Participants from 15 member parties of the Party of European Socialists were joined by representatives from allied organisations, plus guests from the Icelandic party Samfylkingin and the Socialist Group in the Nordic Council. The meeting was co-hosted by PS Portugal.
At the top of the agenda were upcoming elections in many European countries, including Italy, Sweden, Hungary and Latvia. Attendees discussed recent electoral challenges and voter engagement, with detailed presentations analysing the political landscape in the UK, the Netherlands, France and Iceland.
There was also a special focus on fighting fake news and populism, in the light of adverse political developments in Catalonia and Hungary. Representatives from PSOE Spain and MSZP Hungary advised on their own experiences.
Finally, participants also discussed the outlook for European elections in 2019 and the process for choosing a common candidate for President of the European Commission.
PES secretary general Achim Post, chairing the meeting, said:
“The focus of the 2017 PES Council is renewing Europe in a progressive direction. That renewal can only be possible when our parties work closely together — which is why these networking meetings are one of the most important parts of the work of the PES.
“I am especially grateful to PS Portugal for co-hosting our meeting alongside the Council in Lisbon, which opens tomorrow.”
In attendance at the meeting were:
PES
- Achim Post, Secretary General
- Marije Laffeber, Deputy Secretary General
- Yonnec Polet, Deputy Secretary General
- Giacomo Filibeck, Deputy Secretary General
PS Portugal
- Hugo Pires, National Secretary for Organisation
- Francisco André, International Secretary
BSP Bulgaria
- Kiril Dobrev, Deputy Chairman of the BSP
- Deniza Slateva, Deputy Chairwoman for European Affairs and International Relations
SD Denmark
- Jan Juul Christensen, Secretary General
SDE Estonia
- Kristen Kanarik, Secretary General
PS France
- Rachid Temal, Secretary General
Labour UK
- Iain McNicol, Secretary General
MSZP Hungary
- József Tóbiás, Secretary General
PD Italy
- Luciano Vecchi, International Secretary
LSDP Lithuania
- Justas Pankauskas, Deputy Leader
PvdA Netherlands
- Kirsten Meijer, International Secretary
DNA Norway
- Kjersti Stenseng, Secretary General
SD Slovenia
- Dejan Levanič, Secretary General
PSOE, Spain
- José Luis Ábalos, Secretary of Organisation
SAP Sweden
- Andrine Winther, International Secretary
PES Group in the CoR
- Jordi Harrison, Secretary General
YES
- Tuulia Pitkänen, Secretary General
S&D Group in the EP
- Javier Moreno Sanchez, Secretary General
FEPS
- Ernst Stetter, Secretary General
SOLIDAR
- Conny Reuter, Secretary General
Samfylkingin Iceland
- Margrét Lind Ólafsdóttir, Chair of the Executive Board
Socialist Group in the Nordic Council
- Hrannar Arnarsson, Secretary General
