The meeting was chaired by PES president Sergei Stanishev and co-chaired by Gianni Pittella, MEP and president of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament.
At the top of the agenda was the European Commission’s white paper outlining five possible scenarios for the future of Europe – plus the possible sixth scenario proposed by S&D MEPs.
Attendees also discussed how the EU and national governments can harness globalisation, improve governance of the economic and monetary union, and build a strong social pillar.
Mr Stanishev said:
“We cannot allow the forces of, conservatism or reactionary politics to define the future of Europe. So the PES has taken the bold step of bringing together so many high-level politicians in one room to hammer out a common position.
“Citizens’ disenchantment, together with the resurgence of populist and eurosceptic political parties and the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, have cast doubt on the ability of the European project to overcome this generation’s challenges as effectively as it overcame the last generations.
“Europe needs a vision answering citizens’ concerns focusing on key priorities such as fighting against unemployment, tax fraud, social dumping or environmental degradation. Progressive parties have a crucial responsibility here and today’s meeting will set the agenda for the coming months.”
The PES will be having at least two more meeting of the High-Level Working Group on the Future of Europe until the end of the year, so the progressive political family can come up with a position on this matter of high importance.
