Challenges of a Historic Moment
6 May 2012 is marked by two election results with historical consequences: With the election of socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, to become France’s new president to which the Front de Gauche has quantitatively and...[more]
Election in France
First and foremost, Hollande’s election is a clear rebuff for the “President of the Rich” and the power of the oligarchy he embodies which has become stronger in the crisis. In spite of the relief felt about Sarkozy having been...[more]
A Triumph of the Radical Left in Greece – A Message to Europe
SYRIZA comes second in the Greek elections, with 16.8% and 52 MPs[more]
Austerity Policy in Hungary
Recently Hungary appears much more often in the western media than ever before, usually, in critical articles that mention the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and refer to the activity of the government and laws adopted by the...[more]
Pirates in Berlin – On the Success of the Piratenpartei in the Berlin State Parliament Elections
One is on shaky ground if one tries to say something about the success and further prospects of the Pirate Party in Germany – because in Germany’s party landscape it is a new phenomenon, different from the other parties and now...[more]
European Migration Policy – Too Much of the Same
When in a European context immigration is talked about it usually does not take long before the name FRONTEX pops up. Migration is mostly mentioned in the same breath as “illegal” and “illegal immigration” – the term is...[more]
Plea for a European Minimum Wage
Europe is heading at full speed toward a second edition of the financial crisis. Greece must once again be saved from “bankruptcy”; again the crisis involves generalised cuts and privatisation. What is the connection between the...[more]
The EU – The Flight From Democracy
1. Facts and documents As in every crisis, capitalism’s ruling elites, in order, among other things, to manage the current economic-financial crisis, are redesigning the institutions, which is what is happening in the EU with...[more]
Left Strategy
Conjunctural analysis is useful in many fields but has special theoretical and practical significance for critical political economy and left strategy. For the pursuit of politics as “the art of the possible” depends heavily on...[more]
Working towards the Social and Democratic Refoundation of Europe
Brussels, March 2012: Towards an Alternative European Summit[more]
The Crisis in Europe and Left Alternatives
Report: Conference in Copenhagen, 17-18 March, organized by TransformDanmark[more]
Seminar on The National Question in Central-Eastern Europe
Bucharest, 21-22 April 2012[more]
The Compulsory Loan of Greece to the Nazis and Fascists in the Second World War
An Interesting Discussion in Times of Crisis[more]
Lectures about “Eco-Socialism” and Left, Jewish Intellectuals
Michael Loewy in Vienna[more]
Research Project: Austerity Policies and the Crisis of Political Representation
One of the main borderlines differentiating the dominant interpretation of the current crisis from the one shared by the social and political Left as well as heterodox economists, is the insistence of the latter that we are...[more]
Meeting Convened by GUE and REALPE: European Local Councillors and Parliamentarians Stand together for Another Europe!
The European parliament in Brussels hosted a rather unusual meeting on 8-9 February. Convened by GUE and REALPE (European network of progressive local authorities and councillors), over a hundred progressive local councillors...[more]
Crisis and the People in Greece
“They are not frightening us, they are just making us furious!” The so-called negotiations between the Greek Government and the Troika (European Union – International Monetary Fund – European Central Bank) have come to the...[more]
Strikes, Mobilisations and Dialogue of Political and Social Forces
It is a rather realistic estimate which Reuters put at the beginning of its report on the meeting of the EU-Council: “Europe signs up to German-led fiscal pact. Chancellor Angela Merkel cemented her political ascendancy in Europe...[more]
Second Round of the Finnish Presidential Elections: A Breakthrough of Emancipation?
