European Communist Initiative

European Communist Initiative. The European Communist Initiative is a political international of communist parties across Europe, founded in 2013 to coordinate activity based on Marxism–Leninism and opposition to the European Union and NATO. It serves as a platform for collaboration among parties that uphold a revolutionary, anti-revisionist line, distinct from the Party of the European Left. The initiative organizes joint statements, conferences, and campaigns, positioning itself against imperialism, capitalism, and what it views as opportunist forces within the broader left-wing politics.

History

The formation was officially declared on 19 October 2013, following a meeting in Athens hosted by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). This gathering built upon earlier collaborative efforts among orthodox communist parties, such as the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties and the now-inactive INITIATIVE of Communist and Workers' Parties. Key founding members included the Communist Party of Greece, the Communist Party of Turkey, and the Party of Labour of Austria. The initiative's establishment was a direct response to the perceived need for a firmer, principled alliance in the face of the European debt crisis and the policies of the Troika, contrasting with the more reformist stance of the Party of the European Left. Subsequent plenary meetings have been held in locations including Brussels, Lisbon, and İzmir, often timed to issue declarations against NATO summits, EU treaties, and military interventions in regions like Syria and Ukraine.

Member parties

The initiative comprises communist and workers' parties from across the continent that adhere to its foundational principles. Full members include the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), the Party of Labour of Austria (PdA), the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE), and the Portuguese Communist Party (Reconstructed) (PCP(R)). Other participating parties are the Communist Party of Finland (SKP), the Hungarian Workers' Party (Munkáspárt), the Communist Party of Poland (KPP), the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP), and the Union of Communists of Ukraine (SKU). Observer status or occasional participation has included parties like the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and the Socialist Party of Latvia. Membership is contingent on a party's rejection of Eurocommunism and reformist paths to socialism.

Political positions

The initiative's ideology is firmly rooted in Marxism–Leninism and proletarian internationalism, with a strong anti-revisionist character. It fundamentally opposes the European Union, characterizing it as an imperialist union of monopoly capital and an instrument of NATO. It condemns capitalism and imperialism, holding them responsible for crises, wars, and the exploitation of the working class. The group rejects social democracy and Eurocommunism as forms of class collaboration and bourgeois management of the capitalist system. It advocates for the overthrow of capitalism through revolutionary struggle, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the goal of socialism-communism. Its positions are consistently anti-Atlanticist, expressing solidarity with struggles against imperialism worldwide, including in Cuba, Palestine, and Western Sahara.

Activities and campaigns

Its primary activities revolve around organizing plenary meetings, issuing joint statements, and coordinating international campaigns. These plenums, typically held twice a year, result in declarations on contemporary events, such as the War in Donbas, the Greek government-debt crisis, or the COVID-19 pandemic, which are disseminated through its website and member party publications. The initiative organizes annual rallies and events in Brussels to protest EU summits and the activities of the European Commission and European Parliament. It coordinates common campaign days, for instance, for International Workers' Day on May 1st, or days of action against NATO. Furthermore, it facilitates the exchange of experiences and theoretical work through its journal, "International Communist Review," and supports solidarity actions with striking workers and political prisoners in member countries.

International relations

The European Communist Initiative maintains fraternal relations with other communist international formations and parties globally that share its ideological outlook. It is a participating organization in the broader International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP), where it often promotes its positions. It has strong bilateral ties with parties like the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) and the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), and expresses solidarity with the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). The initiative stands in critical opposition to the Party of the European Left, which it accuses of social-democratic reformism and complicity with the EU project. It does not engage with institutions of the European Union, viewing them as irrevocably bourgeois, and instead focuses on building a network of struggle outside and against them.

Category:Communist organizations in Europe Category:International communist organizations Category:Political internationals Category:Organizations established in 2013