Following today’s announcement by Martin Schulz that he will not seek re-election as president, PES president Sergei Stanishev praised his achievements over the past five years.
Sergei Stanishev said: “Martin’s strong leadership has steered the European Parliament through some of the European Union’s most difficult times. He has raised the profile of the European Parliament, making it a more effective and impactful institution in European decision-making.”
As President of the European Parliament, Mr Schulz has worked closely with Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk, in a highly successful example of constructive cross-party cooperation.
President Stanishev added: “Martin’s presidency has been a new era for the European Parliament and its role in Europe. I know that he will continue to fight for progressive European values as a future member of the Bundestag, and we at the PES look forward to continuing our close cooperation with him in his new role.”
In advance of the 2014 European elections, Schulz also ran a highly-regarded and exciting campaign as the first ever Socialist common candidate for the President of the European Commission. This was a game-changing moment for EU politics.
The common candidate process has been widely hailed as a success and the Party of European Socialists has undertaken to repeat it for the 2019 elections.
The PES would like to thank Martin Schulz for the tremendous role he played in these difficult times as a mediator and a diplomat, and for his help with important decisions to serve the interest of European citizens in the best possible way.