On Sunday, 5 February, Mr Sauli Niinistö of the centre-right National Coalition Party was elected as the 12th president of the Republic of Finland. In the final round of the elections he beat the Green Party candidate Mr Pekka...[more]
New Populisms and the European Right and Far Right Parties: Challenge to and Perspectives of the Left
Milan, 9-10 March 2012[more]
Greece: He who sows misery, harvests anger
European leaders and the IMF demanded from the unelected and illegitimate Greek government a new austerity plan for the release of the EU "assistance", not for social development, which is a vital need for...[more]
Finnish Presidential Elections
Mr. Sauli Niinistö, of the centre-right National Coalition Party, and Mr. Pekka Haavisto of the Greens, qualified for the second round in the Finnish presidential elections. The first-round polling, which took place on 22...[more]
Elections in France: The Front de Gauche’s Campaign
Three months before the first ballot, it is the economic and social questions which are the central issues, and they come together in the debate around the public debt. Popular sovereignty, the nature of the different powers, the...[more]
How Croatia Became the New Record Holder
“A clear majority in favour of EU-accession”, that is how the teletext of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation reported about the referendum in Croatia regarding the country’s accession to the EU. And indeed, two thirds of he...[more]
Sharp Contradictions in Hungary
Initially, in the countries of Eastern Europe at the time of the transition from socialism to capitalism, the majority of the populations remained politically passive. People patiently awaited the establishment of a welfare...[more]
Greece on a Tightrope
Two months after its formation, the new coalition government of the Socialist Party of PASOK, the right-wing party of New Democracy and the far Right under the technocrat, ex-senior officer of the ECB, Lucas Papademos, continues...[more]
Italy: Demand freedom of association at Fiat
Sign the petition of solidarity[more]
Meeting in the European Parliament
Organized by the European Alternatives Network. Brussels, 30 November [more]
Action against the Right
Conference in Vienna, 25-27 November[more]
Για την Εργασία και την Αριστερά
Σεμινάριο του Espaces Marx[more]
Successful International Conference on the Rise of the Far Right in Kiev
From November 11th - 13th there was in Kiev an international conference on the rise of the far right. The conference "Alternatives to the rise of the far right in times of economic, social and ecological crises" was...[more]
Joint Social Conference Romania - A Report
INTRODUCTION The 2nd Edition of the Joint Social Conference in Romania was organized by the AD FSR together with CSDR TU Confederation, SIPA ‘Muntenia’ TU of Arges County and FSLI TU Federation on the 22nd of October...[more]
October 15th, Stockholm: The battle for the suburbs
Accommodation is an explosive issue. Housing loans played a central role in the outbreak of the global economic crisis and in many countries, the increasing costs of living is the ultimate reason for people to go out in the...[more]
Workers’ Self-management in Yugoslavia – An Ambivalent Experience
In the discussion of an alternative economic order the terms “producers’ democracy” and “workers’ self-management” are inseparably bound up with the “Yugoslav experiment”. The “Third Way” of Yugoslav socialism acted as an...[more]
France: The Left Front – The Challenge of a True Popular Dynamism
As everyone knows, in the 2005 referendum the French people rejected the European Constitutional Treaty. What had enabled this success was that, for the first time, forces opposed to neoliberalism worked together and created a...[more]
Right-wing Populism in Germany too? A European Trend and its Special German Features
The wave of right-wing populist electoral successes continues to sweep across Europe: Scandinavia is now completely riddled with parties of this type. Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, not to mention other...[more]
Norway - From Meta-Politics to Mass Murder – A New Right-Wing Extremism
The massacre on the island of Utøya and the attack in Oslo’s government district targeting the Scandinavian labour movement was horrible, the worst kind of right-wing terrorist act. How could it happen? How could such an...[more]
Netherlands - Understanding the Wilders Phenomenon
It is said that the German writer Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) once remarked that if a revolution were to break out in Germany, he would flee to the Netherlands, since there everything happens fifty years later. Whereas this...[more]
Fluid Democracy: The Italian Water Revolution
From Commons to the referendum[more]
May 15 and the Spanish Revolution
In Spain the crisis of 2007/2008 marked the end of a long political cycle. Since the 1980s, a big centre coalition tried to build a modern welfare state on the ruins of a destroyed labour society and to finance it through...[more]
Reforms in the Czech Republic – Towards Social Darwinism
The current situation in the Czech Republic is quite tense. Once again, twenty years after the so-called Velvet Revolution, citizens are asked to “tighten their belts” – however, this time not with the perspective that better...[more]
The Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy in Greece Tracing Ruptures and Indicating Tendencies in the Memorandum Policies
In what follows we will analyse the general impact of Memorandum policies adopted one year ago and that of the measures introduced by the Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy Law this summer. Given the fact that both the Memorandum recipe...[more]
