Translated "Avante!"article by Albano Nunes, Member of the International Department

Under the circumstances, this article is written before the European Parliament elections outcome. It is certainly not irrelevent the resulting force rearrangement, but in itself they do not change the central trends of the european capitalist integration process which essence consists in the building of a powerful economic-political-military block under the hegemony of the great capital and powers. And if anything is for sure, is that these elections analysis, undergone by the dominant media, ought to illude the crisis that spreads within the integration process, imposing the idea that the EU and common currency are inevitabilities, dangerous to be questioned such as the (“brexit” dixit), non ultra- liberal, federalist and militarist drift alternative, in progress, inherent to capitalist development dinamycs.

The EU nature, as an imperialist block, became clearer in the last days. All pretexts have been used to pass the idea that the “the economic giant” has to be a political giant holding an external common policy and a military giant holding its own deffence and army. Old ideas that gain force, not only with the pretext of “defending europe’s interests” worldwide against “terrorism”, but before the greater “Russian threat” , and even before “Trump’s dislike” regarding “Europe’s protection”. Macron ( with whom Antonio Costa is nurturing strange relationships), by defending measures to “confront China, Russia and even the USA”, does but give voice to the European capitalist block geo-strategic ambitions, conffirming Lenine’s central thesis on imperialism.

Irony of destiny. The ECC/EU that during the “cold war” peak was born under the aegis and suburdinated to the north-american imperialism, in order to fight the Soviet Union and “stop communism”, is being affected by a real trust crisis regarding its ally across the Atlantic. Which is not strange at all. The European basis monopolies have as a purpose of becomming “champions” in shock with north-american monopolies in a dispute that grows before the capitalism structural crisis deepening. And the “america first” policy with which Trump’s Administration tries to impede the USA decline, firstly directed against China but involving arrogant demands towards their own allies, creating difficulties and suplementary contradictions.

One ought never to forget that what carries on to be predominant is class solidarity, the EU alignment with the USA against workers and peoples as comes to pass, even backwards at times, as the coup offensive against Venezuela, the tearing apart of the Iran nuclear agreement by the USA, sanctions against Russia and the support of Ukraine fascists, or even the trade war between the USA and China. During the struggle to liberate Portugal from the eu chains, and towards another Europe of workers and peoples, it is important to consider this complex beam of contradictions and refuse to Portugal become a puppet in the hands of the european imperialist block aspirations.