mailto: The EL Executive Board (ExB) held its third session in Paris according to the work schedule adopted at Berlin ExB meeting in July. The meeting was chaired by EL Chairman Fausto Bertinotti and Helmut Scholz (PDS). The ExB members got a warm welcome by Marie-George Buffet, National Secretary of the French CP. M-G. Buffet informed about the results of the party referendum on EL membership. 75% of the PCF members voted in favour of entering the EL and actively collaborating with the other member parties. /span> /span> She introduced to the ExB the new PCF ExB Members Christine Mendelsohn and Jean-François  Gau. The ExB co-opted the French comrades.

Present at the meeting were EL treasurer Pedro Marset  (I.U. – Spain) and elected Board members – G.  Hopfgartner (Austrian CP), M. Hornychova and J. Hudecek  (SDS – Czech Republic), S. Kingsepp (ESDLP – Estonia),  Ch. Mendelsohn and J.-F. Gau (PCF), K. Schubert and H. Scholz (PDS – Germany), N. Theodorakopoulou and St.  Pappas (Synaspismos – Greece), G. Mascia and G. Migliore  (PRC – Italy), Gianluca Della Valle (RC of San Marino),  Jordi Miralles and Antoni Barbarà (EuiA – Spain),  José Luiz Nunez (Spanish CP), Brigitte Berthouzoz  and Jozef Zisyadis (Labour Party of Switzerland).

The observer parties CP of Bohemia and Moravia (Czech  Republic) were represented by V. Exner and H. Charfo, The  Left (Luxemburg) by H. Wehenkel. Invited guests included  PCF responsible for international relations Daniel Cirera  and staff.

Main results, decisions and agreements:

1. The Board discussed  and exchanged views on current developments within the EU  and the home countries of member parties. All speakers referred  to the recent EU Summit and the ratification of the EU constitutional  treaty starting now. The European Left is challenged  to combine in its campaign for a “NO” convincing  arguments for referenda with concrete alternative proposals  for a different constitution of Europe what was stressed  in particular on behalf of the PCF by J.-F. Gau. The Left has to be present –not only in common words  rather by its own alternatives for a differently constituted  EU / Europe.

Attention has been given to the outcome of the US presidential  elections and the ensuing consolidation of the right conservative  forces. According to F. Bertinotti George W. Bush’s  victory is to be seen as a first organic answer of the  Right to the deep changes caused by the globalization processes  of the last decades. Their political aim is a re-ideologization  of political strategies on the basis of neo-conservative  ideas. The EL member parties will strengthen their relations  to the US-American Left and other democratic, social and  peace-loving forces.

The representative of the ACP informed about the campaign  against the privatisation of hospitals (a process going  on in Hungary, too). Information was given on the recent  results of Left parties in various elections. Czech Republic:  in the first round of regional elections the CPBM came  in as the 2 nd Party; Germany: in regional elections in Brandenburg and Saxony the PDS reached 2 nd place, too;  in municipial elections of North-Rhine Westphalia it made  some progress; Switzerland: in three French-speaking cantons  the Left has good prospects.

A statement on the current development in Iraq was adopted  and EL positions on the situation in the whole Middle East  region discussed.

The Board expressed support to active steps of PCF solidarity  with the Palestinian people and solidarity acts with seriously  ill President Arafat.

Synaspismos ExB members informed on political debates  in Greece and other neighbouring states on Greek-Macedonian  relations after the US administration's decision to recognize  Macedonia under the official name “Democracy of Macedonia” – interfering  by that into the international compromise reached after  the foundation of the new Macedonian Republic after the  breakdown of the former Federative Republic of Yugoslavia.

Further points of discussion were the demand for alternative  proposals of the Left on the current revision of the Lisbon  strategy; a re-strengthening of the Euro-Mediterranean  dialogue within the so-called Barcelona process and the  struggle against the Bolkestein directive – directive  on services in the internal market (COM (2004) 02) of the  EU commission. On the latter the NELF working group on  globalization together with H. Markov, MEP, of the GUE/NGL  Group has worked out detailed proposals for further steps  resisting that Bolkestein directive. These proposals on political activities should be used and published in all  member parties' countries to support public protest against  a further deregulation of the public services. (For more  information write to info@european-left.org)

2. The Board received reports of ExB members  responsible for working groups and took the  necessary decisions:

a. Report on the EL initiative for  an alternative “Pact  of full employment and social security” to  break the all-pervading power of the EU stability  pact. This process has to be more closely linked  to the social struggles going on in the EU countries.  It must be developed within the time frame of  the ESF and trade union debates on social and economical affairs, on resistance to neo-liberal  models.