Crash as Cash Can – Crises, Bubbles, Speculators – 1929 and Today
In autumn 2008 the world experienced a financial crash, which brought the financial markets to the outer edge of collapse. Then peace returned (or more accurately: organised pacification), until another issue gave new cause for...[more]
Organic Crisis of Financial-Market Capitalism: Scenarios, Conflicts, Competing Projects
Preliminary Remark “Upswing XXL” was recently proclaimed, and now the ruling elites are not getting their well-earned vacation. Every just acquired and announced “solution” of each most recent crisis is always out of date a few...[more]
Austerity, Debt, Social Destruction in Europe: Stop! Coordinate Our Strengths – Democratic Alternatives
European Conference, May 31, 2001 (Brussels) in Partnership with the GUE/NGL Parliamentary Group After September 2010 forces involved in the European Social Forum and in European social mobilisations wished to organise this...[more]
The Crisis of Europe: Elements of a Political Strategy
At the time of this writing, Europe is becoming increasingly unstable and no one can predict the scenario of the coming weeks. It is safe to predict that we are heading for a series of tragedies. The great crisis that we are...[more]
3 Short Perspectives on the EU Economic Crisis
Andy Storey (University College Dublin), Dominique Plihon (Attac France) and Hilary Wainwright (Transnational Institute) share their perspectives on the EU economic crisis as it unravels in Ireland and France, and its impact on...[more]
Danish Elections – New Government
A new Danish government was formed on October 3rd, consisting of three parties: It is led by the Social Democrats – the other participants are the Liberal Democrats (”Det Radikale Venstre”) and the Socialist People’s Party – SF....[more]
The Turning Point In Italian Politics: The Victory Of The Centre-Left In The Milan Elections
Preliminary remarks During these days of August and September 2011 there has been much discussion in Italy of the famous “moral issue” in politics, naturally not only regarding the corruption and the intertwining of business and...[more]
Right-Wing Populism in Europe
In many discussions the increase of extreme right-wing and right-wing populist parties in a growing number of European countries is regarded as if it were only a matter of parallel individual national phenomena. But there is also...[more]
The Peculiarities of the Greek Crisis: Democracy, Protest and Contention in Syntagma Square
This article attempts to illustrate the particularities of the Greek movement organised against the austerity measures, imposed by the government under the auspices of the EU and the IMF. Apart from its economic demands, the...[more]
Europe in the Centre of the New Phase of the Big Crisis
We are in the deepest crisis in the history of the European Union. Only if both the governments of member-states and European institutions act decisively, can we get out of it. European countries can only regain their credibility...[more]
The European Union and the Dilemmas of the Radical Left
„... the task arises is not merely to criticize the policy of the ruling classes [...] from the standpoint of the existing society itself, but also to contrast existing society as its every move with the socialist ideal of...[more]
Report on the Conference in Vienna on Workers’ Struggles in Globalised China
22-24 September 2011[more]
France: For the First Time Ever, a Left Majority to the Senate
Till now it was generally considered that, under the 5th Republic’s 1958 Constitution, the Senate (the Upper House of Parliament) could never swing Left. However, during the senatorial elections of 25 September last, despite an...[more]
Γιορτή της εφημερίδας l’Humanité
Το transform!europe ήταν εκεί....... 16-18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2011[more]
Report: 6th European Left Summer University
The 6th Summer University, organized by the European Left party and transform! europe, took place in Trevi, Perugia, in Italy. The hosting party was the Rifondazione Comunista. Simultaneously, the meeting of the Executive Board...[more]
Danish elections - New Government
The result of the parliamentary elections in Denmark means that the rightwing government of the last 10 years has finally been ousted. A new government will be formed under the leadership of Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the...[more]
Urgent Appeal to the International Academic Community
"Defend Higher Education in Greece!"[more]
Genoa 2001-2011
In the past ten years, we, the people demonstrating at the Genoa counter-summit in 2001, have been struggling not to lose the expectations expressed at that time. The people demonstrating in Genoa belonged to a movement...[more]
European Conference: Austerity, debt, social destruction in Europe
Find here our conclusions - also as pdf download in 4 languages (en, de, es, fr) [more]
European Conference: Austerity, debt, social destruction in Europe. May 31, 2011
Find here our conclusions - also as pdf download in 4 languages (en, de, es, fr) [more]
Summer University of the European Left 2011: Change Europe, Change the World
Trevi, 12-17 July 2011[more]
The “Indignants’” movement in Greece and the claim for real democracy
Not long after the big manifestations of the “Indignados” at the Square of Puerta del Sol in Madrid and other spanish cities, a similar call quickly diffused through the social media (blogs, facebook, twitter) invited the greek...[more]
Austerity, debt, social destruction in Europe: stop ! Coordinate our strengths - Democratic alternatives are necessary and possible!
