Dear
Comrades,

First
of all I wish to thank the Communist Party of Portugal for having
organised this meeting. It is indeed important that Communist and
other Left parties collectively assess the present situation, that we
exchange experiences, consolidate common actions against war and
neo-liberalism and develop alternatives opening prospects to overcome
capitalism and moving towards socialism.

* *
*

Wars
and growing aggressiveness are an expression of the economic, social,
political and cultural crisis of capitalism. While more money then
ever is spent on the arms’ race – last year roughly 1,000 billion
dollars – almost half of the world population has to survive with
less then 2 dollars per day. The acceleration of the climate change
shows how economic development driven by capitalistic logics
represents a threat for the existence of humanity.

The
neo-conservative administration of the USA and its allies strive to
ensure exploitation, to plunder natural resources and to perpetuate a
system based on the dominating position of multinationals by reducing
democracy, intensifying brainwashing of public opinion and
strengthening militarism both on international level and inside
countries. The price for the new spiral of the arms’ race is
increased poverty and inequality.

The US
administration uses the continuous “war on terror” as a means to
impose its control over energy resources and energy markets based on
the central position of the US dollar. Instead of acknowledging the
disastrous consequences of the occupation wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq, the US government aim at expanding military operations
directing them next against Iran and at implementing their
imperialist goals of a “Greater Middle-East” in other parts of
the region as well as in Central Asia. This region accounts for about
two third of the world’s known oil resources. And the number of
victims of these wars counts already in millions.

The
reactionary US administration has openly proclaimed its intentions to
ensure by military means its hegemony, one of the pillars of which is
the control over the oil resources in the Middle-East. During the
cold war period, military pressures and aggression were justified by
means of the “Communist threat”. Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union, terrorism, in particular the perceived threat of
Islamic terrorism, has become the justification. At the same time,
the United States, the European Union and Japan are engaged in an
accelerating competition with the growing economic powers of Asia and
Latin America, such as China, India, Russia and Brazil.

“Preventive
wars” are today central political tools of US and NATO strategies.
The UN Charter and the principles of International Law have been
replaced by the imperialist policy of war. They are being violated in
the most blatant way by the invasion of Iraq, the suppression of the
rights of the Palestinian people, the continued blockade against Cuba
and conspiracies against Venezuela and its Bolivarian revolution.
There is an urgent necessity to democratise the United Nations and to
free them from the bonds of the US lead imperialist forces.

* *
*

The
European Union has set itself the goal to become the world’s most
competitive economic area by the year 2010. Key role in this
connection plays the Lisbon strategy, the implementation of which has
also been defined as one of the priorities of the Finnish Presidency.

The EU
tries more and more to use the same competitive means as the United
States. This entails collective dismissals, dismantling of collective
agreements and extensive use of casual labour, targeting in
particular youth, immigrants and the sectors employing mainly women.
The social security and public services – achievements of the
struggle of the labour movement –are weakened and privatised. At
the same time, the control over economic, social and trade policies
is being concentrated at the Union level. And the militarization of
the EU goes ahead in close co-operation with the NATO.

As part
of the Lisbon strategy, the European Union aims at consolidating the
so-called energetic security, in other words the position of European
big corporations on the energy markets of the Middle East and Russia.
The energy single market of the European Union is being created,
which will speed up the process of the creation of monopolies and
lead to the rise of energy prices. As an example of this, one can
mention the Nordic electricity stock market, which has generated
sky-rocking profits for the energy companies.

The
close link between the energy policy of the European Union and the
interests of big energy corporations acting at world level can be
seen in the fact that the EU criticizes the aspirations of Russia and
Venezuela to exercise control over their energy resources by means of
State ownership. The interests of big corporations can also be seen
in the fact how the objectives of the climate policy under the
Finnish Presidency have been linked to the argument of ”all
countries advancing at the same pace”. Thus the reduction of
greenhouse gases, where the EU could act as a pioneer, has been
coupled to the reactionary line of the US government. At the same
time, this means that the needs of developing countries are
neglected.

One of
the contradictions of the Finnish EU Presidency is evidenced by the
fact that at the same time when Finland celebrates 100 years of
general and equal suffrage, the government led by the Centre and
Social-democratic parties has placed before parliament the
ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty, which in the name
of competitiveness and freedom of capital does away with the
fundamental democratic and social rights gained as a result of
struggles of the working people.

Another
contradiction is the fact that during the first Presidency of a
military non-aligned Finland it was decided to establish the EU
battle groups and that now, during the second Finnish Presidency,
these battle groups are being deployed. Even the majority of Left and
Green members of parliament voted in favour of a change of
legislation allowing for Finnish battle groups to join EU and NATO
led operations, if needed without UN mandate. The Finnish government
decided a short while ago that the troops will start exercising with
the NATO rapid deployment forces. Moreover, for the first time after
the Second World War, Finnish air forces will be equipped with
offensive weapons and these weapons will be purchased from the USA.

The
Communist Party of Finland is against the European Constitution and
the militarization of the EU. During the Finnish Presidency we have
organized together with many other left and progressive forces a
series of demonstrations for another kind of Europe — a democratic,
peaceful Europe that is larger than the EU and where the well-being
of human beings and nature is more important than the free market of
capital. During the ASEM-summit in Helsinki we organized an
international seminar, too. We oppose the proposals, made by right
wing and some social-democratic leaders, that Finland should join the
NATO.
* * *

The
antiwar movement, the struggles of the trade union movement, the
demonstrations by students, the social forums or, for instance
demonstrations on the climate change presently organised all over the
world show that neo-liberalism and capitalist globalisation generate
resistance.

Today
protecting workers’ rights is intrinsically linked with the
struggle against neo-liberal politics, against power structures like
the European Union and against the transnational corporations. It is
by joining forces locally, nationally and internationally that the
labour movement, the antiwar movement and the new social movements
can open up the door for a different development. That is why the
question of democracy is in the centre of the notion of socialism in
the beginning of the 21st century. It is equally indispensable to
create a new type of model for economic development, which is
socially and ecologically sustainable.

The
progress made by the Left forces in Latin American countries shows
that there is no need to surrender even if after the collapse of
European real socialism the international balance of forces changed
in favour of imperialism. The Left forces of Latin America have also
challenged the free trade ideology promoted by the US and the EU. The
ALBA agreement launched by Cuba and Venezuela offers an example of an
alternative way of integration, based upon equality, social justice
and struggle against poverty.

The
Communist Party of Finland considers essential to develop the
cooperation between Communist and Left parties. Gatherings such as
this one play an important role in this connection. We need, in
addition to our common discussions and statements, to coordinate our
political struggle and to build common campaigns. We also need more
cooperation and forums on Marxist theory. Our party participates as
observer in the activity of the European Left Party and we hope that
it could become an All-European forum for cooperation. We think it is
important that Communists take initiatives in movements such as the
social forums in order to build a culture of a new type of discussion
and cooperation between the Left, the trade union movement and the
new civic movements.

Workers’
internationalism and anti-imperialist solidarity are our response to
the efforts of capitalists to make workers’ of different countries
compete against each other as to who produces at lower costs. This is
our response to the Right wing efforts to spread war, racism,
nationalism and euro nationalism.

The
present course, neo-liberalism and imperialism lead towards greater
inequalities, barbarity and destruction. We believe that a different
world is possible. It’s a new type of socialism, based on the
activity of working and oppressed people, a socialism that has
learned its lessons and responds to the challenges of the third
millennium.

Yrjö Hakanen, Chairman of the Communist Party of Finland

Speech at the International Meeting of Communist and Workers’
Parties