For the last three years Europe has been plunging into a crisis that, today, has reached a critical level. The decisions of the European Union leaders and the `Troïka”, far from getting us out of it are only aggravating the situation. The peoples of all European countries are suffering from this and the right wings in responsibility do not hesitate to use xenophobic tensions to divide and rule.
The European Union is faced with a major choice of orientation: either a headlong flight into austerity based on ultra-liberalism and authoritarian federalism, or else refounding it on social and democratic bases, freed from the stranglehold of the financial markets and of the banks.
The austerity imposed on the peoples is only used to protect the short-term interests of the banks and financial markets — it will never, however, enable to get out of this crisis. We see this, today, as the new call for a recapitalisation of the banks, and especially with the example of Greece, broken by the accumulation of the Troika’s memoranda and shock treatments. Austerity kills growth and employment, creates deficits and worsens the public debts.
Bringing national sovereignties to heel could, perhaps, enable austerity to be imposed but it will never enable the building of a democratic Europe. National and European decision-making centres have been taken hostage by a caste, on the basis of a liberal consensus to serve of the markets. The peoples do not feel represented any more in this consensus — and they are right.
With the vote for a “six pack” that gives the Commission and the Council the power to control and change the budgets and economic policies of the member countries, together with the “euro plus pact” that challenges workers’ rights and envisages wage cuts and the increase of unstable jobs, a new offensive has been launched against the peoples, their rights and their sovereignty.
Just a few days before the European Summit of 17-18 October 2011, we, Presidents of the member parties and observers of the European Left Party, reaffirm our choices to defend the social rights and policies of the European peoples, that of a Europe of solidarity and justice.
We support and call for actions the 15th of October in every European country where indignants organise demonstrations.
Even while discussing the EL strategic choices for 2012, we commit ourselves, at the level of our countries and at European level, to participate and help popular resistance against austerity as best as we can and with an open mind.
Those mobilisations are many and powerful — they must be increased. The “indignados” movement in Spain and in Greece, the workers fighting for their jobs, the public servants who are defending public services threatened by privatisation, the Trade Unions that are mobilising in their countries and at European level, with the ETUC’s Euro-demonstrations, women fighting for their rights, citizens rejecting the sale of their countries, all these forces are converging in their rejection of austerity. They must work together to build an alternative policy.
This is why we call for an amplification of discussion everywhere, and action on the basis of proposals. We drew up the main lines at Trevi, last July — our lines of battle, the tools we intend to use for getting out of the crisis. Today we must put them forward for discussion in the societies of European countries, in the European public field.
As from today, we issue this appeal, to all available forces, together to put forward solutions for the crisis and to define the fundamentals of a new European construction — democratic, social, ecological and united in respecting the peoples’ sovereignty. A Europe for human beings, not for finance.
Amongst our lines of action, we reaffirm that the ECB missions must be radically transformed; and our determination, as defined at our last EL Congress, to use the procedure of the “European citizen initiative” to put forward for discussion the idea of a fund for social development, solidarity and ecologic and of all proposals that could free investment of this loan from the markets and orient it towards the public services. The public money shall no longer be burnt to save private banks by recapitalisations but shall be provided to the European peoples, notably via this fund. These campaigns of the EL to put a stop to austerity and for using money to serve humanity will thus be our priorities for 2012.
EL Council of Chairpersons
Paris 7 October 2011

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