IV359 - May/June 2004

Adopted as a strategic programme by the European Union (EU) in March 2000, the Lisbon Strategy has as its declared objective the transformation of the single European market into the most competitive market in the world by 2010.

The parties and movements of the European anti-capitalist left met again in April. This one day meeting had a special character, because it was held in the context of a European Union (EU) summit and there are elections to the European parliament in June 2004 that will exert significantly more influence on the political framework than was the case at the last elections in 1999.

The manifesto that we have just adopted was drawn up by the Left Bloc (BE, Portugal), Red Green Alliance (RGA, Denmark), Scottish Socialist Party (SSP, Scotland, UK), RESPECT-Unity List (England, Wales) Socialist Workers Party (SWP, UK), Revolutionary Communist League (LCR, France), The Left (LG/DL, Luxemburg), United and Alternative Left (EUiA, Catalonia, Spain) Alternative Space (EA, Spain) and the Coalition Radical Left (Greece). In addition, Synaspismos (Greece) and the United Left (Spain) attended the meeting as guests

Taken together, the demonstrations that took place in Berlin, Cologne and Stuttgart on April 3, 2004 constituted the biggest street mobilization on a social theme since the foundation of the federal republic, of a comparable size to the big pacifist demonstrations of the 1980s. Such a mobilization is bound to have consequences. Angela Klein examines the role that the social movements have played in this swift about-turn, and the prospects for new political developments.

In Europe’s economically most important country, 20 years after the last big trade union battle, a struggle has begun with consequences that go beyond Germany’s borders. Thies Gleiss looks at the background.

The following speech was made by Left Bloc deputy Francisco Louçã at a session of Portugal’s parliament on April 25, 2004, marking the 30th anniversary of the April 1974 revolution in the country.

In June 2003, immediately after the announcement of the results of the referendum by popular initiative of which the Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC or “Rifondazione”) had been the main promoter its general secretary, Fausto Bertinotti, announced a veritable reversal of the political line followed until then. The members of the National Political Committee of the PRC were surprised to discover the news on the front pages of the newspapers shortly before the meeting of this body.

This document was presented to the vote by Gigi Malabarba, Flavia D’Angeli, Franco Turigliatto, Salvatore Cannavò, Lidia Cirillo, Barbara Ferusso, Elena Majorana, Livio Maitan and Nando Simeone at the meeting of the National Political Committee (CPN) of the Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC), held in Rome on March 6-7, 2004.

More than two thousand hundred dollar bills, rendered unreadable by mildew! The Aristide supporters who took part in the looting of his residence were surprised to find this sum in a strongbox concealed in a subterranean hideaway. They then understood that for their dear president, 200,000 dollars represented no great amount. To understand the current situation, we have to imitate the behaviour of these Aristide supporters, ignore our first impressions, and dig a little deeper into Haitian politics.

The presidential elections in Russia in March 2004, which led to the re-election of Vladimir Putin, had little significance in themselves. If one thing was clear, it is that they would in no way change the essential traits of the political regime and its socio-economic policies.