Greens And Left Alliance

The Greens and Left Alliance (, AVS) is a left-wing political alliance active in Italy, which was launched on 2 July 2022 as a federation of two political parties, Italian Left (SI) and Green Europe (EV).

The AVS is often referred to as a red–green alliance and its leaders are Angelo Bonelli and Nicola Fratoianni, spokespersons of EV and SI.

History

Background

In January 2022, Italian Left (SI) and Green Europe (EV) formed a "consultation pact", aimed at co-operating on the 2022 Italian presidential election held in late January. In that context, the two parties decided to jointly support Luigi Manconi, an expert on human rights issues and former lawmaker for the Federation of the Greens, the Democrats of the Left, and the Democratic Party (PD).

In June 2022, SI's national assembly formally approved the alliance with EV, which did the same in its federal assembly.

In July 2022, SI and EV held a joint convention in Rome named "New Energies", promoting their cooperation and a unitary electoral program. The alliance deliberately took inspiration from the New Ecological and Social People's Union, the left-wing list formed in the run-up of the 2022 French legislative election. Following the fall of Mario Draghi's government, a national unity government that was not supported by SI and EV, the early dissolution of Parliament and the calling of the 2022 Italian general election, the AVS was officially launched and its logo presented. In August 2022, the alliance formalised an electoral agreement with the PD.

In February 2024 Massimiliano Smeriglio, a member of the European Parliament elected with the PD, switched to AVS. A few months later also Rosa D'Amato joined AVS.

The first party's national celebration, ''Terra!,'' was held between 11-15 September 2024 in Rome, in the Nomentano Park.

Ideology

The Greens and Left Alliance was born with the aim of keeping social justice and environmental justice together.

It has been defined, on the basis of its programs, as the best Italian party for "climate commitment" by the scientists and experts of ''Climalteranti'' and the '' Italian Climate Network''.

Work and social policies

AVS supports the protection and expansion of workers' rights and welfare.

It proposes the introduction of a minimum wage (of 9 or 10 euros per hour), the reduction of working hours (for the same salary), also establishing a fund to encourage employers to reduce weekly hours by at least 10%, a national plan for the prevention of accidents at work, incentive of remote work for workers whose presence is not physically required, the abolition of unpaid internships, the protection of the right to disconnect, the increase of the worker's control over the flexibility of working hours, and the fight against precariousness by limiting the different types of employment contracts, in order to make the permanent contract the norm. It also proposes increasing the duration of paternity leave and making it compulsory and equal to maternity leave, in order to put women and men "on the same level in relation to the employer".

It supports the introduction of a basic income and a pension starting (at least for certain types of workers) from the age of 62 (or with 41 years of contributions) and in general not less than 1,000 euros per month.

It supports the strengthening of public education and proposes in this regard the reduction of the number of students per class in schools and the recovery of public spaces for new classrooms, the extension of time (full-time and extended time) in all schools, compulsory schooling up to 18 years, the hiring of a larger number of permanent teachers (stabilizing even those who have been teaching precariously for longer), the introduction of sexual and affective education throughout the school career, permanent psychological support in schools, and free education from preschool to university (as is the case in other European countries). It also proposes greater investment in research, bringing it to 3% of GDP.

It also supports greater investment in public health, and in this regard proposes: the establishment of the basic psychologist, a plan to structurally strengthen the employees, with the hiring of new operators to reduce both waiting lists and spending on precarious work, external collaborations and outsourcing of services. It also proposes an extraordinary plan for the structural and technological modernization of the health service and the creation of a public company for the production of drugs and vaccines, using the skills of the ISS, the ''Military Pharmaceutical Institute'', university research centers and the SSN.

It proposed the introduction of menstrual leave for female workers and students suffering from dysmenorrhea certified by the doctor, and the inclusion of hormonal contraceptives in LEAs so that they are distributed free of charge in pharmacies, subject to a medical prescription.

Civil rights

AVS is in favour of the legalisation of the "fine vita" (euthanasia and assisted suicide), the legalization (through the establishment of state monopoly) of the production and sale of cannabis (and its derivatives) and the legalization of its cultivation for personal use, to increase security and weaken organized crime.

