The groups already involved at that time coming from France, Spain and Austria were again present. Only the Greek participants could not come for obvious reasons but pledged to continue their participation. (See the Assisi call with the detailed names of the groups involved. ) The Finnish Independence Party joined in.
The biggest part of the participants came from Italy. A new development was the strong involvement of activists and personalities from the Five Stars Movement among them also several members of parliament. Members of Rifundazione Comunista as well as several leftist groups were also present. The former voice minister of economy, Stefano Fassina, conveyed greetings.
It emerged as a consensus that the next step would be to enlarge the “Leftist Co-ordination against the Euro” with all forces committed to the democratic and anti-fascist constitution of the country. This is a move against the xenophobe and neo-liberal Lega Nord which is also demanding the exit from the Euro zone.
During the meeting the results of the Greek election have not been known. But all hoped for a victory of Syriza as a strong sign of resistance against the EU oligarchy – pushing also the advances of Podemos in Spain.
The anti-austerity positions must be prepared for a strong clash with the dominant centre leading to a full break from the Euro regime. The current struggle of Syriza to extract concessions from within the system will serve the people to understand this necessity which for the time being is not shared by the majority.
Declaration of the Rome meeting:
Europe at the crossroads
Neo-liberal politics in direct connection with the sacrifices imposed by the EU have led to an outright social disaster. Increase of poverty, growth of inequality, mass unemployment, cancellation of social rights – this is the current panorama characterizing especially the situation in the Mediterranean countries.
These policies are no more sustainable.
By actually violating important principles of the national constitutions they are more and more destroying the democratic and social gains achieved in the three decades following WWII.
The European Union is an increasingly oligarchic structure defending the interests of the centers of financial power, while the project of political unification has palpably failed.
The economic crisis is dragging on without real possibilities of exit. The recent decisions of the ECB (the so-called “Quantitative Easing”) are doomed to further nurture the financial circuits without any positive impact on the lives of the people.
The dramatic situation is, however, producing the first political answers.
The Greek elections are under way and there is the possibility – which we wholeheartedly wish for – of a strong signal of refusal of the EU’s and the Troika’s dictates.
Time is ripe to propose an alternative to the current state of things.
To neo-liberalism and its application imposed by the EU we oppose a project focusing on the human needs. It can only be built by dialogue and with the maximum inclusivity.
Neo-liberalism leads to the subordination of the weak to the strong. It is violating human nature in the name of the market dogmas. The current financial and monetary system is at the base of the growing social inequality.
Against all this we want to put in the center of an alternative program the right to work, the right to an income securing a decent live for everybody, an economic development saving and ameliorating the environment in which we live.
To pave the way for these changes we need to leave the European cage and especially the system of domination constituted by the Euro, reconquering the full national sovereignty of which the monetary one is an essential part.
The exit from the single currency is not an end by itself. It is the precondition for the necessary uncoupling from the system of neo-liberal hyper-finanzialisation. It is the base for the reconstruction of democracy and of a life worth being lived for all.
Going against the EU by reconquering national sovereignty is for us also a choice of fraternity and peace. It is on its turn the EU which is endangering peace by its aggressive politics in the Ukraine.
We, the participants of the Roman meeting, commit to develop on this basis and without ideological preclusion – apart from anti-democratic forces – a struggle in the respective countries and to co-ordinate on the European scale.
Approved by acclamation
Rome, January 25, 2015
