Last Monday, on 19th April, at the PCP’s Headquarters and at its invitation, there was a meeting between the leadership of the Portuguese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Spain, with PCP’s General Secretary, Jerónimo de Sousa, receiving PCE’s General Secretary, José Luis Centella, elected during this Party’s 18th Congress held last November.
The Meeting between the leaderships of both Parties – with Jerónimo de Sousa, accompanied by Manuela Bernardino, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee and head of the International Department and by Ângelo Alves, member of the Political Committee of the CC, and José Luis Centella accompanied by Alberto G. Watson, member of PCE’s International Committee – took place in an atmosphere of open camaraderie, with a broad exchange of views on the situation in both countries, on various aspects of the international situation, as well as on the main lines of cooperation between both Communist Parties.
Thus and as a result of this meeting, the Portuguese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Spain:
1 - Examining the consequences of capitalism’s structural crisis and the neoliberal and anti-social policies on the economic situation in Spain and Portugal, state their deep concern over the conservative line followed by both governments of the two countries invoking a combat against the crisis and express their complete disagreement with the ongoing anti-social offensive against the workers and the labour and social rights of the peoples of Spain and Portugal, whose effects are fully visible in the historical levels of unemployment, in the spreading of poverty and inequalities in both countries.
2 - Denounce the pressures, blackmails and artificial dramatization by the EU on the matter of the deficits in several countries, namely Portugal, Spain and Greece, to open the way for still further offensive against the rights of the workers and the peoples to continue to ensure the profits by big capital, namely the financial capital. Stress that the way the European Union is managing the current crisis reveals its neoliberal course and a process of centralization of political and economic power, factors that are at the root of the current crisis and which were deepened by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.
3 - Affirm that a real solution to the current crisis affecting the countries lies in a rupture with the policies of the governments of PSOE in Spain and PS in Portugal of support and compromise with the interests of big capital. Affirm their determination to pursue the struggle in defence of the rights of the workers and the social achievements won through decades of hard struggles – namely the struggle for the right to work with rights and for wages – thus strengthening, through wide popular mobilizations, the construction of a real alternative left policy to fight at the core the roots of the present crisis.
4 –Saluting the important mass struggles taking place in Spain and Portugal, as well as other countries in Europe, affirm a common stance for the need for an even greater politicization of the struggle of the workers and the peoples and stress the importance of the ideological struggle to bring about in the masses the need for a rupture with capitalism.
5 –Valorise the progressive processes underway in Latin America and express in particular their solidarity with socialist Cuba, Bolivarian Venezuela and Bolivia. Salute the recent electoral successes of the progressive forces in Bolivia. Denouncing the imperialist counter attack underway in several Latin American countries, reject and reaffirm their intention to combat the current defamation campaign against Cuba, its revolution, dignity and sovereignty. In this framework, affirm their commitment to contribute for the success of the solidarity actions with the peoples of Latin America to be held during the EU-Latin America summit in the middle of May in Madrid.
6 –Following the Appeal "For Peace! No to NATO!" approved in Lisbon, last March, and signed by more than 50 Communist and Workers’ Parties, with PCP and PCE being among the first underwriters, reaffirm the dangers to world peace and security resulting from NATO’s action and now aggravated by the intention to revise its strategic concept during the Summit which will take place in Lisbon this coming November. Accordingly, both Parties agreed, as one of the lines of cooperation, the strengthening of the struggle for peace, namely ensuring the success of the mobilization set for November in Portugal and organized by the Campaign "For Peace! No to NATO!"
7 –Reaffirm their wish to continue strengthening their bilateral cooperation in several fields, among them the wish to carry out joint actions in the field of defence of the right to work with rights. Valorising the importance of cultural exchange between the peoples of Spain and Portugal will continue reciprocal participation in the "Avante!" and PCE’s festivals, to be held in September in Seixal and Madrid, respectively.
8 –Will continue to contribute towards the strengthening of multilateral cooperation among Communist and Workers’ Parties, as well as reinforce the cooperation of communist, progressive and left forces in the European continent, namely within the GUE/NGL Group. In terms of multilateral cooperation valorise the process of the International Meetings of the Communist and Workers’ Parties and state their commitment to contribute for the success of the next Meeting which will take place in December in Johannesburg, organized by the South African Communist Party.
9 – Finally, underline that this Meeting between PCP and PCE contributed for the deepening of mutual knowledge and strengthening the relations of cooperation and friendship between both Parties.