European United Left–Nordic Green Left

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European United Left/Nordic Green Left
European parliamentary group
Logo gue-ngl.png
GUE/NGL logo
Name European United Left/Nordic Green Left
English abbr. GUE/NGL[1]
French abbr. GUE/NGL[2][3]
Formal name Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left[2][4][5]
European parties Party of the European Left, European Anticapitalist Left
Associated organisations Nordic Green Left Alliance
From 6 January 1995[6]
Preceded by European United Left
Chaired by Alonso José Puerta (1999–2004),[5]
Francis Wurtz (2004–09)
Lothar Bisky (2009–12)
Gabriele Zimmer (2012–present)
MEP(s)
52 / 751
Website http://www.guengl.eu

European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) is a left-wing political group in the European Parliament,[7] established in 1995. The group comprises political parties of mostly socialist and communist orientation.[8][9]

Position

According to its 1994 constituent declaration, the group is opposed to the present European Union political structure, but committed to integration.[10] That declaration sets out three aims for the construction of another European Union: the total change of institutions to make them "fully democratic"; breaking with "neo-liberal monetarist policies"; and a policy of co-development and equitable cooperation. The group wants to disband the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and "strengthen the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe" (OSCE).

The group is ambiguous between reformism and revolution, leaving it up to each party to decide on the manner they deem best suited to achieve these aims. As such, it has simultaneously positioned itself as "insiders" within the European institutions, enabling it to influence the decisions made by co-decision, and as "outsiders" by its willingness to seek "another Union" which would abolish the Maastricht Treaty.[citation needed]

Organisation

The GUE/NGL is a confederal group: it is composed of MEPs from national parties. Those national parties must share common political objectives with the group, as specified in the group's constituent declaration. Nevertheless, those national parties, not the group, retain control of their MEPs. Thus, the Group may be divided on certain issues.

Members of the group meet regularly to prepare for meetings, debate on policies and vote on resolutions. The group also publishes reports on various topics.

Member parties

File:GUE NGL after 2014 elections.png
Member states with one MEP in GUE/NGL in pink, with two or more members in red

MEPs may be full or associate members.

  • Full members must accept the constitutional declaration of the Group.
  • Associate members need not fully do so but may sit with the full members.

National parties may be full or associate members.

  • Full member parties must accept the constitutional declaration of the Group.
  • Associate member parties may include parties that do not have MEPs (e.g., French Trotskyist parties which did not get elected in the 2004 European elections), are from states that are not part of the European Union, or do not wish to be full members.

Member parties

Country National Electoral Alliance National Party European Party MEPs
 Cyprus Progressive Party of Working People PEL (observer)
2 / 6
 Czech Republic Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia PEL (observer)
3 / 21
 Denmark People's Movement against the EU EUD
1 / 13
 Finland Left Alliance PEL
1 / 13
 France Left Front French Communist Party PEL
2 / 74
Left Party PEL
1 / 74
Alliance of the Overseas Communist Party of Réunion
1 / 74
 Germany The Left PEL
7 / 96
Stefan Eck (independent)
1 / 96
 Greece Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) PEL
5 / 21
Popular Unity
1 / 21
 Ireland Sinn Féin
3 / 11
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (independent)
1 / 11
 Italy The Other Europe (L'Altra Europa) Communist Refoundation Party PEL
1 / 73
Independents
2 / 73
 Netherlands Socialist Party
2 / 26
Party for the Animals (Partij voor de Dieren)
1 / 26
 Portugal Left Bloc PEL
1 / 21
Democratic Unity Coalition Portuguese Communist Party
3 / 21
 Spain Plural Left United Left PEL
4 / 54
Anova-Nationalist Brotherhood
1 / 54
Podemos (We Can)[11]
5 / 54
The Peoples Decide (Los Pueblos Deciden)
1 / 54
 Sweden Left Party NGLA
1 / 20
 United Kingdom Sinn Féin
1 / 73

History

In 1995, the enlargement of the European Union led to the creation of the Nordic Green Left group of parties. The Nordic Green Left merged with the Confederal Group of the European United Left (GUE) on 6 January 1995,[6] forming the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left.[2][4][5] The NGL suffix was added to the name of the expanded group on insistence of Swedish and Finnish MEPs.[12] The group initially consisted of MEPs from the Finnish Left Alliance, Swedish Left Party, the Danish Socialist People's Party, United Left of Spain (including the Spanish Communist Party), Synaspismós of Greece, the French Communist Party, Portuguese Communist Party, the Communist Party of Greece, and the Communist Refoundation Party of Italy.

In 1999, the German Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Greek Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI) joined as full members, while the five MEPs elected from the list of the French Trotskyist alliance LO-LCR joined as associate members.

In 2002, four MEPs from the French Citizen and Republican Movement also joined the group.

In 2004, no MEPs were elected from LO-LCR and DIKKI was dissolved. MEPs from the Portuguese Left Bloc, Sinn Féin both from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) of Cyprus, and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia joined the group.

European Parliament results

Election year # of
overall seats won		 +/–
1995
34 / 567
1999
42 / 626
8 Increase
2004
41 / 732
1 Decrease
2009
35 / 766
6 Decrease
2014
52 / 751
17 Increase

See also

Sources

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ http://www.publico.es/politica/523095/podemos-acuerda-con-tsipras-entrar-en-el-grupo-de-la-izquierda-unitaria-de-la-eurocamara
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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