From 13-15 December the European Left Party (ELP) will hold its IV Congress in Madrid. Although the ELP is a rather young party whose founding congress took place only in 2004 it meanwhile consists of nearly 40 parties of the alternative Left in Europe.
According to the EL-chairperson Pierre Laurent, the IV Congress and the upcoming European elections in May 2014 take place in a “period of struggle against the austerity policy and violations of democracy and the sovereignty of peoples in all countries due to the neoliberal policy carried out by European leaders and the Troika”. Beyond the analysis of the situation and the resistance to the policy of austerity it is the main target of the EL to construct a Left Alternative for Europe which is able to play the role of a locomotive for all the forces opposed to the austerity policies. Regarding the forthcoming European elections the party seeks to increase and extend the forces of the alternative Left in Europe and show support of and solidarity with the popular majority, as it is stated in the political document which will be discussed and adopted by the congress. (See more here).
In continuation of the project initiated at the Congress in Paris in 2010, transform! will, together with the Nicos Poulantzas Institute, conduct a social science survey among the delegates that enables a comparison of the collected data for the first time.
transform! will present the 13th issue of its journal to the delegates at a special reception. Moreover transform! will hold workshops with its partners from Spain, especially FIM and FEC, at the sideline of the congress. On Monday, 16 December, another meeting of the network Akademia is taking place.