The Corona-virus has hit the EU unprepared, but in different ways and with different effects depending on the countries. Most tragic were the effects on those countries whose healthcare and social systems have been emaciated by decades of austerity policies. Thus, the pandemic has increased inequalities not only inside the states but also between the Member States of the EU. This presents the parties of the radical left with a challenge and calls for a re-examination of their strategies.
Starting on 11 May transform! europe will host a series of web interviews with leading personalities of parties of the European Left. The first interviewee will be Catarina Martins, National Coordinator of Portugal’s Left Bloc. The next one to follow will be Katja Kipping, Co-chairperson of die German left party, Die LINKE.
The events will be interactive – after an initial interview the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions of our guest.
The main focus of all discussions will be the impact of the pandemic on the economic, social, political, and cultural life of particular countries. We have seen that the EU’s failure to address the health crisis and provide support to the most affected states has changed the way the Union is perceived in parts of Europe. To what extent and with what consequences does this apply to the countries whose parties our interviewees represent? How can the left cope with the economic and social crisis and the recession that is very likely to come in its wake? How do the left parties connect their national strategies to global problems, in particular the influx of refugees and the answers urgently required by the global environmental crisis.
The webinar with Catarina Martins will take place on 11 May at 6:00 p.m. (CET),
the webinar with Katja Kipping on 13 May at 6:00 p.m. (CET).