European Conference on 31 May 2011 in the European Parliament (Brussels) - in partnership with the GUE/NGL Parliamentary[more]
International Conference „Decolonisation – New Emancipatory Struggles“
Zagreb, 15-21. 5. 2011[more]
15 May and the Spanish Revolution
The project of a modern Spanish welfare state (“finance-capitalist welfare state”) has exhausted itself historically. In March 2011 a small group of young people with an urban / metropolitan background organised a demonstration...[more]
A brief note on the mobilization of thousands of young people in Spain
“We, the unemployed, the underpaid, the subcontracted, the precarious, the young … demand a change towards a future with dignity. We are fed up of reforms, of being laid off, of the banks which have caused the crisis hardening...[more]
A Comeback of Politics in the Finnish General Elections
The people of Finland have spoken: a landslide victory for the nationalist-traditionalist True Finns, who got 19 % of votes (+14.9 %) and 39 seats (+34) in the 200-seat parliament, while all the other parties were...[more]
Spring Social Conference
Documentation[more]
Citizenship: A Fundamental Issue for Democracy
When I was elected to the European Parliament in June, 2009, I wanted to continue to fight as I always have for human rights and citizenship, which are not separate issues, as well as for popular education, in the widest sense of...[more]
The German Miracle? Interests and Orientations for Action During the Crisis – the Perspectives of Those Affected
The economic and social map of Europe is jagged. In 2010, the production of social wealth decreased for the third year in succession in Greece, Spain and Ireland. Also, Italy and Great Britain did not find a way out of the...[more]
Against the “Pact for the Euro”
Europe is particularly shaken by the crisis. Faced with the explosion of public debt, the response adopted is not to remedy the causes of the crisis but to subject the populations to a super-austerity cure. A new European measure...[more]
Why Germany and the Euro-Countries Need Another Europe
The Euro-zone is undergoing a crucial test. A number of member states are unable to get out of the debt trap on their own. The major reason for the record deficits has to do with the superiority of the German economy, which right...[more]
Why Germany and the Euro-Countries Need Another Europe
The Euro-zone is undergoing a crucial test. A number of member states are unable to get out of the debt trap on their own. The major reason for the record deficits has to do with the superiority of the German economy, which right...[more]
The Main Stages of a Declared Ambition
Talk at the Kossuth Klub – Transform! – Le Monde Diplomatique Conference on Poverty and Exclusion in Europe Budapest, November 4-6, 2010[more]
The Main Stages of a Declared Ambition
Talk at the Kossuth Klub – Transform! – Le Monde Diplomatique Conference on Poverty and Exclusion in Europe Budapest, November 4-6, 2010[more]
The Financial Crisis as a Political Opportunity for the New Extreme Right - The Economic Crisis in Greece and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS)
The reinforcement of the European extreme right coincided with the crisis of the 1970s, accompanied by transformations in production, changes in social structure of European societies and the inability of the dominant political...[more]
The Financial Crisis as a Political Opportunity for the New Extreme Right - The Economic Crisis in Greece and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS)
The reinforcement of the European extreme right coincided with the crisis of the 1970s, accompanied by transformations in production, changes in social structure of European societies and the inability of the dominant political...[more]
Power in Paradise: The 2010 Vienna Elections
The Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Ranking shows that the Austrian capital of Vienna (population: 1.7 million) is the world’s best place to live. Critics remark that the criteria for this survey are chosen for the information of...[more]
Economic and Institutional Crisis - Perspectives for the Belgian Social Movement
Today the majority of the media and most analyses of the Belgian situation speak of an “institutional crisis” or a “communitarian crisis”. While this way of conceiving the Belgian situation does reflect a part of the reality, it...[more]