The working group has been reformed. The new responsible  is Maurice Obadia, resp. J.-F. Gau as ExB-Member, both  PCF. At present the working group – principally open  to anybody interested in it - consists of representatives  of PCF + SDS, PDS, SYN, IU, PRC.

The creation of an EL working group on economic policies  was agreed. The EL will stimulate new forms of cooperation  and easy communications (for example by mailing-lists)  for direct discussions between activists and members of  the individual parties on these issues.

b. Report of the working  group“Preparation  of the 60 th anniversary of victory over Hitler-fascism  and end of World war II”. The  working group is currently collecting proposals  and ideas for political activities by member  parties and in the countries on that occasion.  A common appeal will be adopted either at the  Berlin meeting on 8 January, 2005 or at an earlier  date.

The CPBM will organize an international Conference of  European Left parties beyond the EL “Socialism in  the XXIst century – aspects of international security” on  April 23-24, 2005 in Prague.

The idea was reiterated to call – together with  the French network commemorating the 1937 world congress  against fascist danger and war in Paris (“guerre à la  guerre”) organized then by R. Rolland and others, an EL conference of European intellectuals and cultural  workers.

c. Report of the ExB working group forcooperation  with social movements about the participation  of EL activists in the 3 rd ESF in London. The  3 rd ESF demonstrated that the new social movements  have arrived at a crossroads. More permanent work  has to be done to find answers to questions risen  by activists of the different groups; political parties are challenged to give more political input  into the debates without dominating grass-roots  activities – taking into consideration the Porto Alegre Charter of social movements.

The ExB agreed to prepare the participation of the EL  in the "European Assembly for ESF 2006" in Paris  on 16-17 March 2005.

Aspects of EL participation in the forthcoming 5 th World  Social Forum in Porto Alegre (18-23 January, 2005) were  also debated. The EL will apply for official registration  at the WSF besides the traditional participation of alter-globalist  activists of EL member parties in their national delegations or groups of parliamentarians.

The ExB backed the report regarding the active preparation  of the 4 th ESF Athens in April 2006. The EL will encourage  a broader involvement of and more intense cooperation with  social activists, movements and trade unions from East  European countries.

3. The ExB received an information about the EL conference  on the EU constitution on October 24 in Rome. As almost  all parties had representatives at that first political  conference of the EL, the main conclusions were added  to the EL work schedule for 2005.

B. Berthouzoz informed about the concrete contributions  of the women's network, in particular the Greek members,  to the constitutional work.

The working group ‘EU constitution’,  founded for preparing the Rome conference, should continue  its work, decided the ExB. All member parties are invited  to send representatives into that working group, until now consisting of PCF, PRC, Synaspismos, I.U. and PDS.  Before December 6 the working group has to send out to  its members a plan of work, consisting of

• a timetable of the public campaign for European referenda
• a questionnaire, aiming at collecting ideas and proposals  on the main problems of an alternative EL text for a  socially just, peaceful, democratic Europe as an alternative  to the existing EU constitution treaty and EU developments  (i. e. positive / negative parts of the constitution,  alternatives; the subject of further political developments in Europe etc.).

In this context EL Chairman Fausto Bertinotti informed  about the meeting of the Council of Chairpersons on 25  October, 2004 which also came to the conclusion that it  is urgently necessary to continue intense common work on  alternatives for European development.

4. On the EL political  agenda and the 2005work schedule

a. The ExB convened the 1 st EL  Congress for October 8-9, 2005 to Barcelona.  J. Miralles and A. Barbarà of EuiA expressed  their appreciation for that decision and stated that  the EuiA together with the other Spanish member parties  I.U and Spanish CP will do their utmost to make that  Congress an important step of the European Left to  show more presence in the European societies, to  develop the EL influence and political strength.

b. A draft work-schedule for 2005 was  principally agreed. Its main points are:

• 1st EL Congress, Barcelona, October 8-9, 2005, including  a women's assembly on the EL congress eve;
• various political activities around the 60 th anniversary  of liberation from Hitler fascism and end of World War  II, May 8 and 9, 2005;
• a meeting of parliamentarians of EL member parties  of all levels (municipal, regional, national, European)  , Potsdam, March 4-6, 2005;
• participation in WSF, 18-23 January 2005.

5. Structural matters

 ExB members reported the growing interest of their party  members and the public of their home countries in directly  cooperating with activists of other member parties on various  political themes in line with the structural self-understanding  of the EL as a networking party. The Ex-Board decided to  support these demands and to initiate the formation of the following working groups or networks (using the experience  of the existing women’s network):

• a working group on economic policies (see topic  2a)
• a network of trade-unionists in and outside EL  parties, of activists interested in trade-union-  and employment policies;
• a working group on municipal work and local policies  (in regions of Europe)
• a network of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender  people;
• a working group “Extreme Right” .