The Party of European Socialists welcomes the re-election of Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil as Presidents of SPD at the opening day of the SPD congress, on Friday in Berlin. The PES believes the SPD leadership will continue to deepen its commitment to the European cause. The PES welcomed the election of its former Secretary General, Achim Post, as Vice President of SPD at the congress.
PES President Stefan Löfven said:
“I warmly congratulate Saskia and Lars on behalf of our entire political family. We trust fully their commitment to a fair and free Europe and their work to build a stronger, more socially just, and more sustainable Europe for everyone. SPD’s work, leading the current government coalition, is crucial to push strong progressive and pro-European policies to respond to today’s challenges in Germany and Europe. We commend the SPD on their good work and count on their leadership as we approach next year’s European election. Together, we can defeat the far-right wave in Europe.
“I also want to commend Achim personally on his work of over 11 years in the PES, and I wish him the same determination for his new position as SPD Vice President.”
The night before the SPD congress opening, PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck welcomed the international guests and the international media representatives.
Filibeck said: “It’s alarming how the conservatives cooperate with the far-right, as we have seen in Italy, Finland, and Sweden. Now, this seems possible in the Netherlands, too. We, the Social Democrats, will never give in to cooperation with the far-right. This is a matter of principle. There is an alternative to that and that is the current German government led by Olaf Scholz and SPD – with Saskia Esken’s and Lars Klingbeil’s leadership -, and the new government of Pedro Sanchez in Spain. There is another path in Europe – a democratic, European path”.
Hundreds of delegates from across Germany are meeting in Berlin until Sunday to discuss progressive answers to German, European, and global challenges. The live feed can be followed here.
For pictures of the PES delegation to the SPD Congress 2023 in Berlin click here.
