Party of the European Left
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox political party The Party of the European Left (PEL), or European Left (EL), is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of running in the 2004 European Parliament elections. The PEL was founded on 8–9 May 2004 in Rome. The elected MEPs from member parties of the PEL sit in The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament, though not all PEL members are also members of GUE/NGL. The current president is the Austrian politician Walter Baier.
HistoryEdit
Before the PEL was founded, most of its members already held annual meetings together, as part of the New European Left Forum (NELF).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Several member and observer parties also participated in the more radical European Anti-Capitalist Left.
The Party of European Left (PEL) was formed on 8 and 9 May 2004 in Rome, Italy.<ref name="Hudson2012">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> The party's first congress took place on 8 October 2005 in Athens, and produced the Athens Declaration of the European Left. The second congress was held 23–25 November 2007 in Prague.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The third congress was held on 2–5 December 2010 in Paris.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Its fourth congress was held on 13–15 December 2013 in Madrid.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Its fifth congress took place on 16–18 December 2016 in Berlin,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and elected German lawyer and politician Gregor Gysi as the new PEL President.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Heinz Bierbaum was elected president in 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was succeeded by Walter Baier in December 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
It operates a think tank, Transform Europe, and it has women's wing named EL-Fem.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2024, the Danish member Red-Green Alliance (Enhedlisten) announced the schism of the party and the formation of a socially liberal (green- and pro-Ukraine leaning) European Left Alliance for the People and the Planet, in short ELA. The split follows the split of socially liberal Die Linke and socially conservative BSW in Germany, and the creation of a separate platform for the 2024 European elections, Now the People.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
IdeologyEdit
PEL has been described as a left-wing<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and a far-left<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> political party. Its ideology is based on principles of democratic socialism,<ref name="Nordsieck">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="toplisek2019">Template:Cite book</ref> socialism,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> and communism.<ref name="Nordsieck" /><ref name="toplisek2019" /><ref name=":0" /> It is opposed to capitalism and consists of parties with wide range of opinions.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp PEL is also supportive of progressivism.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp
It takes a soft Eurosceptic approach towards the European Union,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and opposes militarization and foreign interventionism.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp PEL opposed the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan, and criticised the oppression of 2009 Iranian presidential election protests.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp It is also opposed to NATO and United States military bases.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp It supports Cuba, and a delegation visited the nation in February 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In an interview with the political magazine Jacobin, Walter Baier, the president of PEL, described PEL as part of the "socialist left" and criticised the European Union, stating that it is neoliberal and "closer to enlightened absolutism than parliamentary democracy".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
LeadershipEdit
- President: Fausto Bertinotti (2004–2007), Lothar Bisky (2007–2010), Pierre Laurent (2010–2016), Gregor Gysi (2016–2019), Heinz Bierbaum (2019–2022), Walter Baier (2022–present)
- Leader in the European Parliament: Francis Wurtz (2004–2009), Lothar Bisky (2009–2012), Gabi Zimmer (2012–2019), Martin Schirdewan (2019–present)
MembershipEdit
The Party of the European Left consists of member parties with full rights, observer parties, individual members and EL partners.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of October 2024, The Party of the European Left has 24 member parties in 21 countries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Not all members of PEL are members of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament.<ref name=":0"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Full membersEdit
Observer membersEdit
| Country | Party | National MPs | European MEPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flag | Template:Ill | – | – | |
| Template:Flag | Progressive Party of Working People | Template:Composition bar | Template:Composition bar | |
| Template:Flag | New Cyprus Party | – | De facto not in the EU | |
| United Cyprus Party | – | |||
| Template:Flag | Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia | Template:Composition bar(Chamber of Deputies) | Template:Composition bar | |
| Template:Composition bar(Senate) | ||||
| Template:Flag | Italian Left | Template:Composition bar | Template:Composition bar | |
| Template:Composition bar | ||||
| Template:Flag | Communist Party of Slovakia | – | – | |
| Template:Flag | Sortu | Template:Composition bar(Congress of Deputies; Basque seats) | Template:Composition bar | |
| Template:Composition bar(Senate of Spain; Basque seats) | ||||
| Template:Flag | Transform Party | – | Not in the EU | |
EL PartnersEdit
| Country | Party | National MPs | European MEPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flag | Der Wandel | – | – | |
| Left | – | – | ||
| Template:Flag | Ensemble! | – | – | |
| République et Socialisme | – | – | ||
| Template:Flag | Marxistische Linke | – | – | |
| Template:Flag | Táncsics – Radical Left Party | – | – | |
| Yes Solidarity for Hungary Movement | – | – | ||
| Template:Flag | Solidarnost | – | Not in the EU | |
| Template:Flag | Template:Flag | Democratic Left Scotland | – | Not in the EU |
| Socialists for the Independence | – | |||
Former membersEdit
| Country | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flag | Communist Party | Stopped working as a Party in 2009, since December 2013 not listed as a Member. | |
| Communist Party of Belgium | Resignation decided at the party congress on 30 July 2018.<ref> Pourquoi le PCB a quitté le Parti de la Gauche Européenne (PGE) — Official statement on the party website.</ref> | ||
| Template:Flag | Party of Democratic Socialism | Merged into The Left in 2020. | |
| Template:Flag | Red–Green Alliance | Left the EL in 2024. | |
| Template:Flag | Left Alliance | Delisted from the EL website in 2024. | |
| Template:Flag | Left Party | Left the EL on 1 July 2018. | |
| Unitary Left | Merged with the French Communist Party in 2015. | ||
| La France Insoumise | Member until 2018, observer until 2024 | ||
| Template:Flag | German Communist Party | Ended its observer status on 27 February 2016.<ref>ELP-Beobachterstatus beendet – Bericht vom 3. Tag des XXI. Parteitag der DKP. Newswebsite of the Deutschen Kommunistischen Partei (DKP).</ref> | |
| Template:Flag | Renewing Communist Ecological Left | Merged into Syriza in 2013. | |
| Template:Flag | Hungarian Workers' Party | Quit 1 May 2009. | |
| Template:Flag | Party of Italian Communists | Dissolved in December 2014, which meant that the "observer status" was lost. | |
| The Other Europe | Dissolved in 2019, which meant that the "observer status" was lost. | ||
| Template:Flag | Young Socialists | Dissolved in 2015, which meant that the "observer status" was lost. | |
| Template:Flag | Left Bloc | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Representation in European institutionsEdit
| Organisation | Institution | Number of seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| {{#invoke:flag | European Union}} | European Parliament | Template:EUPP data |
| European Commission | Template:EUPP data | ||
| European Council (Heads of Government) |
Template:EUPP data | ||
| Council of the European Union (Participation in Government) |
|||
| Committee of the Regions | Template:EUPP data | ||
| Template:Flag (as part of Template:Wikidata) | Parliamentary Assembly | Template:Composition barTemplate:Wikidata |
See alsoEdit
- European Anti-Capitalist Left
- European United Left–Nordic Green Left
- Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties
- List of communist parties represented in European Parliament
- Nordic Green Left Alliance
- Now the People
- Unified European Left Group
- European political party
- Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations
- European political foundation
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Party of the European Left Template:European political parties Template:Political organisations at European Union level Template:Authority control