Statement of Communist and Workers’ Parties from EU countries about the 5th EU-LAC summit

On 16—17 May 2008 the fifth European Union-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit will be held in Lima, Peru.

The objectives of the European Union have nothing to do with combating poverty and social inequalities, or with promoting the environment — benevolent policies as they claim. It seeks to open up the economies of these countries to exploitation, demanding the privatisation of state industries and natural resources, even water, for the benefit of the monopoly capital. It is an illusion to see it as a counterweight to the United States, in favour of the peoples: on the contrary, it has the same imperialist and neo-colonial goals.

With the Lisbon Treaty, new steps are being taken towards configuring the European Union as an economic, political and military bloc, a pillar of the world order of imperialism today, contrary to the interests of workers and the peoples. The sovereignty and independence of peoples and countries are being further undermined. Under the guidelines of the “Lisbon Strategy,” the attack on labour and trade union rights is being stepped up in the name of “modernisation,” “competitiveness,” and “security,” in order to ensure the profits of capital.

The European Union in its relations with Latin America and the Caribbean aims

• at further promoting the interests of European transnational monopolies at the expense of the peoples of the region;
• at promoting trade and investment protection agreements, under the guise of economic association and co-operation agreements;
• at gaining ground in its imperialist competition with the United States;
• at assisting the local oligarchies to tackle the people’s movements, to check and neutralise anti-imperialist struggles and processes that are developing.

The EU-LAC “strategic partnership” runs contrary to the interests of the peoples in both continents.

Along with mass popular resistance and opposition to the EU policies, working people throughout Europe express concern about the aggressiveness of the European Union towards the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The solidarity with the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and the opposition to the policies of the European Union and its attempts to impose unjust free-trade agreements are integral parts of our struggle for a Europe of equal co-operation, of social and economic progress, of peace, in opposition to the process of European capitalist integration.

Our parties

• express our strong support and solidarity with the mobilisations of popular movements on the occasion of the EU-LAC summit, with the peoples’ and anti-imperialist forces that participate in the “Summit of the Peoples”;
• reiterate our strong support for socialist Cuba and demand the abolition of the EU “common position” on Cuba as well as all unjust restrictions imposed since 2003
• denounce the outrageous tour by Caleb McCarry in EU countries and demand that the so-called "Cuba Transition Coordinator” should not be received by our governments;
• welcome the victory of the popular forces in Paraguay and reiterate our strong solidarity with Bolivarian Venezuela, Bolivia’s and Ecuador’s governments and people and all peoples that struggle;
• sharply condemn the attempts to destabilise Bolivia and the support provided by the US government as well as the scandalous tolerance showed by other imperialist forces as well as the stance of the EU that seeks to intervene.
• demand that the sovereignty and independence of Latin American and Caribbean countries and peoples be respected;
• we condemn the EU position in solidarity and support for the Colombian government expressed recently by the Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy
• We demand that FARC-EP and ELN be recognised as combatants and immediately removed from the EU list of “terrorist organisations”; this list itself should be abolished as an obstacle to the peaceful resolution of conflicts;
• reject the unjust association agreements promoted by the European union, such as the current negotiations on an “association agreement” with the Central American countries and the “economic partnership agreement” with the Caribbean region made in December 2007 but still to be ratified;
• oppose “Fortress Europe,” the immigration policy of the European Union that causes a significant “brain drain” from the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean while at the same time denying immigrant workers their essential social and democratic rights and intensifying their exploitation.

The Parties

1. Workers’ Party of Belgium
2. Communist Party of Britain
3. New Communist Party of Britain
4. Party of the Bulgarian Communists
5. Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
6. Communist Party in Denmark
7. Communist Party of Denmark
8. Communist Party of finland
9. Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party
10. German Communist Party
11. Communist Party of Greece
12. Communist Party of Ireland
13. Workers’ Party of Ireland
14. Party of the Italian Communists
15. Socialist Party of Latvia
16. Socialist Party of Lithuania
17. Communist Party of Luxembourg
18. Communist Party of Malta
19. New Communist Party of the Netherlands
20. Communist Party of Poland
21. Portuguese Communist Party
22. Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain

The Communist Party of Norway, Palestinian Communist Party, Socialist Workers` Party of Croatia (not EU countries) have also extended their support to the statement.

13th May 2008