PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“Gianni Pittella has shown himself to be a strong and effective leader since his election as S&D group leader in 2014.
“Following our Council in Prague this week, Europe’s socialists and social democrats have agreed an ambitious action plan to secure the future of a Europe that works for everyone. It is vital to this programme that the political right are not allowed to monopolise the presidencies of all three main institutions.
“The EU’s parliament desperately needs a strong progressive voice to lead it and Gianni Pittella is the perfect candidate to succeed Martin Schulz in that role. This is an important way to ensure that we can implement our progressive programme for a social Europe.“
