The EL Executive Board (EB) met for the first time after the founding congress of the party on 8-9 May in Rome. The meeting was chaired by EL chairman Fausto Bertinotti.

Present were EL treasurer Pedro Marset and elected Board  members of the member parties - the CP of Austria, the  Party of Democratic Socialism (Czech Republic), the Estonian  Social-Democratic Labour Party, the French CP, the PDS  (Germany), SYNASPISMOS (Greece), the Workers' Party (Hungary),  the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC - Italy), the RC  of San Marino, the Socialist Alliance Party (Romania) and  the Labour Party of Switzerland. Pedro Marset informed  that he had been asked to represent the Spanish Board members  too, who have not been able to attend for complicate material and financial reasons of the United Left (IU - Spain, representing  the Spanish CP and the United Alternative Left of Catalonia)  after the EP elections.

Also represented were three EL observer  parties - AKEL (Cyprus), the CP of Bohemia and Moravia  (Czech Republic) and the Party of Italian Communists.  The Left (Luxemburg) and the CP of Slovakia (having at  its last congress decided to change its status to observer  party), could not participate for acceptable reasons.  Besides, invited guests and staff attended.

The main aims of the meeting were:

• to create the necessary structural and organizational  prerequisites for a successful start of the party's practical  work,
• to set up a work schedule of the party for the period  till the 1st EL congress in April 2005
• to launch first political actions and initiatives.

On the agenda were a political report of EL chairman  Fausto Bertinotti on the future work of the EL and its  Executive Board (see appendix 1), an exchange of information  and views on the political situation in Europe as well  as an analysis of the results obtained by the EL parties  in the recent European elections.

The EL chairman was asked  to express the concern of the EL on the candidacy of Mr.  Barroso for the Presidency of the EU Commission for his uncritical position towards the war of the US and GB and  other countries in Iraq as well his full support for a  further neo-liberal course of integration in the enlarged  EU. Fausto Bertinotti was asked to articulate that criticism  and concern during the hearing of the GUE/NGL parliamentary  group with Mr. Barroso on July 13, 2004.

Results

• The EB decided upon the rules of procedure for its  meetings till the 1st EL congress (see appendix 2).
  
• The EB agreed on its work schedule till the 1st EL  congress, containing important political activities of  the individual parties, the main EL acitivities and measures  for the preparation of the congress. (see appendix 3).
• The meeting unanimously adopted two statements supporting  further efforts for a peaceful solution of the Cyprus  problem and demanding the immediate dismantling of the  wall being built by Israel on the Occupied Palestinian  Territory (see appendix 4).
• The meeting received a draft appeal for a referendum  and a new European treaty, submitted by the French CP,  and a draft appeal on the upcoming 60th anniversary of  the liberation from fascism, submitted by the PDS. These  are distributed to the EB members and the EL parties  for further consultation and decision at the next EB meeting on 12 September, 2004.
• The EB took note of a letter of the EL women's network  informing on its establishment and plans. The EB decided  to inform the EL parties on it (see app. 5).

EL registration and funding

• The EB charged EL treasurer Pedro Marset to carry  out the formalities for the official registration of  the party with the EP and in Belgium.
• The EB authorized EL chairman Fausto Bertinotti and  treasurer Pedro Marset to draw up the EL bugdet for the  second half of the year 2004 on the basis of the financial  needs for realising the political measures and activities  agreed in the work schedule.
• The EB agreed that the treasurer on the basis of the  Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 submit to the European Parliament  till 23 July, 2004 an application for co-funding of the  EL.
• The treasurer will form a working group of the treasurers  of all member parties to prepare drafts of the EL budget  for the year 2005 and the EL financial statute (as draft  motion for the 1st EL Congress scheduled for April 2005).
• The EB has authorized the treasurer to start talks  on the conditions for establishing a EL office in Brussels.

Further organizational matters

• The EB took note of a paper submitted by the PDS "The  European Left - a networking party" (see appendix  6). The EB, encouraging the formation of working groups  and networks by party structures and members, asks them  to inform it about such activities and transmit existing  or emerging mailing lists for co-ordination purposes.
• The PDS presented a paper with further ideas on the  EL's internet appearance, (see appendix 7). Work on that  matter has already started and shall be continued under  the responsibility of the CP of Austria with the Estonian  SDLP and the PDS co-operating in a small permanent working  group. The EB members were informed that the valid official  websites of the EL are : www. europeanleft.org , www.european-left.org  and www.euroleft.org It warned that other websites have  nothing to do with the EL.
• Fausto Bertinotti and EL EB members agreed on talks  with individual member and observer parties on questions  of their co-operation within the EL in the coming summer  months.

EL chairman Fausto Bertinotti together with the chairman  of the hosting PDS, Lothar Bisky, gave a press conference  on the results of the meeting. Fausto Bertinotti characterized  the task of the meeting to bring the EL to practical life  and to further develop the project, which was met with  success. He underlined the strong demand of the attending  parties for peace in the Middle East and a withdrawal of  all foreign troops from Iraq as well as the strictly critical  attitude towards the draft European Constitutional Treaty  and the demand for referenda on it in all EU states.