Socialistische partijen uit elf Europese landen voeren gezamenlijk campagne voor verkiezingen (en)

Eleven of Europe's left-wing and Communist leaders are set to forge a new pan-European party in April, ahead of this year's European elections.

Meeting in Berlin yesterday (11 January), French, Italian, Austrian and Slovak communist parties joined with Social Democrats from Germany and the Czech Republic and other Spanish, Greek and Luxembourger left-wing parties to agree to form the group, Lusa reports.

The aim is to push for a social democratic and peaceful Europe, said head of the German Socialists, Lothar Bisky. He added that it was an historic decision to make a pan-European party and that the process would be open and transparent.

The absence of the Scandinavian left means that the number of parties signed up to the new groups' manifesto falls short of the 13 members of the European Parliament's current left-wing grouping, the GUE, despite encompassing the countries of the enlarged European Union.

The Scandinavian left currently make up one of the partner groups which form the GUE in the Parliament.

The formal formation of the group will come ahead of the elections to the European parliament which will take place in June.