Three Sources of Ukraine’s “Freedom” - Nationalism, Xenophobia and the “Social Issue”
In the last three years, the popularity of Ukraine’s right-wing party Svoboda (Freedom) has seen an eightfold increase. At the moment, the party is supported by 6% of the country’s population, though it seems unlikely that...[more]
The Hungarian Disaster
I hate writing this article. Since I oppose the alarming authoritarian developments in my country and am pleading for the restoration of civil liberties, I might appear to be what I definitely am not: someone who thinks that the...[more]
The Rise of Right-wing Populism in Finland: The True Finns
Right-wing populist anti-immigration parties, such as the National Front in France, the Freedom Party of Austria, the Progress Party in Norway and the Danish People’s Party have done well in many European countries over the last...[more]
New Aspects of the Radical Right
Until the beginning of the 21st century, political science generally defined the “far right” differently from the conservative and the liberal right on several fundamental points, even though definitions varied depending on the...[more]
Introduction
The thematic focus of this issue of our journal is the “radical right”. As examples, (radical) right-wing movements in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Ukraine and Hungary are addressed. In the lead article of this section,...[more]
Seminar III: The Question of Democracy and Participation
The Strategic Perspectives of Transformative Left Parties in Europe Third seminar April 1 - 2, 2011 International workshop by transform! Europe in Helsinki In cooperation with Left Forum [more]
Seminar III: The Question of Democracy and Participation
The Strategic Perspectives of Transformative Left Parties in Europe Third seminar April 1 - 2, 2011 International workshop by transform! Europe in Helsinki In cooperation with Left Forum [more]
300 immigrants on hunger strike in Greece
Call for Solidarity [more]
Greek Wage Earners in the Crisis
Introduction The realisation of the policies included in the Memorandum that was agreed on between the Greek government and the “troika”, – the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission –...[more]
The Dutch Socialist Party in the Current Crisis
Recent years have seen an interminable debate in the Netherlands around social-cultural identities and very little discussion of the social-economic questions, which have a far greater influence on the lives of the vast majority...[more]
The Belgian Conundrum
Federal elections took place in Belgium on June 13, 2010, three and a half months before these lines were written. There is as yet no government, and not one of the problems that gave rise to the elections has been solved. It is...[more]
Antisarkozyism in France*
The political situation in France is at a fresh turning point. The capitalist crisis and the financial crisis have suddenly worsened the living conditions of the world of labour, which is undergoing exceptionally violent attacks...[more]
The Dilemma of the Italian Left:Origins and Perspectives
The Italian left has been an extraordinarily large and important left. In many respects it was an anomaly in the European left – this, both in terms of traditional organisations (a very strong communist party, the PCI, and a...[more]
Action Day and Euro-Demonstration in Brussels
Interview conducted by Francine Mestrum What do you make of the Action Day and the European demonstration that took place in Brussels on September 29? The September 29 demonstration was a great success – in two ways. First,...[more]
Strategy Meetings Against Neoliberal Austerity Plans
In the wake of the European trade-union mobilisation on September 29 in Brussels various political meetings took place in order to strategise joint struggles against the neoliberal policies in Europe. transform! europe took part...[more]
Employment in the Centre
Interview with Miguel Portas, Portuguese Member of the European Parliament, Bloco de Esquerda (Left Bloc), regarding the Pervenche Berès report on the financial, economic and social crisis. What does the GUE/NGL Group think of...[more]
Transition Must Go On
