PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“We are fresh out of a European elections campaign in which the PES put the environment amongst our top priorities. I am very glad to see that our demands are now among the top priorities of this new European Commission.
“Frans Timmermans’ European Green Deal will be a turning point in the history of the EU. This initiative will create momentum for ambitious environmental and social changes at the European level, and beyond.
“I strongly believe that our political family is best equipped to lead the changes towards a more social and sustainable Europe. I say this because we are the only ones thinking about sustainability in a holistic way, from the environmental, economic and social perspectives.
“The PES has long campaigned for a Just Transition which supports workers and industries to move to a more sustainable future. This is part of the new Commission’s work programme and will be in the hands of another leading progressive, Elisa Ferreira, the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform.”
Iratxe Garcia, PES Vice-President and Leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, said:
“We progressives are very worried that we may arrive late to stop climate warming. This is why we are here in Madrid.
“The European Parliament just declared the climate emergency in Europe, and this is not an empty concept: it’s a reality. A climate emergency demands extraordinary measures, and this is what we will fight for in the European Union.
“Tomorrow Frans Timmermans will present his plan for a Green Deal. This will be the roadmap for Europe’s transformation, to protect the environment and biodiversity while at the same time tackling inequalities. Because there will never be climate justice without social justice.”
The two-part event in Madrid, co-organised by the PES, the S&D and Spanish member party PSOE, kicked off with an Open Dialogue on Climate Action. Activists, the public and progressive leaders held a constructive dialogue focused on what actions progressives should prioritise at COP25 and beyond. Sergei Stanishev (PES President), Iratxe Garcia (PES Vice-President, S&D Group President), José Domínguez Abascal (Spanish Secretary of State for Energy), Maria João Rodrigues (President of FEPS), and Benedetta Brighenti (PES Group in the Committee of the Regions) took part in the public event, which was moderated by Javi López, Chair of the PES Environment, Climate Change and Energy Network and Member of the European Parliament.
