The PCP is an avowedly internationalist Party that attaches great importance to strengthening the Communist movement and the cooperation and unity of action of all progressive, left-wing and anti-imperialist forces. With very intense and diversified international relations, on a bilateral level – reflected in the large number of foreign delegations that were present at the PCP’s 17th Congress and at the 29th edition of the “Avante!” Festival
– the PCP pays great attention to the initiatives and forms of liaison and cooperation on a European and world level. It does so, with full independence of analysis, respecting points of view that are different from its own, but not joining in, and countering, processes and projects that it considers inappropriate and negative. That is the case of the “European Left Party”, regarding which the PCP’s 17th Congress took a critical stand.

In its edition of January 22, 2004, “Avante!” published the statement by the PCP’s delegation that attended the January 10/11, 2004, Berlin meeting where some Parties launched an appeal to found a “European political Party” – an appeal, which the PCP did not sign.

“Avante!” is now publishing the text of the reply by the Secretariat of the Central Committee to the invitation that was conveyed for the PCP to attend the ELP’s 1st Congress, which has essential information that clarifies the reasons why this invitation was not accepted.

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«In reply to your invitation, we inform you that the Portuguese Communist Party will not attend the First Congress of the European Left Party (ELP), to be held in Athens, on October 28 and 29 of this year.

We thank you for your invitation, all the more so because we have close relations of friendship, cooperation and mutual solidarity with the majority of the ELP-member Parties. But it is precisely because we wish to preserve and deepen these relations, as well as our relations with other Parties and political forces in Europe and in all continents, and namely with the Communist Party of Greece, that we consider that the PCP's participation in that event would be inadequate.

As you know, our Party took part in the discussions and expressed serious reservations and disagreements both in relation to the work methods that hastily formalized the ELP and to its political and ideological content. These reservations and disagreements have, not just subsisted, as they have even intensified after the Rome Congress, which we attended as mere guests.

It is the PCP's firm conviction that, both to confront imperialism's violent offensive, and to give new impetus to the real possibilities of securing progressive and revolutionary advances, it is necessary, together with the development of the struggle in each country, to make progress in the forms of exchange, cooperation and solidarity between the Communists and other anti-capitalist forces. The problem, therefore, does not lie in the usefulness and need to strengthen internationalist cooperation – for which the PCP continues to be fully available and interested – but, rather, in the forms and contents that are adequate for such a cooperation, taking into account both the positive and negative experiences, as well as the differences of opinion that exist in this respect.

For our part, we have always - including in the multilateral discussions that preceded the formalization of the ELP - stood for a solution of unity that could take into account, and respect, the broad diversity of situations and opinions regarding the complex problems of the working-class and Communist movement's History, the issues of an ideological nature and even the paths towards social progress and socialism in our times.

At the same time, we always expressed the opinion that the creation of a structured “European party”, with a federalist prospect and a supranational vocation, restricted to just one part of Europe and conditioned by impositions from the European Union, was not only not in accordance with the needs, as it eluded and delayed progress towards an effective and united cooperation, based on the principle of equality, on respect for differences, on the constant search for a consensus and geared, not towards some impossible programmatic and ideological uniformity, but towards the joint or convergent activity of the Communists, of progressive people, of the workers and peoples of the world.

These are the fundamental reasons that determine the PCP's negative reply to your invitation. We are confident that they will be understood as an expression of the loyalty and frankness which characterize the PCP's international relations, and which we consider to be indispensable in building solid relations of trust and mutual assistance among progressive and revolutionary forces.

We confirm our wish to maintain and strengthen our existing bilateral and multilateral relations with the Parties in the ELP, and send you our greetings.»