Meeting today to assess the results of 2024 European elections, members of the Presidency of the Party of European Socialists commended PES Common Candidate Nicolas Schmit on his European elections campaign.
High-level representatives from all PES full member parties welcomed Nicolas Schmit at the online Presidency meeting, chaired by the PES President Stefan Löfven.
Opening the meeting, Stefan Löfven said:
“Nico, we deeply appreciate your enormous work during the campaign. You visited nearly 40 cities in 18 member states, and you met the leaders, supporters and activists of the majority of our member parties, spreading our ideas for a social, democratic, and sustainable Europe. I commend PES member parties for their determined campaign and extend my gratitude to all social democratic voters.”
S&D Group leader Iratxe Garcia also expressed the admiration of the S&D Group members for the campaign of Nicolas Schmit, emphasising that the S&D Group remains the central progressive force and the second biggest group in the new European Parliament.
The Presidency discussed the next steps in the political process around the new European political mandate. The PES Presidency gave German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a mandate to negotiate on behalf of the European Socialists and Democrats in the upcoming weeks and months. The Presidency reconfirmed once again PES’ rejection of any alliance or coalition with the far-right.
PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck said:
“We stand by the spitzenkandidat principle, but our support for a candidate is not a blank cheque. Firstly, it depends on the majority that is sought in the next European Parliament. We want a pro-European, pro-democratic majority. That can include our family, the EPP and the liberals, and potentially also the greens. We will never allow a broadening of the current majority towards the ECR or the ID. Equally crucial is the programme that any potential majority will form around. We stand firmly for continued progress on social Europe, a green deal with a red heart, and action to strengthen democracy and protect fundamental values and the rule of law.”