It aims to improve women's sexual and reproductive health by guaranteeing free and effective access to contraception, abortion, medical abortion and pregnancy tests at clinics, also counteracting conscientious objection to abortion.

In 2022, in view of the general elections, '' Gay.it'', analyzing the various candidate parties, places the Greens-Left Alliance in 1st place for support to LGBT+ rights in the ranking.

On this issue, AVS proposes laws that provide for "the extension of the rights and duties of heterosexual couples to same-sex couples", including: same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples (and by singles), access to medically assisted procreation paths for women and female couples, recognition of equal rights for children with same-sex parents. It also proposes a law against homo- bi-transphobia (and ableism), the ban on reparative therapies, the ban on medically unnecessary surgery on intersex children, the revision of the current law 164 on transsexual people, stating that it's committed to "listening to those who go through and live all situations to find solutions and ways together that restore full dignity".

It is in favour of the possibility of granting Italian citizenship to the children of legal foreigners as minors, but only if they have completed at least one cycle of studies (ius scholae) or were born in Italy (ius soli).

It proposes a law that provides for projects and programs within schools that talk about education to affectivity, differences and respect for all people in order to counteract gender stereotypes and discrimination upstream, which would cause, according to the party, bullying, misogyny, ableism and "violence of all kinds".

It proposes the adoption of a law that provides the possibility of exercising the right to vote in a municipality other than that of residence and the experimentation of electronic voting, in order to "allow students and young workers to save time and travel costs".

To prevent abuses of power by law enforcement (e.g. during the management of demonstrations), it proposes identification codes on officers' uniforms and the use of bodycams.

Economy and taxation

In the economic and fiscal spheres, AVS believes that a reform of the wealth tax is necessary, stating that "today wealth taxes weigh heavily on those who have little and little on those who have a lot". For this reason, it proposes the abolition of IMU and stamp duty on investments and the introduction of a single, progressive personal wealth tax on assets over 5 million euros, which grows up to 2% over 50 million.

It aims to combat tax evasion and to achieve this it proposes the incentive of the use of electronic money, the use of databases to cross-reference taxpayers' data, the strengthening of electronic invoicing and split payment, especially on online and POS purchases. It also proposes to deny any tax amnesty, to increase the resources available for controls and to guarantee the certainty of punishment for tax crimes.

European Union, foreign policy and defense

AVS considers it necessary to build a common European foreign and defence policy, including its own army,https://www.agenzianova.com/a/623317d1c0fe91.71375428/3839487/2022-03-17/ucraina-fratoianni-no-ad-aumento-spese-militari-italia-risorse-servono-per-sanita-scuola-e-ambiente in order to make the European Union more autonomous and more independent from the United States and to rationalize military spending, without therefore increasing it further in the member countries. At the same time, it proposes the inclusion in the Treaty on European Union the "repudiation of war as an instrument of offence against the freedom of other peoples and as a means of resolving international disputes".

It supports strengthening the EU's democratic process, starting with the elimination of member countries' right of veto and a greater centrality of the European Parliament, while also limiting the influence of lobbying activities through "comprehensive legislation".

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, AVS, in addition to condemning Hamas, condemns the actions of the Israeli army towards Gaza and proposes the recognition of the state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders and to guarantee the coexistence in peace of the two peoples in their respective territorial integrity. It demands full respect for international law and the conduct of investigations "into violations, war crimes and genocide" perpetrated by the government of Israel. For the latter, it calls for sanctions commensurate with these violations and to stop all military supplies and the suspension of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel (on the basis of Article 2).

On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it condemns Putin for the aggression in Ukraine while considering it necessary to interrupt military supplies to Ukraine and "start negotiations for a lasting peace".

Composition

Founding member parties

Regional partners

Former associate parties

Election results

Italian Parliament

European Parliament

Regional Councils

References

External links

Electoral Accord between Greens and Left Alliance and the Democratic Party
(in Italian)

Greens and Left Alliance Programme
(in Italian)

{{Italian political parties
2022 establishments in Italy
Democratic socialist parties in Europe
Eco-socialism
Green politics
Left-wing political party alliances
Left-wing politics in Italy
Political parties established in 2022
Political party alliances in Italy
Progressive parties