A year ahead of the elections, work is underway to prepare eight short resolutions on key policy areas that will jointly feed into the manifesto to be used in the Europe-wide campaign. Every level of PES is involved in the open consultation and drafting process, from prime ministers, ministers and party leaders to networks, activists and ordinary members of the PES’s 34 member parties.
Hosted at the PES headquarters in Brussels, today’s meeting was chaired by Carina Ohlsson, MP for the Swedish Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterna).
At the meeting, PES deputy secretary general Marije Laffeber also gave a presentation about the PES campaign strategy for the European election.
Ms Laffeber said:
“Migration is one of today’s challenges. Our aim is to draft a progressive vision on fair and regulated migration. It’s time to engage with our voters and mobilise our supporters. Our preparations for the European elections are now fully underway, with every part of our organisation involved in building our common progressive message.”
Members of the network also discussed UN global migration and refugees compacts with representatives from the UN, the Central African Progressive Alliance and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Germany.
Ms Ohlsson said:
“Migration is a global phenomenon, and it is important that we work closely together with our international partners to make the management of migration a mutually beneficial project.”
In attendance at the meeting were:
- Carina Ohlsson, chair
- Marije Laffeber, PES
- Boris Vallaud, PS France
- Constança Urbano de Sousa, PS Portugal
- Mattias Tesfaye, DK Denmark
- Theodoros Papatheodorou, PASOK Greece
- Giulio Di Blasi, European Commission
- Lisa Pelling, Arena Idé
- Dima Yared, UNHCR
- Josh Osih, Social Democratic Front
- Felix Braunsdorf, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
- Monica De Coninck, sp.a Belgium
- Ariane Giraneza, sp.a Belgium
- Ben Segers, sp.a Belgium
- Josephine Ilchmann Jørgensen, DK Denmark
- Kristian Gladbo Platz, DK Denmark
- Øyvind Grøslie Wennesland, Norwegian Labour Party
- Álvaro García, PSOE Spain
- Barnabás Mester, MSZP Hungary
- Ragnar Mägi, SDE Estland
- Gloria Ghequiere, S&D
- Michiel Kruyt, S&D
- Marina Pohlman, S&D
- Marja Bijl, PES Women
- Hedwig Giusto, FEPS
- Justus Schonlau, CoR
- Peter Bossman, CoR
- Federica Rosato, Solidar
- João Albuquerque, YES
- Marco Funk, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
- Olenka Delanghe, PES