Remarks on the Report to the European Parliament [more]
Modern Times: The New Attack on Working Time in Europe
“Time is the delimiter of human development. A person who has no free time at his disposal, whose whole lifetime – aside from the mere physical interruptions of sleep, meals and so on – is taken up by his work for the...[more]
Resistance and Struggles Against Austerity in Europe
A Round table was held in Paris on October 24 with the following participants: Elisabeth Gauthier, Espaces Marx (Paris)/Transform!, Alessandra Mecozzi, International Secretary FIOM-CGIL (Italy), Petre Damo, Romanian Social...[more]
Europe in the Great Crisis
For years the EU-Commission has been complaining about society in the Euro-zone being divided into two classes. The gap between those Euro-states able successfully to compete, with Germany as the market leader, on the one hand,...[more]
Report on Joint Social Conference in Romania (JSC Ro)
1. GENERAL ASPECTS The 1st edition of the Joint Social Conference in Romania (JSC Ro) was organized on 25th-26th of September 2010 in the City of Pitesti. Its main objective was to promote the model and general aims of the...[more]
ESF Istanbul 2010: Analysis and Reports
Seminars co-organised by Transform!, Analysis and Reports[more]
ESF Istanbul 2010: Analysis and Reports
Seminars co-organised by Transform!, Analysis and Reports[more]
6th International Marx Conference Crises, Revolts, Utopias 22-25 September 2010, University Paris-1 Sorbonne and Paris-West Nanterre
transform! europe supports this conference and takes part with two workshops. How should the twofold crisis, economic and ecological, that is shaking the world today be interpreted? Is it a new link in the long chain of...[more]
Newly released: Speeches from the International Women’s conference Copenhagen, 2010
The international women’s conference in Copenhagen on March 6 – 7, 2010, was organized to mark the 100 years of the International Women's Day, which was proposed by Clara Zetkin and decided at a women's conference in Copenhagen...[more]
Letter from the Italian economists
A RESTRICTIVE POLICY WORSENS THE CRISIS, ADDS FUEL TO SPECULATION AND CAN BRING TO THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE EURO ZONE. THE DIRECTION OF ECONOMIC POLICY NEEDS TO BE CHANGED TO PREVENT ANOTHER BREAKDOWN OF INCOMES AND...[more]
On the "accumulation by dispossession"
More the crisis of financial globalization deepens, more the left seems weakening. Italy, at least, perfectly mirrors such a situation. Nevertheless a qualitative change is mounting. For the better or for the worst, we are on...[more]
The Past of Three PIGS
Economic, social and political developments in various countries are certainly determined by the present state of the world capitalist system, but are also to a large extent conditioned by the history of the specific social...[more]
What future for the PIGS? The case of Greece, the response of the EU and alternative solutions.
In the midst of the Greek crisis, the transform Working Group Brussels organised its second meeting this year after a successful kick-off on 7th April 2010. Like in the previous occasion it brought together a milieu of activists,...[more]
Greece in front of the abyss?
The financial situation in Greece is getting worse everyday. For the time being, it is impossible for the country to borrow from the financial markets. The rate of interest for the Greek 10 years bonds is 10,55% (18,50% for the 2...[more]
Electoral Performance of the Left
The following information was gathered in the context of a soon-to-be-published critical statistical survey of the results of the 2009 EU Parliamentary Elections. The following presentation of political power relations takes...[more]
Regional Elections in France: Victory for the Left
Regional elections, the fifth in a history which only began in 1986, took place in France on March 14th and 21st of this year. What are these elections? Regions have existed since 1972 but only began to have elected assemblies in...[more]
Student Action Helsinki
In this article, our aim is to outline how the Opiskelijatoiminta Network (Student Action, henceforward OT) began at the University of Helsinki during the academic year 2008-2009. We hope that this article will, in addition to...[more]
Can PIGS Fly?
