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The INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers’ Parties of Europe was founded
On the 1st of October 2013 in a meeting room of the EU Parliament in Brussels, at the initiative of the KKE, the founding meeting was held of the “INITIATIVE of communist and workers’ parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity”.
The decision to reinforce of their cooperation, on the basis of a specific founding declaration, which describes the principles of the INITIATIVE, was expressed by the following 29 communist and workers’ parties from EU countries and other European countries as well:
- Party of Labour of Austria
- Communist Party of the Workers of Belarus
- New Communist Party of Britain
- Union of Communists in Bulgaria
- Party of Bulgarian Communists
- Socialist Workers’ Party of Croatia
- Communist Party in Denmark
- Pole of Communist Revival in France
- Union of Revolutionary Communists of France
- Communist Party of Macedonia
- Unified Communist Party of Georgia
- Communist Party of Greece
- Hungarian Workers' Party
- The Workers' Party of Ireland
- Communists People’s Left-Communist Party of Italy
- Socialist Party of Latvia
- Socialist People’s Front of Lithuania
- Communist Party of Malta
- People’s Resistance Moldova
- Communist Party of Norway
- Communist Party of Poland
- Communist Workers' Party of Russia
- Communist Party of Soviet Union
- New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
- Communist Party of Slovakia
- Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain
- Communist Party of Sweden
- Communist Party of Turkey
- Union of Communists of Ukraine
A step for Unity
In his introductory intervention, G. Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE, noted the following: “We would like to sincerely thank the 29 Communist and Workers’ Parties that decided to take part in the INITIATIVE to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their struggle.
We would like to thank the comrades that contributed in a creative way by supporting this effort, with their proposals and their remarks in order for us to reach to this point and organize our first founding meeting.
It is a significant step which serves particular needs.
Our INITIATIVE serves the unity of the communist movement inEuropeand the strengthening of the struggle of the communist parties for the interests of the working class, the popular strata, the youth.
We are deeply aware of our responsibility. The problems are sharpening, the capitalist crisis of overproduction and capital over-accumulation which is the other side of capitalist development has led millions of working class and popular families to unemployment and poverty, the labour’s exploitation by capital is being intensified, the future of the youth is being undermined.
Our INITIATIVE serves the need for the concentration of forces and the planned activity against the EU, the union of capital.
We have experience, the people experience the painful consequences of the Treaty of Maastricht, of the Lisbon Treaty, the strategy “Europe2020” the harsh measures of the “Reinforced Economic Governance”. They face the imperialist aggressiveness which is spearheaded by “the common Foreign Security and Defence Policy”, and its common activity with the USA and NATO.
Our INITIATIVE serves the joint struggle for the elections for the European Parliament and other forthcoming political battles.
We will wage the battle of the EU parliamentary elections in a determined way with as our criteria the people’s needs, the people’s interests against the European Union and its strategy. Against the bourgeois, liberal and social democratic parties which serve the interests of capital, against the forces of opportunism which support the EU and follow the line of capitalism’s management.
This is not something easy, it will be strenuous, we will face difficulties but we can fight against them. We will act collectively and in a planned way for our common goals.
We will support this effort with the contribution of all parties, with responsibility and persistence, an effort which will lend impetus to the struggle of the communist movement inEuropeand will have a positive impact on the international communist movement.
We have made a good start, aware of our obligations and tasks. We start with 30 communist parties and in the course we will make efforts so that other parties that agree with the founding declaration and today are hesitating to join us will participate in the Initiative. The door is open, the discussion is continuing.
Dear comrades,
Our agreement on the founding declaration has a great significance because it allows us to begin with a solid basis and so that we can develop this communist initiative. The leading forces of the ELP have made their own choices, they support the EU and its basic strategic positions.
They support a union of capital which is continuingly becoming more reactionary and dangerous, they have renounced the principles of our worldview, the principles of Marxism-Leninism. The responsibility is theirs, we believe that the communists will draw valuable conclusions and will support our INITIATIVE.
The plan of activity in the following period
Dear comrades,
Today we can set the basis for the plan of the activity of the next period, enriching our goals of struggle and our interventions.
In this direction we propose that we proceed as follows:
To prepare an intervention regarding the EU Summit Meeting in December which will examine important issues at the expense of the peoples including the revision of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy.
