Speech by the General Secretary of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou opening the Meeting of the Left-wing Political Group in the European Parliament in the Study Days in Cyprus

 

3 February 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Dear friends,

Dear comrades,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to Cyprus on behalf of AKEL. We are delighted to host the “Study Days” because we strongly believe in this custom, which gives us all the opportunity to engage in a dialogue and discuss joint actions on burning and topical issues that concern humanity, societies, workers, and common people from the perspective of the Left. It is a useful custom because it helps us to discuss the Left itself, its struggles, its assertions, and its prospects.

The Confederal Group of the Left in the European Parliament is precisely a space that, for more than 30 years, has demonstrated in practice that, with mutual respect and political will, this common and coordinated action is possible and yields results.

Dialogue, discussion, and the exchange of views are very useful processes for the Left. With mutual respect, taking into account the particularities of each Party and each region. This has always been the case and should remain so, without, of course, getting bogged down in endless discussions and inward looking approaches that isolate us from society and action. Because it is in the field of action that the Left proves the correctness of its goals.

Dialogue, discussion, and searching help us all to become better and more effective in our actions—both nationally and across Europe—aiming for a better world.

A world of peace in which international law prevails.

A world in which the wealth produced is distributed more fairly and does not accumulate in the hands of an increasingly small number of people, resulting in growing inequalities, poverty, and social and economic insecurity.

A world in which economic growth is not based on the destruction of the two sources of wealth: people and the environment. Because this is what capitalism does, undermining the prospects of human civilization and nullifying its sustainability.

We are seeing this process unfold before our very eyes today. Wars are multiplying and intensifying, with hundreds of thousands of deaths. The environment is being destroyed and we are now witnessing the devastating consequences of the ecological crisis.

These are issues that the Left must bring to the fore and highlight. Because if we don’t do it, no one else will. No one, for example, is going to highlight the reactionary nature of the rapid increase in military spending decided by the ruling right-wing elites in the EU, except the Left. This decision fully serves the profits and interests of large war industries, but it certainly does not serve the interests of European societies.

The rapid increase in military spending cannot strengthen security in Europe, since the EU has mortgaged its security to NATO, which is dominated by the US.

The EU’s security cannot be guaranteed by its double standards policies, nor by the policies that violate international law which the EU unfortunately implements. The EU cannot be overly sensitive to the war in Ukraine while at the same time turning a blind eye to the ongoing genocide being committed by the state of Israel in Gaza. This is how the EU undermines its prestige and credibility internationally.

The EU’s security is being undermined by growing inequalities, economic and social insecurity, and mounting social problems and crises, such as the housing and energy crises, which are affecting tens of millions of European citizens. And while the EU needs to strengthen social policies and invest in sustainable development, the ruling EU elites are diverting essential resources from these already underfunded areas in the arms and war industry. Seeking an alibi for this anti-social and anti-peoples policy, the ruling elites have resorted to bygone theories about strengthening the economy through militarization, which have proven so disastrous in the past.

These facts further fuel the rise of the far right in Europe, which feeds off the socio-economic policies pursued that marginalize millions of citizens.

Energy poverty and poverty afflicting workers and the most vulnerable groups, the high cost of living, the housing crisis, and the curtailment of labor rights are all challenges that the Left must stand up to and organize campaigns against, both at a national and European level.

The success we achieved as the Left in the European Parliament in sending the EU-Mercosur Agreement – Mercosur Agreement to the European Court of Justice demonstrates the potential that exists for the Left when it takes the lead in representing broader sections of society and is united and decisive in its actions.

Comrades, friends

The modern world is characterized by the dangerous attempt by the US to maintain its global hegemony, which is being challenged so strongly for the first time. This effort is expressed in the US threats issued against Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, and Greenland, as well as the blackmail to impose high tariffs on any country that does not obey the US demands.

These reprehensible behaviours are codified and condensed in the US “New Security Strategy” and in the use of military force to impose their will for the control of energy sources and natural resources across the world.

The flagrant violations of international law and the UN Constitutional Charter by the US and the creation of the notorious “Board of Peace” have the clear aim of imposing a new system of global domination under the presidency and control of the US.

AKEL denounces and rejects this policy and calls on all forces that see the dangers it poses to rally their forces to prevent the law of the jungle from prevailing in the international political arena. The Left must be at the forefront of defending international law and the UN. This is the progressive task of our time, and once again it is the Left that must take up this task, representing all the progressive forces of humanity.

Dear friends,

The Study Days provide an opportunity to discuss together the key challenges facing the Left in the European Union, to share experiences from our countries, and to put forward proposals.

It is true that this is the fourth time that the Left Group – GUE/NGL has organized its Study Days in Cyprus (2005, 2010, 2012), even though this is only the second Cypriot Presidency of the Council. This demonstrates the European Left’s interest in Cyprus. I note with gratitude that the European Left has consistently and uninterruptedly stood by the Cypriot people and AKEL in achieving a solution that will end the Turkish occupation and reunite our land and people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, within the framework of the agreed basis for a solution of Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation with political equality. This support has been demonstrated many times at the level of the European Parliament, for which we thank you.

As regards the six-month Cyprus Presidency of the Council, we all know that the priorities of a Presidency are not really its own business. There are the so-called inherited agendas and issues with the Trio Presidency, as well as the European Commission’s planning. Of course, a Presidency can undoubtedly influence the direction of the synergies it coordinates, also taking into account its own national interests.

AKEL will continue to press the Cyprus Presidency as strongly as possible to work towards restoring international legal order, the respect for the sovereignty of states, and human rights. Whether these concerns Ukraine, Palestine, Venezuela, or Cyprus. Because in every effort to promote our own assertions, consistency to our positions and our commitment to international law are of crucial importance.

For a small country like Cyprus, which is seeking to deepen its political intervention within the EU and demands the support of its partners in its efforts to end the illegal Turkish occupation and reunite its land and people, positive impressions, responsibility, and credibility are at serious risk.

We will demand that the Cyprus Presidency, through the discussion of the Long-Term Financial Framework and separate policies, place emphasis on labour rights, social development, addressing the housing crisis, agricultural development, tackling energy insecurity, and ecology.

The EU must become more sensitive and demonstrate greater solidarity with both its member states and other countries. As for the discussion of institutional issues, we will continue to defend the preservation of unanimity in decision-making so that the less powerful and smaller states can participate effectively in shaping its policies.

With that said, I welcome you all once again to Cyprus, and I am confident that the discussions will help to enrich and deepen the Group’s common positions, while the visits that have been organised will give you a good picture of various aspects of AKEL’s activities and struggles.