The Left in the European Parliament

Background and establishment The Left dates its history of "the alternative and radical left in the European Parliament" the Communists and Allies Group (COM), which underwent a change in 1989 when four parties, namely the Danish Socialist People's Party (SF), the Greek Synaspismos (SYN), the Italian Communist Party (PCI), and the Spanish United Left (IU) formed the EUL together, then known as the "European Unitarian Left", before it changed its name to the "European United Left" in 1992. The remaining parties, namely the French Communist Party (PCF), the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), were joined by one MEP from the Irish Workers' Party to form the Left Unity Group (LUG). forming the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL). Further example of a MEP profile using the name --> Having rose to 34 MEPs, the NGL suffix was added to the name of the expanded group at the insistence of Finnish and Swedish MEPs, and highlights its Scandinavian tradition with left-wing environmentalist groups. The group initially consisted of MEPs from the SF (Denmark), the Finnish Left Alliance (VAS), the PCF (France), the SYN and KKE (Greece), the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC, Italy), the PCP (Portugal), the IU (including the Communist Party of Spain, PCE), and the Swedish Left Party (V). joined the group. the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) of Cyprus, and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM) joined the group. 2014–2024 Chaired by the German Gabriele Zimmer of Die Linke, elected on 15 March 2012 and re-elected in 2014, Although Tajani retracted his comments, stating that he is not a fascist, the group said it "cannot be represented by a president who tolerates the Fascist initiator himself". In the 2019 European Parliament election, which saw the rise of the G/EFA, the GUE/NGL declined, achieving 41 seats. Despite this, the majority of political parties and delegations were re-elected, led by La France Insoumise (LFI), Syriza (Greece), and Die Linke (Germany), No MEPs were elected from the Danish People's Movement against the EU, the PCF, the Italian PRC and The Left (LS) electoral list, and the Dutch PS. MEPs from the LFI, the Belgian Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA), the German PMUT, the Irish Independents 4 Change (I4C), and the Danish Red–Green Alliance (EL) joined the group. As a result of Brexit, the group was projected to lose one seat while gaining none. In January 2021 the GUE/NGL changed its name to The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL. Prior to the 2024 European Parliament election, The Left was the sixth-largest political group in terms of members, with 37 MEPs from 13 countries, representing around 5% of the 705 available seats. The two largest delegations were from France and Spain, with six MEPs each, and was co-chaired by Manon Aubry of LFI and Martin Schirdewan of Die Linke. and the eight from the M5S joined the group. == Political positions ==

According to its 1994 constituent declaration, the Left is opposed to the present EU political structure but is committed to European integration. That declaration sets out three aims for the construction of another EU, the total change of institutions to make them fully democratic, breaking with neoliberal monetarist policies, and a policy of co-development and equitable cooperation. The group wanted to disband the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but strengthen the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The Left is divided between reformism and revolution, leaving it up to each party to decide on the manner they deem best suited to achieve their aims. As such, it simultaneously positioned itself as insiders within the European institutions, enabling it to influence the decisions made by co-decision, and as outsiders by its willingness to seek another Europe, which would abolish the Maastricht Treaty. For example, the group was part of a centre-left majority in some key votes. Despite some internal opposition, a report on a piece of legislation securing online privacy rights was narrowly agreed by a centre-left majority including the GUE/NGL. In 2019, the GUE/NGL joined the G/EFA in supporting the S&D and Renew Europe (RE) against Manfred Weber as European Commissioner, with the smallest centre-left majority (377 seats). The Left is a relatively big tent and heterogeneous group of left-wing politics and socialist and communist parties, The Left has some soft Eurosceptic traits, which are contrasted to the hard Euroscepticism of the far-right, at that time represented in the Identity and Democracy (I&D) group. Even before the 2022 escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war, there were tensions in the group, especially with the Irish MEPs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly working to defuse sanctions on Russia placed because of the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. == Member parties ==

MEPs may be full or associate members. • Full members must accept the constitutional declaration of the group. • Associate members need not fully do so, but they may sit with the full members. National parties may be full or associate members. • Full member parties must accept the constitutional declaration of the group. • Associate member parties may include parties that do not have MEPs (e.g. French Trotskyist parties that did not elected any MEP in the 2004 election), are from states that are not part of the EU, or do not wish to be full members. == MEPs ==

10th European Parliament 9th European Parliament The initial member parties for the 9th European Parliament was determined at the first meeting on 29 May 2019. 8th European Parliament 7th European Parliament 6th European Parliament 5th European Parliament 4th European Parliament == Organization ==

Presidents • Since 2019, The Left group has had two co-chairpeople. == European Parliament results ==