N°23 avril 2022 A European summit is being held on March 10 and 11 in Versailles. Assuming the presidency of the Union during the first half of 2022, Macron announced this summit in early December.
The President of the Republic had then declared: "We must move from a Europe of cooperation within our borders to a powerful Europe in the world, fully sovereign, free to choose and master of its destiny".
Since February 24, the outlook has changed. Taking advantage of the Ukrainian situation, the implementation of new European financing tools for their multinationals is accelerating… Within the EU, the monopolies, as well as the States, struggle to assert their position in the competition between capitalists within Europe and internationally for the control of markets, communication channels, cyberspace, energy, food, access to raw materials, labor force, etc…The EU’s goal is clear: to muzzle the peoples by attacking freedoms, to increase a policy of war as a means of imposing itself in the fierce competition between the capitalist monopolies throughout the world.
"The Europe of defense must be a Europe that assumes responsibility. Who has the freedom to protect its citizens and safeguard its interests", clearly those of capital! launched Florence Parly,
"The time has come for Europe to step up a gear" to "defend itself against cyber attacks, act where NATO and the UN are not present and manage crises in time",declares the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, therefore to be the "auxiliaries" of the USA.
This summit will also set up a further integration of the European Union into NATO in order to apply the military program imposed by the USA which wants to accelerate the deployment in Europe of new military bases and new B61-12 nuclear bombs and the new medium-range nuclear missiles aimed at its designated enemies: Russia and China. "Member states must also do more," warned Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
*We will have to pay "the price of courage, peace and freedom", added German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, announcing to the German parliament military investments of 100 billion euros and an annual defense budget of 2 % of GDP; Germany wants to re-equip its air force with F35s equipped with nuclear bombs. This German decision which they legitimize by the fact that Russia attacked Ukraine, will make it possible to break the last lock preventing it from accessing the rank of great world military power, thus erasing definitively the last obligations born of the Nazi defeat of 1945; the United States bears an essential responsibility in this evolution. In Berlin, caregivers adopted a resolution against the Russian invasion but also against the policy of rearmament carried out by the German government. They denounce: "100 billion euros for the German armed forces are decided overnight. These 100 billion euros could be used to employ 200,000 caregivers with a salary of 4,000 euros for ten years and thus alleviate the current crisis in the care sector."
*The Austrian Chancellor has just announced a substantial increase in defense spending, so as has the Danish government.
*Finland intends to buy missiles and strengthen its military ties with the United States,
* Sweden is considering holding a referendum on joining NATO…
* In France, a further increase in the defense budget in 2022 should reach 41 billion euros (compared to 39.2 in 2021); larger increases (+ 3 billion per year) are planned from 2023, a global military programming envelope of 295 billion euros over seven years 2018/2025; the Air Force will have 210 Rafale. The "Preparation and employment of forces" will obtain 10.8 billion euros. 1.2 billion will finance the additional costs of external operations and external missions!
* At this summit the rapid intervention force of 5,000 men will be discussed.
Who will believe “that a new era, heralding more sovereignty and even peace” will come out of this summit! More guns and armaments will never bring peace.
Following the sanctions another weapon of war is in the hands of the imperialists: cereals. The imperialist countries play with millions of tons of cereals on the market for the production of multinational agribusinesses, condemning entire countries to famine. Let us fight and stop this war machine. The stranglehold on cereals to guarantee the profits of the big agricultural monopolies is also becoming a matter of life or death for millions of human beings. Our Party fights against imperialism, demands the withdrawal of France from NATO, the armed wing of the great capitalist powers under the leadership of the United States. Its military expenditure amounts to 1051 billion dollars, 778 for the USA and 273 for the EU, it is more than 50% of the world expenditure, vis-a-vis China 185 billion dollars, for Russia the expenditure amounts to 61.7 billion dollars.
* We refuse that the peoples be dragged into a future imperialist conflict that will be waged against them. We must ensure the sovereignty and independence of France, fight to free France from capitalist domination. The objective of capital is clear: to develop a policy of war as a means of imposing itself in the fierce competition between the capitalist monopolies worldwide. This policy of over-armament can only lead to disaster. It can only be fought through the struggle of the peoples against war and through the political struggle to open up a revolutionary perspective and advance towards the construction of a socialist society.
* We fight for the sovereignty of the peoples of each country in all areas to be respected, against any supranational instrument, against any political or military organization, or supranational government. We want close cooperation between European countries in all areas – cooperation that drives real economic and social development in the interest of the peoples; mutually beneficial agreements that ensure the development of each Nation, that respect the sovereignty of each people, its social and democratic achievements. We are fighting to establish a real policy of peace, to develop peaceful cooperation, for a policy of disarmament throughout the world, with the dissolution of NATO and all military pacts. We call for the mobilization and immediate organization of the working class, of all the workers and of the people to say No to imperialist war! Join our fight.