EUROPE’S communists made a cautious evaluation of the European Union parliamentary elections yesterday.

In Portugal, PCP general secretary Jeronimo de Sousa noted that the increase in influence of the Communist Party-Green party joint electoral platform CDU — from 10.7 per cent to over 12 per cent — and the election of a third MEP represented a significant advance.

The left also did particularly well in Spain, with a gain of four for the communist-led United Left, and in Italy, where it re-established representation with two seats.

In Greece the leftist Syriza party topped the poll with 26.6 per cent and six seats, while the Communist Party won two seats — the same as in 2009 — but saw its share of the vote fall.

The biggest loser in the EU parliament was the centre-right People’s Party, which has been pushing neoliberal policies and closer EU integration.

It lost 59 seats, though still remaining the dominant bloc with 208 seats.

The Left group, which includes communist parties, gained at least seven for a total of 42.

The Social Democrat group, which works with the People’s Party, dropped two seats to 186.

The Liberals were down to 58 seats after losing 23.

The Freedom and Democracy group, which includes Ukip, now has a total of 38 and the Conservative grouping is reduced to just 46.

However, the extreme right made the most gains and is now in control of well over 100 seats. The National Front came top in France and fascist parties made advances in Hungary, the Netherlands and Greece.

Communist Party of Britain international secretary John Foster said: “The 2014 EU elections show a rejection of parties identified with the anti-democratic enforcement of big business policies by the EU, policies designed to use the financial crisis to attack living standards and collective bargaining.

“This reveals the scale of disenchantment and anger.

“Where the left has campaigned on a broad front to expose the EU it has made gains. But its gains are not in proportion to those of the extreme right.

“This underlines the need to win understanding among the social-democratic left of the extreme danger posed by its failure to challenge neoliberalism and the EU assault on democratic rights.

Communists warn of fascist gains

“This is opening the gates to the fascist right.”