Dear comrades,
First, we would like to thank the KKE for its invitation and organization of this European Communist Meeting under a situation of great difficulties for the European working class and increase of contradictions between the European imperialist pole and its main antagonists.
Comrades,
The European Union, since its birth as the European Coal and Steel Community, has mainly served to defend the interests of the European monopolies, especially those connected to the strategic sectors of their member countries.
The capitalist countries of Europe were forced to ideologically and politically counter the recently formed Socialist Camp because of the prestige and influence of the USSR after the victory against Nazi-Fascism in the Second World War.
The foundation of the European Union was based in the multifaceted use of the tools granted by its States in order to ensure the increase of profits for their monopolies. The increase in the direct exploitation of the working class (with the worsening of their labor conditions), the indirect measures (such as privatizations, increase of consumption taxes, and decrease of capital taxes) or the promotion of capitalist investments abroad are some of the most paradigmatic examples. Equally, slowing down the advance of the specter of communism —with the spread of anti-communism at different levels— has also been an integral part of this EU.
All those issues are part of the one-way development of the European Union. All our countries, with no exception, have been experiencing for decades labor reforms that ease dismissals, intensify the working day, restrict trade-union rights, and ultimately deepen in the extraction of surplus value from our class. The EU equally promotes anti-people’s policies in all its member States, such as the increase in the age of retirement, the privatization of public services —like transportation, healthcare, education, and so on— or the decrease of public expenses. Not going into further detail, the consensus of the Eurogroup Ministers of Finances regarding the new tax rules entail a “contractive tax position” for 2025.
Likewise, anti-communism continues to be strengthened in most of the EU countries. They are spreading anti-communist and liberal myths regarding the communist ideology and the historical experience in the construction of socialism during the 20th century. The prosecution and ban of Communist Parties is simmering in increasingly more countries. From the political heart of anti-communism —the European Parliament—, we want to convey our most sincere internationalist support to all the friendly parties struggling under such harsh conditions — Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Latvia, and so on.
Dear comrades,
The contemporary EU anti-communism fulfills a new function compared to the last century, in the context of increasing inter-imperialist rivalries — slander the main competitors. Just like what happened in the pre-war contexts in the 20th century, war propaganda against clashing powers, like China and Russia, is spread in order to justify among the population various military and economic actions against them. These are also used to link these countries with their communist past, thus spreading a new form of anti-communism.
All this accumulated experience proves the validity of the thoughts masterfully synthesized by Lenin in his work ‘On the Slogan for a United States of Europe’. According to Lenin, “From the standpoint of the economic conditions of imperialism —i.e. the export of capital and the division of the world by the “advanced” and “civilized” colonial powers— a United States of Europe, under capitalism, is either impossible or reactionary.”
In the end, the union of capitalist states, either in Europe or anywhere in the world, can only be, if possible, an anti-workers’ and anti-people’s union, i.e. a reactionary one. The thought developed in the work ‘On the Slogan for a United States of Europe’ perfectly connects to another Leninist element, placed in ‘Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism’. Monopoly capitalism, with its own economic basis increasingly more concentrated and centralized, can only strive towards reaction in the political and social spheres — and not towards democracy. It is no coincidence that we are witnessing a significant growth of nationalist and xenophobic organizations in the last Elections to the European Parliament as well as other national elections in the EU member States.
Comrades,
From our point of view, all the aforementioned until now deserves a small remark. The validity of the elements of the Leninist theory we have just noted do not only belong to the European reality. Our Party considers that any union between capitalist countries, in the framework of monopoly capitalism, can only result in a reactionary union. Their constitution can only be against the working class and the peoples, regardless of their geographical location and the color of each bourgeois Government. This is the reason why the Parties with strong proletarian internationalist principles, guided by Marxism-Leninism, are carrying out great struggles against our respective imperialist unions in all the regions of the world.
In the case of the PCTE, the struggle against the European Union, against NATO, and against the imperialist war are an integral part of our political and contemporary intervention among the working class. Our Party does not only denounce the EU and NATO when there are European elections, but also everyday. In the course of class struggle, our Party connects many of the immediate demands of the working class to the imperialist nature of the EU. Issues like the increase in the age of retirement, the privatization of public services, labor counter-reforms, and many others have a direct connection to the European Union directives — and we try to spread that among our class.
Equally, our Party is carrying out mobilizations against the imperialist war —like Ukraine or the massacre in Palestine— and NATO. That was the case of the big demonstration against the NATO Summit held in Madrid in Summer 2022. Besides, our Party is starting to structure the anti-imperialist movement in our country with the establishment of “Committees of Solidarity between the Peoples and for Peace” (CosPaz).
Dear comrades,
Finally, we consider that there is another element of utmost relevance in the Leninist assessment of imperialist unions. Lenin expresses —quite accurately— that the slogan of the “United States of Europe” is either reactionary or impossible. We think the latter is right, since it expresses really well another integral element of imperialist unions — unity and struggle.
As a result of the inevitable capitalist competition, the countries also develop opposite interests based on different contradictions and rivalries within the imperialist unions — and especially within the EU. Some monopolies create and develop frictions with the monopolies from other countries.
We have witnessed several examples all over the history of the EU. Examples connected to the various visions around tax policies, EU funds, foreign and defense policies —like the Euroarmy or the role of the EU in different wars—, assistance to determined industries —energy or agri-food sectors, among others—, and so on. The Brexist is another relevant case of this same phenomenon.
As a conclusion, our Party considers that Lenin’s analysis on the slogan of the United States of Europe is still fully valid. We think it is necessary to carry out a strategic policy against all the imperialist unions in general, and especially against the EU. Likewise, we think it is necessary to take into account that imperialist unions are not eternal, and also that new contradictions resulting in new rivalries are being constantly developed within them. Therefore, our Parties should also follow closely such dialectical developments in order to take a suitable tactics that exonerate no bourgeois power and places the struggle for workers’ power in the center of the communist politics
Thank you very much.