The Party of the European Left (EL) will nominate its lead candidate ('Spitzenkandidat') on 24 February in Ljubljana. Austrian Walter Baier, the only candidate in the running, is thus set to be appointed. Speaking to EUROPE, the 70-year-old, who is also President of the EL, discusses the priorities for the next legislature, the results of the last one, the rise of the far right and the Green Deal. (Interview by Thomas Mangin)
EUROPE - How would you sum up the past mandate?
Walter Baier - The Left in the European Parliament voted against Ms von der Leyen in 2019 and I am both pleased and sad to say that our fears have been borne out. Ms von der Leyen has maintained the status quo in the EU, with an elite-led European Commission making deals in camera via messages with Big Pharma and a lack of ambition when it comes to tackling the cost of living and the climate crisis. The mandate has just ended with the pact for a return to austerity, which perfectly encapsulates the ideology of the ‘von der Leyen’ Commission. In the Party of the European Left, we believe that to solve the cost of living and climate crisis, we need a new pact based on social and environmental restructuring, allowing for expansionary and counter-cyclical policies.
Since you’re getting into the heart of the matter, what are your priorities for the next legislature?
The priorities of the campaign and the next mandate will be set out in the election manifesto, which we will approve at our General Meeting in Ljubljana and which will contain our proposals. Our priorities can be summed up in five points: the cost of living, the climate crisis, civil rights and diversity, peace and democracy, and public services and social rights.
In France, Germany and in your own country, Austria, polls show that the far right and the ultraconservative right are tending to rise in the polls. What do you think of this situation?
This is worrying, but at the same time it reminds us of the need to respond to the concerns of citizens in order to create a Europe that works for them. Only in this way, by forging broad social alliances, can we combat the rise of the far right.
You talk about social alliances, but the left, in the broadest sense of the term, seems fragmented within the EU. How do you manage this situation?
The left is diverse and I see diversity and debate as assets. We don’t want uniformity in the progressive camp, but unity of action that respects the differences between the parties. There is agreement on the essentials: the defence of workers’ rights, green transformation, a socially just organisation and the prevention of war in Europe. In my opinion, that’s enough to create unity across party lines.
Do you think, basically, that the left in the EU as a whole is in transition and that things will improve?
We are always in transition and adapting to new realities. New realities will emerge, such as the housing and climate crises, or the so-called digital economy and artificial intelligence, and we progressives should respond to these new challenges by upholding our principles: the defence of workers’ rights, public services and a socially just and equitable society in which people can develop their potential.
Coming back to the right, in a broader sense, how do you feel about the fact that the EPP, over the course of this mandate, has sometimes moved closer to the Conservatives and, on certain issues, to the far right?
To be honest, this comes as no surprise. Their priority is to maintain the status quo in the European institutions, but I think it’s up to the EPP, which includes the tradition of Christian democracy, to rethink its current values and ideology.
Speaking of issues on which the EPP has moved closer to the far right, there is the sensitive issue of the law on nature restoration. Do you think we should continue to work on the Green Deal and take it further in the next mandate or, as some people are calling for, slow down or take a break?
Europe has become the fastest-warming continent in the world, and we need to be aware that we are facing a climate crisis that will have far-reaching economic and social consequences. The climate crisis is one of the main priorities of our election manifesto. We need more ambition to mitigate and reduce the impact of global warming, while ensuring that the transition is socially just.
One of the other major themes dear to the left as a whole is taxation. Some in your camp are proposing to abolish the current tax rules. What are your proposals?
At the EL, we believe in a progressive taxation system. It is not only socially unjust, but also economically unsustainable that the richest people in society end up paying less tax than working people. We therefore call for the abolition of tax havens in the EU and the establishment of a common minimum level of taxation of profits and large assets in the EU, and we want to introduce a European tax on the richest people to finance the investments essential for poverty reduction and environmental and social transitions.
The issue of enlargement has come back to the fore, particularly since the start of Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine. What is your position on the arrival of new Member States?
The EU has set clear criteria for its enlargement policy, which must not be watered down. States can only become members of the EU if they respect human rights, the Rule of law and the social and political rights of their populations, including minorities. At the EL, we believe that enlargement must not be used as an instrument to deepen the divisions within Europe and increase military tensions. It must not assign the candidate countries the role of suppliers of raw materials, agricultural products and cheap labour. This is not good for workers in either the candidate countries or the Member States. Instead, it must focus on safeguarding democracy and the Rule of law, and on strengthening social cohesion in the candidate countries and the Member States.
A European Union with 30 or 35 Member States would be completely different. Is EU reform imperative?
The reform and transformation of the European institutions are imperative and necessary. Decisions within the EU cannot be taken in an undemocratic and non-transparent way by unelected bureaucrats.
What changes do you think should be made to the European Parliament?
In the Party of the European Left, we believe that to make the European institutions useful to workers, we need more democracy, not less. In this respect, we believe that the European Parliament, elected by direct universal suffrage, should have the right to initiate legislation, propose laws, elect the European Commission and propose and decide on the EU budget.
As with enlargement, the issue of defence has also come back to the fore. What is your position on the question of a common EU defence?
Europe is more than just the EU. European security and cooperation require the strengthening of pan-European institutions such as the Council of Europe and the OSCE. I was politically socialised in the pacifist movement and I’m still a pacifist. We need a new approach to security, based on the recognition that no state or community can be secure unless others share the same level of security. However, there is no doubt that this just and lasting peace must be based on international law and political agreements, and not on an arms race, particularly between the nuclear powers.