Meeting organised in cooperation with GUE/NGL on “The Economic and Social Situation in Europe and the Memoranda”

 

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 14th November 2014

 

AKEL, the Pluralist Left of Spain and the Portuguese Communist Party, under the aegis of the group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), organised a joint meeting in the European Parliament on the economic and social situation in Europe and the Memoranda. Trade unions and social organisations/movements from Cyprus, Portugal and Spain participated in the discussion.

One of the keynote speakers at the meeting was Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL who stressed that “optimism is built through joint action and struggle”, pointing out the importance of rejecting the path of the Memoranda and neo-liberalism.

Cayo Lara, Federal Coordinator of Izquierda Unida, Spain, was another keynote speaker who referred to the manifold struggles it is developing in Spain in order to safeguard working peoples gains and labour rights. On behalf of the Portuguese Communist Party Joao Ferreira, Member of the C.C and PCP MEP referred to the  struggle waged by the Party on three fronts (renegotiation of the public debt, regain member-state’s economic, fiscal and monetary sovereignty and public control over enterprises and the economy’s strategic sectors).

The discussion was chaired by AKEL MEP Neoklis Sylikiotis, who noted in his introduction that the increase in the strength of the daily struggles of the workers movements in our countries demonstrate that another Europe is possible.

On behalf of the trade unions, Pambis Kyritsis, the General Secretary of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour PEO of Cyprus, Carlos Braga from the Movement of public service users of Portugal and Carlos Martinez, member of ATTAC from Spain all made keynote speeches too.  The trade union organisations analysed the pressures exerted on working people and the need for the EU to change course. On behalf of social movements, representatives of organisations and movements from Cyprus, such as the Movement against Privatisations, the Movement against Foreclosures, the Pancyprian Trade Union of Public Doctors, Small shopkeepers’ union POVEK, the Pancyprian Organisation of Large Member Families POPO, representatives from the sector of nurses organised in the Pancyprian Public Employees Trade Union PASYDY, as well as from the Progressive Movements of Secondary and Primary school teachers and Students all made their own interventions. MEP’s from GUE/NGL and other political groups were also present.

A constructive discussion followed between the speakers and representatives of social movements who submitted the views of their organisations in relation to the negative consequences the Memoranda and austerity policies have and are having in the social and economic sectors they are active in.

 

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Address by Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL