ANNUAL REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT TO THE PLENARY MEETING OF THE PARTIES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNIST ACTION (END OF 2024 – 2025)

Date:
Nov 26, 2025

Today, in Athens, we are holding the Plenary Meeting of the Communist Parties of the European Communist Action (ECA), which now marks two years of existence and struggle.

We commemorate the 108th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution —a source of strength and inspiration for communists— and a joint statement has already been issued on this occasion.

The two years since the founding of the ECA have confirmed, in practice, the validity and significance of this collective decision. It is based on the Founding Declaration, which sets out the principal axes of the ECA’s ideological–political positions regarding international developments, the advancement of class struggle, the revolutionary regroupment and reinforcement of the communist movement, and the continuous struggle against opportunist corrosive tendencies.

The need for a joint and coordinated struggle against capital, the bourgeois state, bourgeois governments, and bourgeois parties —whether liberal, social democratic, or far-right— each of which serves the dominant policy in its own way, has been reaffirmed.

Likewise, the importance of confronting the EU, the transnational imperialist union in Europe, and any imperialist alliance, has been reaffirmed.

The central decision of the ECA has been confirmed: the development of the struggle for the overthrow of the exploitative capitalist system, the construction of socialism, the abolition of the exploitation of man by man, and the meeting of the ever-growing needs of the working class and the people.

We defend the scientific laws of socialist revolution and construction —workers’ power, the socialization of the means of production, and central scientific planning— while rejecting ‘market socialism’, the preservation of monopolies, capitalist profit, and the treatment of labour power as a commodity.

Each day confirms that capitalism, based on the power of monopolies and capitalist ownership of the means of production and driven by profit, is historically obsolete and fundamentally opposed to the interests of the working class and the popular strata. It tramples on their needs, intensifies exploitation and oppression, deepens their problems, worsens their living conditions and undermines the future of young people, while big capital increases its profits, expands its economic power and grows ever more aggressive.

In all capitalist countries, vast wealth is concentrated in the hands of the bourgeoisie through the exploitation of the working class, and the gap between the potential of our time and the harsh reality experienced by the people continues to widen. The development of science and technology is used as a tool to intensify exploitation and repress the workers’–people’s struggles.

The overthrow of socialism in the Soviet Union and other states that were building socialism created a highly dangerous situation for the people and further worsened the unfavourable correlation of forces. Yet, no such correlation is immutable or permanent. The struggle of the peoples and the communists, who are at its forefront and wage it on the basis of revolutionary principles, can overturn it. The counter-revolution cannot halt social progress; our era remains one of transition from capitalism to socialism–communism.

 

Dear comrades,

Imperialist competition between the USA, NATO, and the EU on one side, and capitalist Russia along with its allies on the other, has led to the imperialist war in Ukraine, now in its third year, with the Ukrainian and Russian peoples —who once fought side by side to build socialism and defeat fascism in the Second World War— as its victims.

The military confrontation continues to escalate, and the risks of its generalization are increasing, even involving the potential use of nuclear weapons, posing catastrophic consequences for the peoples.

The parties of the European Communist Action, together with other Communist Parties around the world, have consistently, and on the basis of the principles of our world view, Marxism–Leninism, adopted a class-based analysis of developments and taken a decisive stand from the outset. They have exposed the pretences of the both opposing camps and their supporters, participated in the ideological struggle within the communist movement, and opposed every attempt to entrap the peoples in either imperialist camp or in the interests of the bourgeois classes.

The parties of the ECA have characterized the war as imperialist on both sides and called on the peoples to intensify their independent political struggle, guided by their own interests, directing their fire at the real causes of the war — capitalism, marked by imperialist rivalries and wars over the redivision of markets and natural resources.

The parties of the European Communist Action, through numerous interventions and mobilizations, have expressed their solidarity with the just struggle of the Palestinian people, supported them unreservedly, and firmly condemned the occupying state of Israel, which —with the support of the US, NATO, and the EU— maintains its decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories and bears responsibility for the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the crimes in the West Bank, and the military attacks on Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran.

We denounce the jihadist regime in Syria, imposed through the intervention of the USA and the bourgeois classes of Israel and Turkey, at the expense of the Syrian people. This regime has suppressed political and trade union rights and freedoms and outlawed the Syrian Communist Party as well as other political parties.

As part of the powerful movement of internationalist solidarity with the Palestinian people around the world, we struggle and demand an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, free of occupation forces, settlements and settlers.

We do not harbour complacency regarding the fragile ceasefire in Gaza; we place no trust in the occupying state or its allies. We condemn the dangerous Trump–Netanyahu plan for a “New Middle East”, the attempt to turn the Gaza Strip into a protectorate and every form of annexation of Palestinian territories by Israel.

We reject complacency toward imperialist deals and compromises. Peace imposed at gunpoint only sows the seeds of new conflicts.

We call on the peoples to remain vigilant!

Imperialist rivalries continue to deepen, the multifaceted confrontation between the USA and China for supremacy in the capitalist system is escalating, the arms race has reached unprecedented levels, while hotbeds of tension multiply across the globe.

We intensify the struggle in our countries against the involvement of bourgeois governments in imperialist war and in the plans of the US, NATO, and the EU. We demand the closure of US–NATO bases and denounce the strategy of the war economy and military preparations; the ever-growing military expenditures paid for by the people through harsh taxation; the attacks on wages, pensions and popular income; the cuts in social spending; and the intensification of authoritarianism and repression.

We are faced with grave developments; the accumulation of capital is paving the way for a new capitalist crisis and a renewed offensive against the people. Therefore, we need to undertake comprehensive ideological, political and organizational preparation for the forthcoming tough class battles, strengthening our bonds with the working class and enhancing the action of our parties within the workers’–people’s movement.

We support the struggles emerging in many countries, intervening to ensure they acquire a class-oriented direction. We escalate the confrontation with the bourgeois state, anti-popular policies, and bourgeois governments and parties. We intensify our efforts to rally popular forces and strengthen the ideological, political, and organizational capacity of the Communist Parties of the ECA, consistently confronting all difficulties with perseverance and determination.

KEY ISSUES IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EUROPEAN COMMUNIST ACTION (ECA)

In these circumstances, and with confidence, strength, and faith in our just struggle and in the historic mission of the working class, we undertake today a review of our work over the past year.

The ECA has taken a step forward, enriched its activities, carried out crucial interventions, and undertaken important initiatives. It has promoted and elaborated its positions, taken a stand on developments of critical importance to the interests of the people, within an increasingly complex and dangerous international environment — marked by major challenges to the organization of the class struggle and the ongoing crisis within the communist movement. The results of this effort, as well as the forms of joint action and expression that we adopt at each stage, clearly reflect the collective capacities that our parties have achieved.  We take this into account in order to further improve our level of cooperation and enhance our contribution to our common planning. We would therefore like to note the following:

  1. In January 2025, the first meeting of the ECA for the year was held in Istanbul, organized under the responsibility of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP). A joint statement was issued, intervening in ongoing developments. The meeting was urgently convened in response to the escalating atrocities committed by the murderous state of Israel in Gaza. Its theme was “Developments in the Middle East. We strengthen our solidarity with the peoples of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria”. It was in continuation of successive interventions in support of the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people, including that of 29 November 2024, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It also marked a new starting point for joint and coordinated interventions, as the ECA did on 16 June, 2025, in response to the escalation of the genocide of the Palestinian people by the murderous state of Israel. This formed part of dozens of initiatives and mobilizations organized by ECA parties in their respective countries.
  2. Continuing the interventions of the ECA against the slaughterhouse of war in Ukraine, on 16 February the KKE hosted a teleconference on the topic “Three years since the formal beginning of the imperialist war in Ukraine. The struggle of the communists against the EU, its war economy and the involvement of bourgeois governments in imperialist wars” and a corresponding ECA statement was issued.

The conclusions of this discussion carry particular significance, reflecting the lessons of struggle of our Parties over the past three years of the imperialist war in Ukraine. Through this initiative and the joint statement issued, the imperialist character of the war and the stance of the communists were clearly underscored. The statement emphasized that this is not a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but a broad imperialist confrontation between the Ukrainian bourgeoisie, the USA, the EU, and NATO on one side, and the Russian bourgeoisie and its allies on the other.

