Lisbon Meeting 10-12 November 2006, Contribution of CP of
Finland
-------------------------------------------------
From: Portuguese Communist Party, Monday, November 13, 2006
http://www.skp.fi , mailto:skp@skp.fi
==================================================

Contribution of the Communist Party of Finland
Sexta, 10 Novembro 2006
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.

Yrj� Hakanen, Chairman of the Communist Party of Finland

Speech at the International Meeting of Communist and
Workers' Parties