Alexis Tsipras, SYNASPISMOS President, headed a party delegation that visited the Left Block of Portugal and the United Left and Communist Party of Spain on 17 and 18 February 2010.  The aim of the visit was for the left wing parties of the to coordinate the struggles of the working people of the European South  in order to exit the present crisis.

The current economic crisis is specially affecting Greece, Spain and Portugal. These countries belong to the European monetary union (EMU) that gave up their national currencies in January 2001 in favour of the euro.

The three Euro-Mediterranean countries are confronting deep recession as a result of the global economic crisis, neoliberal policies and risky real estate speculation.

Large fiscal and trade deficits have aggravated the problem. Greece, which has a fiscal deficit of 12.7 percent of the country's gross national product (GNP) and state debts of 120 percent of the GNP, was forced on Feb. 11 by European Union (EU) to adopt strict measures.

The EU is likely to impose similar austerity programmes upon Portugal and Spain. These countries are also facing extremely high fiscal deficits (eight and 10.1 percent of GNP respectively) and high state debts (84.6 and 66.3 percent of GNP). The European Central Bank (ECB) joined yesterday Germany and the European Commission in looking for an immediate round of new budget cuts.

Elena Salgado, Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Economy and Finance, reiterated in Ecofin Council meeting that “if necessary Greece will receive any aid it requires and that is our firm commitment”, although she added that the Greek Government had yet to request any financial aid.

But as Alexis Tsipras mentioned: "The problem that the Greek economy is facing today is not a Greek problem. It is a European problem. It has to do with the way the European Union is constructed. Today, Greece is being faced– heading the list -  like a guinea pig for the profiteering market forces".

Unfortunately, the weakest and the poorest are the ones that are suffering with a crisis that was not created by them: "the international financial crisis did not start either  in Greece or in Spain. Those who created it want to use it as an opportunity for an even greater redistribution of wealth to the benefit of the powerful circles. The markets are acting like terrorists and the governments responsible for this outcome are today threatening with even harsher measures that will break social cohesion in the countries of the European south", Synaspismos President explained.

The problem with this crisis is that the neoliberal policies are evoluting and people are already afraid of asking for what they have right to have, as it happens in Greece with the salaries question: "Before we left Greece there was a talk of the need to abolish the 14^th salary. This morning, they have already forgotten the 14^th salary and are talking about abolishing the 13^th salary. Tomorrow who knows what more they will think of eliminating".

There has been a long fight for people's rights that can't be forgotten because of the financial crisis. People should fight together and don't give up, as A. Tsipras afirmed: "when you give your hand to the markets they ask for the whole arm. And since the governments of the European South declare their full submission to the profiteering tendencies of the markets, the only route is the coordination of the activities of the working people of the European South which will signal to the European public opinion that all the rights of the European people which have been achieved through decade long great sacrifices cannot evaporate in a few months".

 

The Synaspismos President, accompanied by Harry Golemis, Head of the “Nikos Poulantzas Foundation” and Yiannis Bournous, responsible for European Policy issues, met with Francisco Louçã, chairperson of the Left Block of Portugal, Cayo Lara, the federal coordinator of United Left of Spain and José Luis Centella, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Spain.