The first thing that strikes the visitor to the European Parliament is the number of checks they have to go through in order to enter. The second thing is the gloominess of the corridors. It’s almost as if the grey tones of the sky outside are permeating through to the interior. Luckily, colorful posters announce the proximity of the office of the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing the “Left that stings the Europe of money” — Marc Botenga.

Botenga is a prominent member of the Belgian Workers’ Party (PTB), a Marxist party which is now one of the fastest-growing forces on the European left. It is notable both for its strong focus on labor issues and its rooted form of voter engagement, based on regular neighborhood activism. In May 2019’s federal and regional elections, the PTB secured its best ever result, electing 10 of its activists to Belgium’s 150-member Chamber of Representatives; the same day, Marc Botenga became its first member of the European Parliament, also located in Brussels.

Six months after Botenga became an MEP, Solidaire’s Jonathan Lefèvre spoke to him about his impressions of the parliament — and the possibility of making any difference in an institution widely considered aloof from ordinary citizens. They discussed the lack of democratic scrutiny in the European Union’s structures, how corporate interests impose themselves over its agenda, and how a MEP can bring the voice of the labor and climate movements into an otherwise lifeless parliament.