and safe pathways for migration. The genocidal war in Gaza waged by Benjamin Netanyahu’s far right government of Israel , the violence in the West Bank, and strikes on Syria and Lebanon—enabled by the Trump administration—continue unchecked. We call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages and political prisoners. The EU must stop supplying the Israeli army with weapons. It must suspend its Association Agreement with Israel and impose sanctions against the Israeli state until it complies with UN resolutions and recognizes the Palestinian people’s right to an independent, viable state alongside Israel. The EU and its member states must also recognize the State of Palestine without delay.

We further urge the EU to oppose the Trump administration’s revival of the Monroe Doctrine and its attempts to reassert dominance over Latin America.

EL is a party of anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist solidarity. We call on the EU to demand an end to the US embargo on Cuba and to remove Cuba from the list of states that support terrorism. The EU must condemn the repression in Turkey and its aggression against the Kurdish people. We call for the release of Abdullah Öcalan. We call on the EU to denounce the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco.

For an Anti-Militarist Vision of Europe’s Strategic Autonomy

Under Article 42(2) of the EU Treaty, the EU must align its security and defense policy with NATO. Yet Trump’s presidency has shown that tying European security to the U.S. via NATO presents growing risks.

Given the U.S.’s repeated violations of international law and history of military interventions, the EL urges the European Council to initiate a treaty revision to end this dependency. The EU must protect the interests of member states not in NATO.

We call for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus and support the reunification of the island under a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. We also support Ireland’s aspiration for the reunification of the country, and its military neutrality, as well as Austria’s permanent neutral status.

The proposal for a European army is trapped in the militaristic paradigm, especially since foreign and defense policy remain outside the control of the European Parliament. We also reject the removal of national vetoes in EU defense decisions in the European Council.

Militarization will not bring freedom or autonomy. Peace and cooperation will. EL advocates for a European security order based on peaceful coexistence, as envisioned in the 1975 CSCE Final Act. The EL calls for a European security order independent of NATO, which is a relic of the last century and should be dissolved. The OSCE remains the best platform for advancing Europe’s security autonomy.

A peaceful and autonomous Europe requires a broad peace movement—uniting parties, trade unions, faith communities, and social movements. The EL calls on all progressive forces to mobilize for this goal.

No to the War Economy – Yes to an Economy for Peace

Yesterday’s global free market has given way to today’s economic warfare. Trump’s tariffs on EU exports will hit European industry hard—especially the auto sector. But Europe’s vulnerability is largely self-inflicted as reforms and investments to overcome the structural crisis of industry in the EU for a necessary transition to a post-fossil age have been repeatedly postponed.

Retaliatory trade measures won’t save jobs. The EL supports the ETUC’s call for immediate action to protect quality employment, such as mechanisms like the SURE instrument used during the COVID-19 crisis.

Trump’s economic warfare exposes the failures of three decades of EU neoliberalism. While the U.S. invested heavily through the Inflation Reduction Act and China pursued state-led development, the EU failed to develop a coherent industrial policy.

According to the Draghi report, the EU must invest an additional 1 trillion euros annually—over 5% of its GDP—to compete globally. Even Draghi admits this cannot come from private capital alone. Public investment is essential.

Yet financial governance rules, revived after the pandemic, are once again imposing austerity. As stated in our election manifesto: austerity must be rejected entirely. The Stability and Growth Pact should not be repackaged, but replaced with a pact for social and ecological transformation and the rebuilding of public services.

We express solidarity with the mobilizations of trade unions across many countries and with the European Trade Union Confederation against the reintroduction of austerity policies.  Not austerity, but public investment in cutting-edge technology, the expansion of public services and the strengthening of mass purchasing power point the way out of the crisis in European industry. Von der Leyen’s Green Deal was never the ecological revolution it claimed to be. Her new Clean Industrial Deal, shaped by radical right-wing pressure, is a counter-revolution promoting deregulation and competitiveness at the expense of labor rights and environmental standards.

We reaffirm the goal set out in our election manifesto: to increase the European Union’s target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 55% to 65% by 2030 and bring forward the date for the European Union’s climate neutrality from 2050 to 2035;

We believe in public investment, strong public services, and boosting purchasing power through secure jobs, fair wages, and pensions.

Military spending targets are rising: 2% of GDP yesterday, 3% today, 5% tomorrow. These resources are urgently needed for decarbonizing Europe’s economy.

Even the Commission admits that deficit rules hinder transformation—yet it proposes exempting defense spending instead. Financing armaments programs by plundering the agricultural and cohesion funds is antisocial and unecological. Financing a war economy through Eurobonds reflects a dangerous logic: austerity for the people, unlimited funds for militarization.

We strongly oppose the EU’s shift toward a war economy. We demand a reallocation of over-armament toward social and ecological projects, especially solving the housing crisis, which severely affects millions, particularly young people.

The EL fights for a socially just transition to a sustainable development model based on democratic planning and public financing, leaving no one behind. Alongside Europe’s trade unions, we call for a Just Transition Directive.

We propose establishing a European Fund for Social Housing, Public Services, and Ecological Restructuring, financed by the ECB. It would provide zero or low-interest loans to states, municipalities, cooperatives, and non-profits—and be democratically managed by civil society, trade unions, women’s groups, and ecological movements.

*** This Policy Paper does not replace the existing programmatic foundations of the Party of the European Left—the founding manifesto (2004) and the manifesto for the 2024 European Parliament elections—but aims to sharpen our political profile within the context of ongoing mobilizations and current political debates.
Following the General Assembly of the Party of the European Left, we have begun preparations for the 8th Party Congress, scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. To this end, we will launch a broad discussion on the tasks, strategy, working methods, and structures of our party. We call on all our member parties, observers, partners, and individual members to actively participate in this process, with the shared goal of strengthening and improving our party. ***