Party of the European Left
Left-wing European political party
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The Party of the European Left (PEL), or European Left (EL), is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of running in the 2004 European Parliament elections. The PEL was founded on 8–9 May 2004 in Rome. The elected MEPs from member parties of the PEL sit in The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament, though not all PEL members are also members of GUE/NGL. The current president is the Austrian politician Walter Baier.
| (in other official languages) | |
| German | Partei der Europäischen Linken |
| Greek | Κόμμα Ευρωπαϊκής Αριστεράς |
| Spanish | Partido de la Izquierda Europea |
| French | Parti de la Gauche Européenne |
| Italian | Partito della Sinistra Europea |
| Maltese | Il-Partit Ewropew tax-Xellug |
| Turkish | Avrupa Sol Partisi |
21 years ago
Party of the European Left | |||||||||||||||||
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| Other name |
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| Abbreviation | PEL[a] | ||||||||||||||||
| President | Walter Baier (AT) | ||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 8–9 May 2004; 21 years ago | ||||||||||||||||
| Headquarters | Square de Meeûs 25, 1000 Brussels, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||
| Think tank | Transform Europe | ||||||||||||||||
| Women's wing | EL-Fem | ||||||||||||||||
| Membership (22 December 2025) | 589 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ideology | |||||||||||||||||
| Political position | Left-wing to far-left | ||||||||||||||||
| European Parliament group | The Left in the European Parliament (majority) | ||||||||||||||||
| Colours | Dark red | ||||||||||||||||
| European Parliament | 17 / 720 | ||||||||||||||||
| European Commission | 0 / 27 | ||||||||||||||||
| European Council | 0 / 27 | ||||||||||||||||
| European Lower Houses | 141 / 6,229 | ||||||||||||||||
| European Upper Houses | 22 / 1,458 | ||||||||||||||||
| Website | |||||||||||||||||
| european-left.org | |||||||||||||||||
History
Before the PEL was founded, most of its members already held annual meetings together, as part of the New European Left Forum (NELF).[2] Several member and observer parties also participated in the more radical European Anti-Capitalist Left.
The Party of European Left (PEL) was formed on 8 and 9 May 2004 in Rome, Italy.[3][4] The party's first congress took place on 8 October 2005 in Athens, and produced the Athens Declaration of the European Left. The second congress was held 23–25 November 2007 in Prague.[5] The third congress was held on 2–5 December 2010 in Paris.[6][7][8] Its fourth congress was held on 13–15 December 2013 in Madrid.[9] Its fifth congress took place on 16–18 December 2016 in Berlin,[10] and elected German lawyer and politician Gregor Gysi as the new PEL President.[11] Heinz Bierbaum was elected president in 2019.[12][13] He was succeeded by Walter Baier in December 2022.[14]
It operates a think tank, Transform Europe, and it has women's wing named EL-Fem.[15][16]
In 2024, the Danish member Red-Green Alliance (Enhedlisten) announced the schism of the party and the formation of a socially liberal (green- and pro-Ukraine leaning) European Left Alliance for the People and the Planet, in short ELA. The split follows the split of socially liberal Die Linke and socially conservative BSW in Germany, and the creation of a separate platform for the 2024 European elections, Now the People.[17]
Ideology
PEL has been described as a left-wing[18][19] and a far-left[20][21] political party. Its ideology is based on principles of democratic socialism,[22][23] socialism,[24] and communism.[22][23][24] It is opposed to capitalism and consists of parties with wide range of opinions.[24][25]: 46 PEL is also supportive of progressivism.[25]: 50
It takes a soft Eurosceptic approach towards the European Union,[26] and opposes militarization and foreign interventionism.[25]: 53 PEL opposed the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan, and criticised the oppression of 2009 Iranian presidential election protests.[25]: 53 It is also opposed to NATO and United States military bases.[25]: 54 It supports Cuba, and a delegation visited the nation in February 2022.[27]
In an interview with the political magazine Jacobin, Walter Baier, the president of PEL, described PEL as part of the "socialist left" and criticised the European Union, stating that it is neoliberal and "closer to enlightened absolutism than parliamentary democracy".[28]
Leadership
- President: Fausto Bertinotti (2004–2007), Lothar Bisky (2007–2010), Pierre Laurent (2010–2016), Gregor Gysi (2016–2019), Heinz Bierbaum (2019–2022), Walter Baier (2022–present)
- Leader in the European Parliament: Francis Wurtz (2004–2009), Lothar Bisky (2009–2012), Gabi Zimmer (2012–2019), Martin Schirdewan (2019–present)
Membership
The Party of the European Left consists of member parties with full rights, observer parties, individual members and EL partners.[29] As of October 2024, The Party of the European Left has 25 member parties in 20 countries.[30] Not all members of PEL are members of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament.[24][31]