To immediately prepare an intervention for the release of the 4 Cuban militants who are imprisoned in the USA and to take a position against the EU common position.
To prepare in good time a statement on the EU parliamentary elections to be issued in January, following up in April with a short appeal.
To prepare an intervention against anticommunism, against the banning of Communist Parties and their symbols and to issue it in February 2014.
In February 2014 to take a position on the role of the EU parties, including the ELP.
To prepare a special position on the capitalist restructurings promoted by the EU for March 2014 and to highlight the consequences at the expense of the workers and particularly the youth.
By the beginning of April to prepare a position on the EU Common Foreign Security and Defence Policy of the EU and the participation in imperialist wars.
The abovementioned will take place through consultation with the Secretariat of the INITIATIVE and there will be a specific allocation of tasks regarding the issues of the plan of the activity which will be agreed on today.
Dear comrades,
Let us also look at two issues:
First: submitting questions to the EU Parliament on the problems of the workers in various European countries utilizing the communist MEPs.
Second: the organization of joint meetings in various countries utilizing cadresfrom the CPs that participate in the Initiative in order to exchange experience and support the activities of our parties.
Dear comrades,
We start together a very important effort and we are obliged to devote our forces in order for the INITIATIVE to succeed, for the interests of the working class, the popular strata, the youth.
We wish you all strength and every success.”
The founding declaration of the INITIATIVE is as follows:
“Founding Declaration of the INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers’ Parties to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity.
The following communist and workers' parties of the EU member states, associated related states, and other European countries, declare:
We support the principles of scientific socialism and are united by the vision of a society without the exploitation of man by man, without poverty, social injustice and imperialist wars.
We consider that the EU is capital's choice. It promotes measures in favour of the monopolies, the concentration and centralization of capital; it is strengthening its characteristics as an imperialist economic, political and military bloc opposed to the interests of the working class, the popular strata; it intensifies armaments, authoritarianism, state repression, limiting sovereign rights.
It is our assessment that the European Union is the European imperialist centre, supports the aggressive plans against the peoples, and is aligned with theUSAand NATO. It has militarism as a structural element.
We consider that there is another development path for the peoples. The perspective of anotherEurope, the prosperity of the peoples, social progress, democratic rights, equal cooperation, peace, and socialism are highlighted through the workers' struggles.
We believe in the right of every people to choose its own sovereign path of development, including the right to disengage from the multi-level dependencies on the EU and NATO, as well as the right to choose socialism.
We are not full members of the so-called "European Parties", which are formed by the EU and amongst them the so-called "European Left Party".
We decided through this founding declaration to establish the "INITIATIVE of communist and workers' parties in order to study and elaborate European issues and to coordinate their activity".
Every communist and workers' party from an EU member state or associated state, as well as from other European countries that accepts this Declaration and its conditions can participate in this INITIATIVE.
The goal of the INITIATIVE is to contribute to the research and study of issues concerning Europe, particularly concerning the EU, the political line which is drawn up in its framework and has an impact on the lives of the workers, as well as to assist the elaboration of joint positions of the parties and the coordination of their solidarity and their other activities.
The INITIATIVE, which is addressed primarily to the communist and workers' parties of EU countries, keeps the possibility open for a multi-facetted cooperation with communist and workers' parties of countries that are not EU member-states or are associated states.
Every year it shall carry out at least one meeting of its members and agrees on a corresponding Secretariat to coordinate the activity of the INITIATIVE.
The meetings of the Secretariat shall be made known in advance and are also open to the other members of the INITIATIVE.
The INITIATIVE has a joint symbol: a worker who is breaking the chains of capital
It has a website to promote its positions and the positions of the parties that comprise it. The Secretariat will manage this joint website, which will be agreed on by the parties that participate in the INITIATIVE.”
Election of a Secretariat
The parties that participated in the Founding Meeting approved a provisional operating framework of the initiative, the Common Symbol of the Initiative and elected a 9 member Secretariat to coordinate their activity. The following parties participate in the Secretariat: the KKE, the Hungarian Workers’ Party, the Workers’ Party of Ireland, Communists People’s Left-Communist Party of Italy, the Socialist Party of Latvia, the Communist Party of Slovakia, the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain, the Communist Party of Sweden and the Communist Party of Turkey.
