Parties participating in the EACL are united in opposition to
neo-liberalism and
capitalism. The criteria for participation in its conferences are: • A clear foundation in
anti-capitalism, with the goal of achieving
socialism. • Recognition of the pluralist nature of the left, with no claim of a monopoly for their own organisation or viewpoint. • Pursuit of common action of the left in general coalitions. • Some degree of representation (in local, regional, or national legislatures) and anchoring in social movements. Despite the last criterion, many organisations involved in the EACL, with the exception of the founding parties, are somewhat marginal groups, often of
Trotskyist or
Marxist–Leninist anti-revisionist persuasion which organize most vigorously through social movements and trade unions, rather than through electoral processes. The EACL emphasises an organizational need to carry out a great deal of
extra-parliamentary activism. == Participants ==