”Thinking again?” the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin. ”I’ve a right to think,” said Alice sharply, for she was beginning to feel a little worried. ”Just about as much right,” said the Duchess, “as pigs...[more]
Crisis, Europe, Alternatives and Strategic Challenges for the European Left 1
After the EU-summit in March it is becoming even more obvious to what extent the EU and the governments are in quite a dogmatic and irresponsible way setting the course for a downward spiral. Merkel and her coalition are...[more]
Exploring Left Alternatives for Ending Poverty in the "First World"
Exceeding all expectations, a critical mass of over 50 people (a milieu of left-wing social activists, academics, politicians, radical intellectuals and employees of European Union institutions) met on March 1 to discuss a key...[more]
A Shock-Therapy After the Smolensk Tragedy?
On Monday, instead of leading a planned discussion before the pre-premier showing of the ‘Shock-Doctrine’, I paid my respects, in front of the headquarters of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) in Wroclaw, to the victims of the...[more]
Seminar I: Why the Crisis seems to Favour Rather the Right than the Left in Europe
The strategic challenges for the European Left First seminar March 2010 International workshop by transform! Europe in mallorca In cooperation with FIM - Foundation for Marxist Studies[more]
European Appeal
As originators of this European Appeal, we want: • to contribute towards the development of the capacity for resistance and actions of solidarity by the peoples of Europe to the demands of the shareholders, banks and...[more]
STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES OF THE EUROPEAN LEFT Introduction
The recent economic crisis, among other things, have showed the serious crisis of the European Social Democracy, as well as the inability of the Radical Left (with some interesting exceptions) to increase its influence in...[more]
Poulantzas Today: Conference in Honour of Nicos Poulantzas
A very interesting, successful and useful NPI - transform!europe Conference, Athens, 18 and 19 December 2009. When, some time ago, we discussed the idea of organizing the NPI - transform! Conference, in Athens, to commemorate...[more]
“Our university... our lives!”. Austria’s students’ protests
For nearly three weeks now students in Austria have been occupying their universities and protesting. Solidarity is strong and protests are spreading and connecting – into and with other countries’ universities and other spheres...[more]
News from the European Networks
A Joint Social Conference took place in Brussels on September 14 and 15. It gathered together 20 countries with 22 trade-union confederations and 22 networks, social movements or NGOs, all interested in European social...[more]
Who and What is “Left” Today? Contours of a Left-aligned Milieu in Germany
Based on survey data, it has often been postulated in the past few years that Germans lean towards the left in their basic political views. Setting aside entirely appropriate methodological misgivings, the task now is to explain...[more]
Losing the “Left” in Hungary?
The European elections demonstrated and further contributed to a deep disillusionment on the left in Hungary. The equilibrium between the two main parties in Hungary was shaken for the first time. The Socialists lost...[more]
The Political Centre and the European Construction
The ritual which we are experiencing here in 2008 within the process of European construction in 2008 – the ritual of distributing the report and extensive documentation to groups at the last minute - and in Portugal’s...[more]
Towards Building a New Left Alternative - The Crisis of the Left and the Case of the Left Alliance in Finland
The European Parliament election results have been disappointing for the left around Europe. One of the countries where the left suffered heavy defeat was Finland. According to the Nice Treaty, the total number of seats for...[more]
Facing Reality – Strategies to Increase Power from Below in an Era of Neoliberal Globalisation
Early in the rise of industrial capitalism in the mid-19th century, a set of ideas emerged and came to grip the imagination of the new working class that was being created by industrial capitalism. Those ideas reflected in part...[more]
Regional Integration as an Alternative Strategy?