  1. On 8 March, through a joint statement, the ECA commemorated International Women’s Day, highlighting both the historical and contemporary dimensions of the struggle of the women’s movement. It is a goal of the ECA to strengthen work among working women, to further study the issues of equality and emancipation, and to emphasize the class basis of these problems.
  2. In response to state and government repression, in March the ECA expressed militant solidarity with the comrades of the TKP, condemning the brutal repression and mass arrests of demonstrators, journalists, and others, including members and cadres of the TKP, who resisted the unacceptable actions of the Turkish state in arresting and removing of elected mayors from office.
  3. Through significant interventions and statements, we highlighted the dramatic deterioration of the working and living conditions of the working class throughout Europe. At the hybrid meeting of the ECP in Paris, co-organized by the Communist Revolutionary Party of France and the KKE in March 2025, on the theme: “Two years since the mass strike rallies in France. Conclusions and prospects for the labour movement in Europe”, a valuable exchange of views and experiences among the ECA parties on the labour movement took place. Trade unionists from our parties, active in the trade union movement, participated in the meeting and shared their unique and rich experience.

At the meeting in Paris, as well as in our joint statement on May Day, we emphasized the importance of class struggle and the slogan “No sacrifices for the profits of the capitalists and the imperialists’ slaughterhouses of war”.

The struggle of the ECA parties focuses on opposing exhausting working hours, including the 13-hour working day based on anti-labour EU directives, and the flexibility and working time arrangements that destroy the lives of working-class families, promoted by the recent monstrous law in Greece passed by the New Democracy government. This monstrosity was met with universal rejection by the working class in two very successful and mass general strikes on 1 and 14 October, organized by hundreds of unions, with a leading role played by the All Workers’ Militant Front (PAME), the class-oriented trade union movement, and the decisive work of the communists. Of particular importance is the demand for a reduction in fixed working hours to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week (35 hours per week), accompanied by increased wages.

This is an experience of international significance, demonstrating that in our era —an era of great technological and scientific possibilities and increased labour productivity— workers can live with reduced working hours and increased free time. They can decisively demand the satisfaction of their needs, in conflict with capital and its power, intensify the struggle to overthrow the regime of capitalist exploitation, eliminate the obstacle of profit, and build socialism.

The ECA raised key issues for the working class and other popular strata, including attacks on collective labour agreements, workers’ and social security rights, the generalized and escalating cost of living, the acute housing problem, and the commercialization of health, welfare, and education.

  1. We opposed anti-popular policies that, driven by capitalist profit, perpetuate the lack of preventive measures and the necessary infrastructure to respond to fires, floods and earthquakes. We exposed the anti-popular orientation of the so-called “civil protection” policy, and demonstrated that the strategy of the EU, bourgeois states and governments treats the needs of the people as a cost and the profits of economic groups as a benefit, sacrificing human lives and people's properties.

These issues were discussed in detail during an important initiative taken by the ECA, the teleconference hosted by the Communist Party of Workers of Spain on 6 April on the topic: “The experience of the communists in the struggle to protect the people’s lives and infrastructure from natural and technological disasters”.

