The Party of the European Left (PEL), commonly abbreviated European Left, is a
European political party that operates as an association of
democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
and
communist political parties in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of running in the
2004 European Parliament election
The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...
s. The PEL was founded on 8–9 May 2004 in Rome.
The elected
MEPs
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
from member parties of the PEL sit in
The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL is a left-wing political group of the European Parliament established in 1995. Before January 2021, it was named the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (french: link=no, Gauche unitaire europ ...
group in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
.
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).
The current president is the German politician and economist . The four vice-presidents are ,
Margarita Mileva,
Paolo Ferrero
Paolo Ferrero (born 17 November 1960) is an Italian politician. He is a leading member of the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista''; PRC), and served as Minister of Social Solidarity from 2006 to 2008 as part of ...
, and former PEL President
Pierre Laurent. Swiss
Brigitte Berthouzoz
Brigitte is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Brigitte Amm, German rower
* Brigitte Bardot (born 1934), a French actress and singer
* Brigitte Becue (born 1972), a Belgian breaststroke swimmer
* Brigitte Bierlein (bor ...
serves as the new EL treasurer.
The party supports
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, and a delegation visited the nation in February 2022.
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
Observer parties
Partners
As well as those of member and observer parties, individuals may also hold membership of the party.
Former members
Party congresses
The party's first congress took place on 8 October 2005 in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, and produced the ''Athens Declaration of the European Left''. The second congress was held 23–25 November 2007 in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. The third congress was held on 2–5 December 2010 in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. Its fourth congress was held on 13–15 December 2013 in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
. Its fifth congress took place on 16–18 December 2016 in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
and elected German lawyer and politician
Gregor Gysi as the new PEL President.
Leadership
*President:
Fausto Bertinotti
Fausto Bertinotti (born 22 March 1940) is an Italian politician who led the Communist Refoundation Party (''Partito della Rifondazione Comunista'') from 1994 to 2006. On 29 April 2006, after the centre-left coalition's victory in the Italian ...
(2004–2007),
Lothar Bisky
Lothar Bisky (17 August 1941 13 August 2013) was a German politician. He was the chairman of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), the successor of East Germany's Socialist Unity Party (SED). In June 2007 he became co-chairman of The Left ...
(2007–2010),
Pierre Laurent (2010–2016),
Gregor Gysi (2016–2019),
Heinz Bierbaum
The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...
(2019–present)
*Leader in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
:
Francis Wurtz (2004–2009),
Lothar Bisky
Lothar Bisky (17 August 1941 13 August 2013) was a German politician. He was the chairman of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), the successor of East Germany's Socialist Unity Party (SED). In June 2007 he became co-chairman of The Left ...
(2009–2012),
Gabi Zimmer
Gabriele "Gabi" Zimmer (born 7 May 1955) is a German politician who served as leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) from 2000 to 2003. After leaving office as leader, she was a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019. Zi ...
(2012–present)
See also
*
European Anti-Capitalist Left
*
European United Left–Nordic Green Left
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...
*
Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties
The Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties (INITIATIVE) is a European Marxist–Leninist political group. INITIATIVE has 30 member parties from all over Europe. The Communist Party of Greece was the main founder of INITIATIVE. The goal of ...
*
List of communist parties represented in European Parliament
The following is a List of communist parties represented in European Parliament. This list does not contain communist parties previously represented in European Parliament. This article lists only those parties who officially call themselves comm ...
*
Nordic Green Left Alliance
da, Nordisk Grønne Venstre Alliance no, Nordisk Grønt Venstre Allianse is, Norræna vinstri-græna bandalagið
, logo = Logo of the Nordic Green Left Alliance.svg
, abbreviation =
, colorcode =
, general_secretary ...
*
Now the People
Now the People! ( da, Det er Folkets tur Nu; french: link=no, Maintenant le Peuple ! fi, Nyt on Ihmisten Vuoro!; pt, Agora o Povo !; es, Ahora la Gente; sv, Det är folkets tur nu) is a political movement in the European Union. It was founde ...
*
Unified European Left Group
References
External links
*
Italian website
{{Authority control
Political parties established in 2004
Pan-European political parties
International organisations based in Belgium
Socialist parties in Europe
Democratic socialism in Europe
2004 establishments in Europe
Eurosceptic parties