Full members
Observer members
| Country | Party | National MPs | European MEPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium |
Mouvement Demain | – | – | |
 Cyprus |
Progressive Party of Working People | 15 / 56 |
1 / 6 | |
 Northern Cyprus |
New Cyprus Party | – | De facto not in the EU | |
| United Cyprus Party | – | |||
 Czech Republic |
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia | 0 / 200 (Chamber of Deputies) |
1 / 21 | |
0 / 81 (Senate) | ||||
 Slovakia |
Communist Party of Slovakia | – | – | |
 Spain |
Sortu | 1 / 23 (Congress of Deputies; Basque seats) |
1 / 61 | |
1 / 20 (Senate of Spain; Basque seats) | ||||
EL Partners
| Country | Party | National MPs | European MEPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria |
Der Wandel | – | – | |
| Left | – | – | ||
 France |
République et Socialisme | – | – | |
 Germany |
Marxistische Linke | – | – | |
 Hungary |
Yes Solidarity for Hungary Movement | – | – | |
 Serbia |
Solidarnost | – | Not in the EU | |
 United Kingdom |
 Scotland |
Democratic Left Scotland | – | Not in the EU |
| Socialists for the Independence | – | |||
Former members
| Country | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Belarus |
Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" | Dissolved in 2023. |
| Belgium |
Communist Party | Stopped working as a Party in 2009, since December 2013 not listed as a Member. |
| Communist Party of Belgium | Resignation decided at the party congress on 30 July 2018.[32] | |
| Czech Republic |
Party of Democratic Socialism | Merged into The Left in 2020. |
 Denmark |
Red–Green Alliance | Left the EL in 2024. |
 Estonia |
Left Alliance | Delisted from the EL website in 2025.[33][34] |
 Finland |
Left Alliance | Delisted from the EL website in 2024. |
| France |
Ensemble! | Dissolved in 2025. |
| La France Insoumise | Member until 2018, observer until 2024. | |
| Left Party | Left the EL on 1 July 2018. | |
| Unitary Left | Merged with the French Communist Party in 2015. | |
| Germany |
German Communist Party | Ended its observer status on 27 February 2016.[35] |
 Greece |
Renewing Communist Ecological Left | Merged into Syriza in 2013. |
| Hungary |
Hungarian Workers' Party | Quit 1 May 2009. |
| Táncsics – Radical Left Party | Dissolved in 2023. | |
 Italy |
Italian Left | Observer until 2025, left to join ELA. |
| Party of Italian Communists | Dissolved in December 2014, which meant that the "observer status" was lost. | |
| The Other Europe | Dissolved in 2019, which meant that the "observer status" was lost. | |
 Poland |
Young Socialists | Dissolved in 2015, which meant that the "observer status" was lost. |
 Portugal |
Left Bloc | Quit 22 June 2024.[36] |
| United Kingdom |
Transform Party | Dissolved in 2025, merged in Your Party. |
Individual members
EL also includes a number of individual members. While it has had a steadily high number of individual members, and currently the highest number, EL has not sought to develop mass individual membership.[37]
Below is the evolution of individual membership of EL since 2019.[38]
Funding
As a registered European political party, EL is entitled to European public funding, which it has received continuously since 2004.[39]
Below is the evolution of European public funding received by EL.
In line with the Regulation on European political parties and European political foundations, EL also raises private funds to co-finance its activities. As of 2025, European parties must raise at least 10% of their reimbursable expenditure from private sources, while the rest can be covered using European public funding.[d]
Below is the evolution of contributions and donations received by EL.[40][41]
Representation in European institutions
| Organisation | Institution | Number of seats |
|---|---|---|
 European Union | European Parliament | 17 / 720 (2%) [42][43][44] |
| European Commission | 0 / 27 (0%) [45] | |
| European Council (Heads of Government) | 0 / 27 (0%) [46] | |
| Council of the European Union (Participation in Government) | ||
| Committee of the Regions | 0 / 329 (0%) [47] | |
| Council of Europe (as part of UEL) | Parliamentary Assembly | 35 / 612 (6%) [48] |
See also
- European Anti-Capitalist Left
- European United Left–Nordic Green Left
- Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties
- List of communist parties represented in European Parliament
- Nordic Green Left Alliance
- Now the People
- Unified European Left Group
- European political party
- Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations
- European political foundation
Notes
- The abbreviation "EL" is also used.
- The number of MEPs listed below may not match the total number of MEPs of the European party, as it does not include MEPs who join as individual members.
- 4 of the deputies of the Communist Party of Spain are also members of United Left
- For the purpose of European party funding, "contributions" refer to financial or in-kind support provided by party members, while "donations" refer to the same but provided by non-members.
