Speakers came from the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, the Swiss group „Switzerland without Army“, from the Communist Party of Finland, the CP of Bohemia and Moravia and from DIE LINKE (Germany).
From Austria, representatives of the international reconciliation group, of an anti-militarist organisation called „Friedenswerkstatt“ and a university teacher of international right and from the Communist Party of Austria were present.
Different aspects of the problem of security were under discussion. Of course one focus was on the new so called “EU Mini Treaty” and the consequences. The participants agreed on their unanimous rejection of this treaty and on the demand for referendums to be held in each EU state instead of a mere ratification by the national parliaments.
Concerning Austria’s position vis-à-vis the new treaty experts stated that a referendum is a prerequisite before ratification because the constitution is massively affected.
Other participants focussed on the new threat for Europe resulting from the plans of the US administration to place missiles in the Czech Republic and in Poland with the clear aim to divide Europe again.
Some speakers dealt with the role of the left forces in Europe and their obligation to put forward alternatives to the neo-liberal direction Europe is taking at present: The left needs to develop new ideas and should not restrict themselves to a simple „No“.
For security concepts in Europe this could mean a radical approach towards disarmament and non alignment. This of course must be embedded in a different policy in general. Several speakers stressed the necessity for an alternative approach in trade agreements, e.g. in the current negotiations with the ACP countries. Further more the concept of a „Fortress Europe“ must be abandoned and citizenship to all people living in the EU must be given.
At the end of the debates all participants agreed on looking for possibilities to intensify and broaden the discussion. The proposal to plan a seminar on the occasion of the next European Social Forum in Sweden was received very positively.