Party of the European Left

The Party of the European Left (PEL), commonly abbreviated European Left, is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist[2] and communist[2] 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.[5] The elected MEPs from member parties of the PEL sit in The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament.

Party of the European Left
Partei der Europäischen Linken
Parti de la Gauche Européenne
Partito della Sinistra Europea
Partido de la Izquierda Europea
Partido da Esquerda Europeia
Κόμμα Ευρωπαϊκής Αριστεράς
Avrupa Sol Partisi
Il-Partit Ewropew tax-Xellug
PresidentWalter Baier (AT)
Leader in the EPMartin Schirdewan (DE)
Founded8–9 May 2004 (2004-05-08 – 2004-05-09);
18 years ago
HeadquartersSquare de Meeûs 25,
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Think tankTransform Europe[1]
Women's wingEL FEM
IdeologyDemocratic socialism[2][3]
Communism[2][3]
Soft Euroscepticism[4]
Political positionLeft-wing to far-left
European Parliament groupThe Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
Colours  Dark red
European Parliament
28 / 751
European Council
0 / 28
European Lower Houses
344 / 9,874
European Upper Houses
27 / 2,714
Website
www.european-left.org

Several member and observer parties participate also in the more radical European Anti-Capitalist Left. Before the PEL was founded, most of its members already held annual meetings together, as part of the New European Left Forum (NELF).[6]

The current president is the German politician and economist Heinz Bierbaum.[7] The four vice-presidents are Maite Mola, Margarita Mileva, Paolo Ferrero, and former PEL President Pierre Laurent. Swiss Brigitte Berthouzoz serves as the new EL treasurer.[8]

The party supports Cuba, and a delegation visited the nation in February 2022.[9]

As of December 2016, the Party of the European Left gathers 27 member parties, 8 observers, and 3 partners from 25 European countries.

Membership

Member parties

The Party of the European Left consists of member parties with full rights, observer parties, individual members and EL partners.[10]

As of March 2023, The Party of the European Left has 25 member parties in 23 countries.[11]

Full members
Country Party National MPs European MEPs
 Austria Communist Party of Austria – –
 Belarus Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" – Not in the EU
 Belgium Communists of Wallonia-Brussels – –
 Bulgaria Bulgarian Left – –
 Croatia Workers' Front
1 / 151
 –
 Czech Republic The Left – –
 Denmark Red-Green Alliance
9 / 179
1 / 14
 Estonia Estonian United Left Party – –
 Finland Communist Party of Finland – –
 France French Communist Party
12 / 577
14 / 348
 –
 Germany The Left
39 / 735
(Bundestag)
4 / 69
(Bundesrat)
5 / 96
 Greece Syriza
87 / 300
6 / 21
 Hungary Workers' Party of Hungary 2006 – European Left – –
 Italy Communist Refoundation Party – –
 Luxembourg The Left
2 / 60
 –
 Moldova Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova
10 / 101
 Not in the EU
 Portugal Left Bloc
5 / 230
2 / 21
 Romania Romanian Socialist Party – –
 Slovenia The Left
5 / 90
 –
 Spain United Left
6 / 350
0 / 266
2 / 54
Communist Party of Spain
4 / 350
0 / 266
 Catalonia United and Alternative Left
2 / 350
0 / 266
 –
 Switzerland Swiss Party of Labour
1 / 200
 Not in the EU
 Turkey Left Party – Not in the EU
 United Kingdom Left Unity – Not in the EU

Observer members
Country Party National MPs European MEPs
 Belgium Demain – –
 Cyprus  Cyprus Progressive Party of Working People
15 / 56
2 / 6
 Northern Cyprus New Cyprus Party – De facto not in the EU
United Cyprus Party – De facto not in the EU
 Czech Republic Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia –
1 / 21
 Finland Left Alliance
16 / 200
1 / 14
 France La France Insoumise
69 / 577
5 / 79
0 / 348
Republican and Socialist Left
0 / 577
1 / 79
1 / 348
 Italy Italian Left
4 / 400
 –
3 / 200
 Slovakia Communist Party of Slovakia – –
 Spain Sortu
1 / 23
Basque seats
1 / 54
Spanish seats
1 / 20
Basque seats

EL-Partners
Country Party National MPs European MEPs
 Austria Der Wandel – –
 France Ensemble!
5 / 577
 –
0 / 577
République et Socialisme – –
 Germany Marxistiche Linke – –
 Hungary Táncsics – Radical Left Party – –
 Scotland Democratic Left Scotland – Not in the EU

Former members
Country Party
 Belgium 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.[12]
 Czech Republic Party of Democratic Socialism Merged into The Left in 2020.
 France Left Party Left the EL on 1 July 2018.
Unitary Left Merged with the French Communist Party in Fall 2015.
 Germany German Communist Party ended on 27 February 2016 the observer status.[13]
 Greece Renewing Communist Ecological Left Merged into Syriza in 2013.
 Hungary Hungarian Workers' Party Quit 1 May 2009.
 Italy 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.
 Poland Young Socialists Dissolved in 2015, which meant that the "observer status" was lost.

Party congresses

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.[14] The third congress was held on 2–5 December 2010 in Paris.[15][16][17] Its fourth congress was held on 13–15 December 2013 in Madrid.[18] Its fifth congress took place on 16–18 December 2016 in Berlin,[19] and elected German lawyer and politician Gregor Gysi as the new PEL President.

Leadership

See also

References
  1. Grants from the European Parliament to political foundations at European level per foundation per year
  2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "European Union". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. Toplišek, Alen (14 March 2019). "The Populist Radical Left in Europe" (PDF): 9. doi:10.4324/9781315180823-4. S2CID 159164068. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Martinelli, Alberto (2020). European society. Leiden: Brill. p. 236. ISBN 9789004351776.
  5. Hudson, Kate (2012). The New European Left: A Socialism for the Twenty-First Century?. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-137-26511-1.
  6. "Some remarks concerning the creation of the Party of the European Left". Official European Left site. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  7. "European Left Party elects Die Linke's Heinz Bierbaum as new president". Morning Star. 15 December 2019.
  8. "Le 2eme Observatoire". 2e-observatoire.com. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  9. Puig Meneses, Yaima. "Díaz-Canel thanks European Left Party for its longstanding support". Granma.
  10. "Documents European Left 7th Congress" (PDF). European-Left.org. Party of the European Left. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  11. "Our Parties". European-left.org. Party of the European Left. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. Pourquoi le PCB a quitté le Parti de la Gauche Européenne (PGE) — Official statement on the party website.
  13. ELP-Beobachterstatus beendet – Bericht vom 3. Tag des XXI. Parteitag der DKP. Newswebsite of the Deutschen Kommunistischen Partei (DKP).
  14. Press release of the EL Executive Board meeting in Tallinn, May 2007 Archived 1 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. "European Left convenes third congress in Paris". Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  16. "Executive board met in Luxembourg: Countdown to the Congress". Party of the European Left. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  17. "EL elects new President and vice-chairpersons!". Party of the European Left. 6 December 2010. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  18. "Convention of the 4th Congress of the Party of the European Left". Party of the European Left. 12 January 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  19. "5th Congress – Berlin 2016". Party of the European Left. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
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