  1. With a joint statement and a hybrid meeting of the ECA on 9 May this year, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Great Anti-Fascist Victory of the peoples in Berlin, where the red flag was raised on the Reichstag by the heroic Red Army. At the event, organized by the KKE and the Communist Party of Turkey, we emphasized that the struggle against fascism is inextricably linked to the struggle against the capitalist system that fosters it, giving rise to exploitation, war and refugees. We also highlighted the necessity and timeliness of socialism.
  2. In a joint statement in the summer, we emphasized the working class’s right to holidays and leisure and exposed its violation by bourgeois states and governments under the exploitative capitalist system.
  3. Regarding the refugee-migration issue, following the successful intervention of the ECA in October 2024 through the organization of a relevant teleconference, a joint statement was issued this year on 20 June, World Refugee Day. It exposed the role of the EU, which, while spearheading the war economy and imperialist plans that generate new waves of refugees, is simultaneously advancing the new reactionary Pact on Migration and Asylum, implementing deportations, concentration camps inside and outside the EU, and combining brutal repression with savage exploitation in a modern-day slave trade, all in the interests of capital.
  4. The ECA demonstrated its readiness ahead of the NATO Summit in The Hague last June. On the initiative of the New Communist Party of the Netherlands and at its invitation to the ECA parties, we stood alongside our Dutch comrades at the large anti-NATO demonstration in The Hague, denouncing the warmongering plans and dangerous decisions of NATO butchers and bourgeois governments.
  5. On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the imperialist crimes of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki last August, we highlighted the real causes and objectives of US imperialism and exposed its plans against the Soviet Union and the peoples.
  6. Studying international developments in depth, a teleconference and substantive discussion was held on 28 September 2025, hosted by the Communist Party of Turkey, on the topic: “The war machine of Euro-Atlanticism, NATO, and the EU against the peoples - The communists’ proposal for a way out in conditions of intensifying imperialist competition”. A joint statement was issued in response to the attempts by governments, the EU and bourgeois staffs regarding the outcome of imperialists bargaining and the declaration of a ceasefire in the Middle East, and objectives were set for intensifying the anti-war and anti-imperialist struggle.
  7. Throughout this period, our parties have opposed anti-communism, which is escalating amid heightened military preparations and imperialist military conflicts.

We firmly reiterate, from this meeting, our condemnation of the anti-communist persecution of communist parties and communists in Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic states, Slovakia and elsewhere.

It is crucial to strengthen solidarity in the struggle of communists and to give the greatest possible support for the unhindered exercise of the right to ideological and mass struggle, to intensify the work of ideological enlightenment, especially among young people, on the heroic history of the communist movement, the achievements and contributions of the Soviet Union, and its decisive role in the anti-fascist struggle of the peoples. Through this effort, we need to condemn the dangerous EU policy of “two extremes” and the unhistorical identification of socialism–communism, the future of humanity, with the barbarity of fascism, which is spawned by the exploitative capitalist system.

The ECA and our parties express solidarity with and support for the Communist Party and Communist Youth of Venezuela, and firmly condemn the unacceptable decisions of the ruling party, the government, and the judicial authorities to ban the activities of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth of Venezuela, attack its leadership, and impose a fabricated organization falsely presented as a Communist Party, which the parties of the ECA refuse to recognize.

  1. The ECA constantly highlights the historical significance of the Cuban Revolution and its contribution, and we express our unwavering solidarity with the Communist Party of Cuba, Cuba and its people against the criminal blockade imposed by US imperialism and any subversive actions by the US, NATO, and the EU targeting the Cuban people. We continue activities in our countries and our coordinated struggle to end the blockade and remove Cuba from the US’s despicable list of state sponsors of terrorism.

We denounce the US military presence in the Caribbean Sea and the wider region, the provocative threats against Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, and other states, and all kinds of unacceptable pretexts. We express our solidarity with the peoples of Latin America and demand the withdrawal of US military forces from the region.

 

 

Dear comrades,

All of the above were supported and promoted extensively on the website and the ECA social media accounts, under the responsibility of the ECA Secretariat parties, while, with the support of the comrades in TKP, we succeeded in producing videos of our interventions and statements, noting an improvement in the promotion of our activities, with the aim of strengthening our propaganda and enlightenment tools and corresponding infrastructure.

We do not underestimate the difficulties; we study them and fight them collectively, with determination. We exchange views and discuss all problems in a comradely manner. We put all our energy into daily action, on all fronts of workers’–people’s problems, and we look ahead to our historic mission, gathering and preparing forces to overthrow the exploitative system and build a new, socialist society.

The positive and targeted action developed by the ECA this year, as well as the dangerous developments experienced by the people, underscore the need to continue in an even more organized and ambitious manner to strengthen the ECA’s interventions in the coming year, based on the Action Plan that we will approve for the first half of 2026,  and enhancing our rigour and contribution.