The Social Forum on Regional Integration From July 21 to 24 a social forum on regional integration took place at Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. It addressed the possibilities of struggling against the free trade policies...[more]
“Seeing Things Their Way”: The Contemporary Immigrant Experience in Europe
Seeing things their way” is Quentin Skinner’s fundamental methodological exhortation. Skinner advances interpretations of specific political or moral beliefs by placing them in the context of other beliefs, the interpretation of...[more]
A Journey to the Centre of the Transition
The eventOn April 23, 2009, a group of unemployed textile workers in Novi Pazar, southern Serbia, began a hunger strike. Their main demand – in the name of all 1,532 members of the Association of Textile Workers of Novi Pazar,...[more]
The Portuguese State’s Promotion of Precarious Labour Relations in Public Services
The latest figures show that unemployment in Portugal exceeded 9% for the first time. Short-term labour contracts increased by over 50% in the last ten years. The state itself is exploiting precarious workers for permanent tasks....[more]
A Critical Report on the Crisis in Romania
Introduction: crisis upon crises It would not be far from the truth to say that in Romania the crisis overlapped an already embedded multi-layered crisis. What is happening today to Romanians in the Romanian state and society...[more]
The Speculative Real-Estate Bubble and the Securitisation Scandal in Italy
In the explosion of the most serious economic crisis since 1929, international real-estate speculation has played a fundamental role. This holds true for Italy as well. I will emphasise three aspects, each of which require more...[more]
Greek banks in the Balkans. Effects of thi crisis and the internationalist deficit
1. IntroductionSince the demise of actually existing socialism in the ‘90’s, a process of reforms was put forward in the Balkan countries with the aim of preparing these countries’ transition into...[more]
European Parliament Elections: Ambivalent Results for the Left
Interview with the President of the Party of the European Left, Prof. Dr Lothar Bisky, for transform!europe[more]
Regarding "The Return Directive"
Letter from Evo Morales regarding proposed new European Union Immigration policies Until the end of the Second World War, Europe was a continent of emigrants. Tens of millions of Europeans came to the Americas to colonize, ...[more]
Lothar Bisky Elected President of GUE/NGL Group
The European United Left/Nordic Green Left (*) group in the European Parliament today unanimously elected German MEP Lothar Bisky (DIE LINKE) as president of the group. After thanking all group members for their confidence and...[more]
Capitalism ’09
Capitalism ’09 is part of a series of international events that focus on the analysis of contemporary capitalism. The event took place at the Old Student House in Helsinki, Finland, on April 23. Speakers were Stephen Gill (York...[more]
European elections in Portugal: Anti-capitalist left takes 21% of the votes
Bloco de Esquerda and the coalition leaded by the Communist Party reinforced their positions in the elections for the European Parliament. Following the tendencies across Europe, the Socialist Party in the government had an...[more]
Left Without Work
In April, Left Forum, a Finnish component of the Transform network, published a volume entitled The Left Looking for Work (in Finnish: Vasemmisto etsii työtä, Like Publishing Ltd.), authored by the research cooperative General...[more]
Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty: How it is Playing Out in Different Countries
The current ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty is characterised by several key features. In France: First of all, there is the question of democracy. The day after the Parliament’s vote, Nicolas Sarkozy publicly...[more]
From a Two-party to a Multi-party System
Deliberations and Realignments in the Greek Party System After the September 2007 Elections Immediately after the September 2007 elections, the Greek political scene witnessed an unprecedented wave of deliberations and...[more]
Finnish experiences on economic stagnation in the 90s
Presentation at Nordic Conference: The global financial crisis – and the answers from the left-wing [more]
Participatory Democracy and Participatory Budgeting in the Local Governments
On the basis of an agreement transform! europe the KSCM representatives (Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia – CPBM) of the Local Prague authority and SPED (Society for the European Dialogue) have organized a seminar about the...[more]
Fighting Plant Closures
Results of a study from Germany The crisis on the international financial markets has had a powerful impact on the real economy. The explosive nature of the situation is produced by two crises coming together and to an extent...[more]
transform! europe in Malmö
transform!europe is a European network which consists of research and educational institutions and magazines in 13 European countries. Since its foundation transform!europe has participated in all European Social Forums. In...[more]
Integral socialism and today's left
Once upon a time, in a far away country, Austria, a long time ago, socialists called themselves "socialists", because they wanted to bring about a new society which was called "socialism". In Austria these...[more]
The Left and the European Parliament
It is considered good form in some leftist circles – particularly the “far left” – to look down on the European Parliament: “What are you doing in this mess?”; “Decisions are taken elsewhere”; “Any change is illusory”… I...[more]