European Integration and the Radical Left

Bertil Videt, IIRE Youth School 2008

Structure of talk

1. Theoretical approach to EU

2. Development of EU and answers from the left

3. The Radical Left in (Western) Europe

Europe

• Not about geography

• Not about religion / civilisation / culture

• Why Europe is relevant?: Political and historical reality: A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of Communism

Integration

• “(…) integration in Europe was and is a significant way of realizing the spread of authority (state functions) across larger and larger territorial areas so that the fundamental features of capitalism will remain intact.” (Cocks, 1980: 14)

Theories of Integration

• Lack of coherent Marxist body of theorising EC/EU studies.

• Neo-functionalism

• Inter-governmentalism

Neo-functionalism (Monnet-method)

• Based on functionalism (IR) :obsolescence of the state: material interdependence

• Both theory and strategy • Basic concept: Spill-over:

1. Integrate modestly in areas of ‘low politics’

2. Create a high authority without national interests

3. Integration of particular economic sectors will create functional pressures for integration of related economic sectors

4. Need for European institutionalisation

Inter-governmentalism

• Closely linked to Realism (IR): international politics is about interaction of self-interested actors in an anarchic environment. States rational and unitary.

• Two level game: domestic level and intergovernmental.

• International integrations strengthens the state

Marxist criticism

• Both neo-functionalism and inter-governmentalism highly ahistorical

• Ideological limitations: separation of ‘the political’ from ‘the economic’

• EU-integration does not replace state, but is along national development and global institutions.

• Still useful elements in both: spill-over and power of states.

Fundamental nature of EU/EC• EC from beginning Europe of Capital!• “(…)capitalist forces of production had outgrown the

framework of national states” (Trotsky, 1923: 1)• “(…) a product of capitalist concentration on an international

scale: an attempt by capitalism to reconcile the level of development of the productive forces and the degree of monopolistic concentration with the survival of the national state” (Mandel, 1967: 27)

• “The growth of capital interpenetration inside the Common Market, the appearance of large amalgamated banking and industrial units which are not mainly the property of any national capitalist class, represent the material infrastructrue for the emergence of supranational state power organs in the common market” (Mandel, 1967: 31)

Fundamental nature of EU/EC

• Bloc against Soviet

• Against communist threat within Europe

• Marshall plan. European coordination of Bourgeoises with US help.

Timeline of European Treaties

How does EU work?

• Anti-democratic: not about democratic political construction

• Council of Ministers (ecofin)

• Commission• Parliament• Three Decision

Procedures

Consultation Procedure

• Most widely used type of decision making• Commission proposes legislation• Council adopts or rejects• Parliament has to be consulted on important measures

Cooperation Procedure

• Applicable to funding for development, research, transport, milieu and development aid

• Procedure envisaged by Rome Treaty, with no power to EP

• Commission proposes and sends to both Council and EP

• Council can unanimously overrule EP

Co-decision Procedure

• Applicable to internal market, free movement of persons, consumer’s safety, education, culture, health and trans-European networks.

• Commission and sends to both Council and EP, who have veto right.

• Introduced with Maastricht treaty to strengthen EP

Anti-democratic nature of EU

• Neo-liberal agenda of EC/EU continously more explicit (balance of power)

• Since Maastrich treaty integration more politicised.

• Growing alienation translated into growing rejection and resistance

• EU in current crisis after Irish rejection.• Is EU reaching a dead end? Are

asymmetries stretched too far?

Our position to the EU

• “(…) it would not make sense from a Marxist point of view to call either for bourgeois supra-national powers over the national state, or to defend the bourgeois national state against the growth of supra-national powers.” (Mandel, 1967: 37)

• Social demands: Harmonise to the better• Democratic demands: Constituent Assembly • Demands at both national and European level

Regroupment

• Strategy of FI since 1995• “(…) pulling together (or forming an alliance

with) significant fragments coming out of the traditional workers movement, breaking with the social democratic policy of joint responsibility for the economic crisis. And we try to create a dynamic capable of attracting combative sectors of the social and union movement.” (FI, 14th WC, 1995)

A New Radical Left in Europe

Left in disarray since 1989

• Also end of dictatorships

• Break with hegemony of social democratic and communist parties.

• New social movements.

• Need for new parties to the left breaking with the social democratic policy.

Unevenness of Regroupment

• Since early 90’s

• Uneven between countries

• Political unevenness

Germany: Anti-Liberal Coalition

• Coalition of WASG and PDS• Progress for Workers movement in Germany• Problematic party• Should we be inside or outside?• Being inside requires clear anti capitalist strategy• Similar situations in Greece and Netherlands

Italy: From Anti-Capitalism to Anti-Liberalism

• 2-300 FI people entered PRC in early 90’s

• Very positive development of PRC throughout 90’s

• PRC return to euro-communism, with government participation 2006

• SC tendency• SC breaks away • 2008 elections destroy entire Italian

left• SC now with some thousands

members• Similar to situation in Brasil

Portugal: Classical regroupment

• Three currents regroup in 1999.

• Clear anti capitalist basis• Over 6.000 members• Electoral presence• Institutional tendency• Similar to RGA and SSP

France: Going on our own

• Harsh internal debates in LCR

• For long time situation not mature, no partners

• Period of important social movements

• LCR electoral successes• Going on our own, special

case• First signs very positive

Towards a new International?

• Far left very badly organised internationally and at European level

• European parties do exist, but not for internationalist left!

• Party of the European Left

• European Anti Capitalist Left