The 6^th Conference of the European Anti-Capitalist Left has taken place on the 9 and 10^th of June 2003, in Athens.

After Lisbon, Paris, Brussels, Madrid and Copenhagen, the Conference has shown the continuity and development of the radical Left in Europe.

Members present: Red Green Alliance (Denmark), Socialist Alliance, Socialist Workers Party (England), Scottisch Socialist Party (Scotland), Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (France), Bloco de Esquerra (Portugal), Espacio Alternativo, (Spanish State), Rifondazione Comunista (Italy), SolidaritéS, (Switzerland), ÖDP (Turkey).

As observers: the Socialist party (Ireland), Socialist Party (England). As guests: Synaspismos (Greece), Esquerra Unida i Alternativa (Spanish State), Deutsche Kommunistische Partei (Germany).

Apologized: Dei Linke/La Gauche (Luxemburg), Mouvement pour le Socialisme (Switzerland), Izquierda Unida (Spanish State).

The agenda of the Conference dealt with two main points: the new political situation after the war and the June 2004 European elections.

There was a strong agreement between the participants on the analysis of the actual situation.

The resistance against the imperialist war, the world economic recession, the role of the European Union, the new wave of social aggression against the working classes, youth, women, immigrants ... express itself through new mass mobilisations and favours a general process of political clarification inside the labour and social movements and left parties. In the next 12 months the European ruling classes will make an all out attempt to strengthen the European Union as a supranational imperialist State. Sticking to the “Lisbon agenda”, the social democrat parties play again a key role in trying to “convince” working people to accept new cuts in jobs, wages, pensions, housing, educations, health and labour rights in the name of “competitiveness”, as well as the renewed euro militarism in the name of the “war against terrorism” and the defence of the “European model” in opposition to the US. They will also defend the need to support “sacrifices” on democratic rights and freedoms, asylum, military expenses and to build a European “army”.

The European Anti Capitalist Left is utterly opposed to this pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist orientation. It will be on the forefront of the mobilisations and the June 2004 elections. The Athens Conference has decided to be present, everywhere, in the electoral campaign with its own political platform and profile. To the extent possible the EACL will try to form alliances or electoral blocs to defeat the neo liberal policies, and all those parties who defend them.

The EACL will publish its “European Manifesto” at his next Conference. This will take place in France, in November. The EACL supports the proposal for a big “counter-convention” of the broad Left, facing the utterly undemocratic Inter Governmental Conference of the European Union, in December 2003 in Italy.

François Vercammen
(coordinator for the EACL Organising Committee)