Volksstimmefest 2025: Uniting Europe’s Left for Action
A strong presence, bold debates, and a shared vision for peace and justice – looking ahead to the European Forum in Vienna.
Volksstimmefest 2025 once again transformed Vienna into a meeting place of European progressive forces, and the European Left (EL) played a vital role throughout the weekend. The festival, organized by the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) together with the newspaper Volksstimme, combined culture, music, and politics, creating an open space for activists, trade unionists, intellectuals, and party leaders to meet, discuss, and strategize.
The EL hosted and participated in several high-level panels addressing urgent questions of peace, social justice, and democracy in Europe. Among the most prominent was the debate “Socialist Strategies Today,” which brought together key figures from across the continent: Ines Schwerdtner (Die Linke, Germany), Peter Mertens (PTB/PVDA, Belgium), and Günther Hopfgartner (KPÖ, Austria). Together, they explored the challenges and opportunities for the socialist movement in a time of deepening inequalities, ecological crisis, and growing militarization.
Peter Mertens emphasized the role of left parties as a “megaphone of the working class” inside parliaments, capable of guiding social movements towards a genuinely socialist society. Ines Schwerdtner underlined that speaking openly about class struggle is not nostalgia but the essential force capable of uniting people and applying real pressure on the system. Günther Hopfgartner warned of governments preparing societies for war — cutting social benefits, fostering toxic masculinity, reshaping social priorities for conflict — and called for communist and socialist parties to unite the struggles against war regimes.
Another central focus was the panel “Peace Instead of Rearmament,” where EL President Walter Baier delivered a clear and uncompromising message: the European Union cannot claim to stand for peace while selectively applying international law. “The EU shouts about sanctions against Russia,” Baier stated, “but turns a blind eye to the genocidal war in Gaza. This is not ignorance — this is complicity.”
The panel reaffirmed EL’s demands: economic sanctions against Israel, full recognition of Palestine, and disarmament instead of a slide towards a new world war. “Europe,” Baier concluded, “must not play with nuclear fire. For peace, not NATO. For a Europe of the people, not oligarchs and warmongers.”
A special debate focused on Left Perspectives in Central and Eastern Europe, exploring regional challenges amid multiple crises. Unfortunately, the panel’s composition included only speakers from the Czech Republic, which naturally directed the conversation through a Czech geopolitical and political lens. Czech participants included Milan Krajča (Vice-chair of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, KSČM) and Markéta Juřicová (Co-chair of LEVICE) and Jiří Málek (SPED, transform! europe).
The discussion concentrated on the current political developments in the Czech Republic, especially ahead of October’s parliamentary elections, and reflected on the anti-democratic law banning communist activities as a structural challenge for progressive forces. Even within this limitation, the debate offered an important opportunity to reflect on the realities facing the left in the region and highlighted the urgency of cross-border cooperation.
Beyond the panels, the European Left engaged in numerous bilateral and informal meetings with party delegations, trade unions, youth organizations, and movements from across Europe. These exchanges reinforced a shared understanding: the struggle for peace, democracy, and social justice requires coordinated efforts across national borders. Building networks of solidarity and concrete strategies together is not just valuable — it is essential.
Volksstimmefest 2025 showcased the vitality of Europe’s progressive forces and the European Left’s commitment to providing both political clarity and organizational space for that energy to grow.
The conversations begun in Vienna do not end here. They will continue in just two months — again in Vienna — at the European Forum of Left, Green, and Progressive Forces, held at the ÖGB headquarters. This major annual gathering will once again bring together parties, movements, and intellectuals committed to building a fairer Europe.
Join us as we take the next step together: European Forum, hurry – registration is open!