In other words, the leaders of Member States accept the enforcement mechanisms designed to integrate the economies of member countries at risk, within a system of monitoring, of permanent austerity thus leading to precarious social situations. Such a perspective cannot be adopted without the prior consultation of the people and must be decided by referendum if necessary.

Today the bailout of banks is making the people, and the employees of Europe pay for the crisis of financial capitalism through a series of policies of extremely strict austerity, declining wages, rising unemployment and job insecurity accompanied by cuts in public spending; these actions are implemented by right wing governments and social democrats. This has resulted in a competition between people of which we know the outcome: the European Union already has more than 23 million unemployed, 80 million poor and poor living conditions continue to progress. This unprecedented growth in poverty levels affects women and those who are already most vulnerable. Everywhere, migrants are treated in a humiliating manner and are victims of disgraceful political repression.

All the while throughout Europe, employees, as well as the rest of the population are protesting their profound rejection of this regressive policy, the Summit of Heads of State has endorsed the logic of the strongest, which in turn leads to an exacerbation in inequalities between peoples and inside our countries .

The exit of Europe, that is to say, the exit of the people from this acute crisis that we are facing requires,  a strong policy of boosting employment within our countries, with economic and political sovereignty and therefore an activation of budgetary mechanisms of solidarity  of the Member States.

Europe is at a crossroads and the Party of the European Left, which consists of nearly 30 political parties of members and non-members of the European Union, aims at contributing to a convergence within its ranks and to the development of resistance in order to put an end to this mad rush being made by political leaders to obey orders being handed out by high finance. While the architects of the Treaty of Lisbon are trying to kill the idea of Europe, we on the contrary want to give it the true sense that to which our peoples aspire.

We welcome and fully support the approach of the Open Letter to Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy in favour of the financial transaction tax proposed by 15 prominent European trade unions, associations and eminent NGOs (16 December). We also recommend a reorientation of the missions of the European Central Bank to reduce the power of financial markets.

The Party of the European Left intends to make use of the clause “citizen initiative” (without retracting on its position on the Lisbon Treaty) adopted by Parliament on 15 December, with the aim of imposing first and foremost a public debate, demanding the establishment of a European social development Fund.

A European social development Fund, on the contrary to the financial stabilization plan, would support Member States with spending on public investment, with employment, with training and research, as well as in the fields of development of public services and useful infrastructures particularly in the environmental field. The euro could become an instrument of monetary cooperation among peoples and serve toward the creation and the sharing of wealth, common development and social needs.

It is through the defense and the conquest of social and democratic rights, through the complete control by the people of their economic and political choices that we will emerge from the current crisis. The Party of the European Left supports all popular European mobilizations, including the general strike that took place in Greece and that which is planned for 18 December in Spain.

S tatement of Pierre Laurent, Chairman of the Party of the European Left Marisa Matias, Maite Mola, Grigore Petrenco and Alexis Tsipras,
Vice-Presidents of the Party of the European Left,
on the Summit of the Heads of State (Brussels, 17 December 2010)

Download here the Declaration in French

Download here the Declaration in Greek

Download here the Declaration in English