Party of European Socialists

The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The PES member parties are themselves members of the Socialist International. The PES forms the majority of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European parliament. The PES also operates in the Committee of the Regions and the European Council.

Name

The party's English name is "Party of European Socialists". In addition, the following names are used in other languages:

• Partia Socialiste Europiane – Albanian
• Партия на европейските социалисти (Partiya na evropeyskite sotsialisti) – Bulgarian
• Partit Socialista Europeu – Catalan
• Strana evropských socialistů – Czech
• Plaid y Sosialwyr Ewropeaidd – Welsh
• De Europæiske Socialdemokrater – Danish
• Sozialdemokratische Partei Europas – German
• Páirtí Sóisialach na hEorpa – Irish
• Euroopa Sotsialistlik Partei – Estonian
• Ευρωπαϊκό Σοσιαλιστικό Κόμμα (Evropaïkó Sosialistikó Kómma) – Greek
• Partido Socialista Europeo – Spanish
• Partio de Eŭropaj Socialdemokratoj – Esperanto
• Europako Alderdi Sozialista – Basque
• Parti socialiste européen – French
• Euroopan sosialidemokraattinen puolue – Finnish
• Stranka europskih socijalista – Croatian
• Flokkur evrópskra sósíalista – Icelandic
• Partito del Socialismo Europeo – Italian
• Партија на европскиот социјализам - Macedonian
• Partit tas-Soċjalisti Ewropej – Maltese
• Europos socialistų partija – Lithuanian
• Európai Szocialisták Pártja – Hungarian
• Partij van de Europese Sociaaldemocraten – Dutch
• Sociāldemokrātu grupa Eiropas Parlamentā – Latvian
• Det europeiske sosialdemokratiske partiet – Norwegian
• Partia Europejskich Socjalistów – Polish
• Partido Socialista Europeu – Portuguese
• Partidul Socialiștilor Europeni – Romanian
• Партия европейских социалистов (Partiya evropeyskikh sotsialistov) – Russian
• Strany európskych socialistov – Slovak
• Stranka evropskih socialistov – Slovenian
• Партија европског социјализма (Partija evropskog socijalizma) – Serbian
• Europeiska socialdemokratiska partiet – Swedish
• Avrupa Sosyalistler Partisi – Turkish

History

'60s

In 1961, the Socialists in the European Parliament attempted to produce a common European Socialist Programme but were neglected due to the applications of Britain, Denmark, Ireland and Norway to join the European Communities. The Socialist's 1962 congress pushed for greater democratisation and powers for Parliament though it was only in 1969 that this possibility was examined by the member states.

'70s

In 1973, Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the European Community bringing in new parties from these countries. The enlarged Socialist Congress met in Bonn and inaugurated the Confederation of the Socialist Parties of the European Community. The Congress also passed a resolution on social policy, including the right to decent work, social security, democracy and equality in the European economy.^[1] In 1978, the Confederation of Socialist Parties approved the first common European election Manifesto. It focused on several goals among which the most important were to ensure a right to decent work, fight pollution, end discrimination, protect the consumer and promote peace, human rights and civil liberties.

'80s

The Luxembourg Congress approved the first Statue of the Confederation of Socialist Parties in 1980. The accession of Greece in 1981, followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986 brought in more parties. In 1984 another common Socialist election manifesto was approved at a congress in Luxembourg. The Manifesto proposed a socialist remedy for the economic crisis by establishing a link between industrial production, protection of the fundamental social benefits and the fight for an improved quality of life.^[1]

'90s

In 1992, with the European Communities becoming the European Union and with the Treaty of Maastricht establishing the framework for political parties at the European Level, the Confederation was able to mobilize a majority of delegates in favour of transforming the Confederation into the Party of European Socialists. The first programme of the party concentrated on job creation, democracy, gender equality, environmental and consumer protection, peace and security, regulation of immigration, discouragement of racism and fighting organised crime.^[1]

'00s

In 2004 Poul Nyrup Rasmussen defeated Giuliano Amato to be elected President of the PES, succeeding Robin Cook in the post. He was re-elected for a further 2.5 years at the PES Congress in Porto on 8 December 2006 and for another 2.5 years at the Prague Congress in 2009.

He resigned at the PES Progressive Convention of Brussels on 24th November 2011, and was replaced by Sergei Dmitrievich Stanishev, chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), elected PES Interim President, by acclamation, by the PES Presidency.

On the same day, the PES Council made the decision that the next PES candidate for Commission President would be democratically elected through a PES presidential primary taking place in January 2014.

Presidents

Presidents of the Party of European Socialists and its predecessors.^[2]

Organisation

There are thirty-three member parties from all the twenty-seven member state, Norway and Moldova. There are a further twelve associate and five observer parties. PES is an associated organisation of the Socialist International. ECOSY - Young European Socialists is the youth organisation of PES and PES Women is the party's women's organisation, led by Zita Gurmai MEP.^[3]

The parties meet at the party Congress twice every five years to decide on political orientation, such as adopting manifestos ahead of elections. Every year that the Congress does not meet, the Council (a quarter Congress) shapes PES policy. The Congress also elects the party's President, Vice Presidents and the Presidency.^[3]

The President (currently former Prime Minister of Denmark Poul Nyrup Rasmussen) represents the party on a daily basis and chairs the Presidency, which also consists of the Secretary General, President of the S&D group in Parliament and one representative per full member party and organisation. They may also be joined by the President of the European Parliament (if a PES member), a PES European Commissioner and a representatives from associate parties and organisations.^[3]

The Leader's Conference brings together Prime Ministers and Party Leaders from PES parties three to four times a year to agree strategies and resolutions.^[3]

In Decembre 2009, disappointed by the European elections results, the PES decided to put forward a candidate for Commission President at all subsequent elections.^[4] There is a campaign within the party to organise primaries to select this candidate.^[5]

PES in the European institutions

Overview of the European institutions

European Parliament

European Commission

European Commissioners are meant to remain independent, however there has been an increasing degree of politicisation within the Commission.^[6] Although the current Barroso Commission is dominated by Commissioners from the centre-right EPP (13/27) and the liberal ELDR (8/27), six of the twenty-seven Commissioners belong to PES.

European Council and Council of Ministers

Party-alignment at the European Council is often loose, but has been the basis of some intergovernmental cooperation. At present five countries are led by a PES-affiliated leader, who represents that state at the European Council: Austria (Werner Faymann), Slovenia (Borut Pahor), Spain (José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero), Denmark (Helle Thorning-Schmidt) and Belgium (Elio Di Rupo). The makeup of national delegations to the Council of Ministers is at some times subject to coalitions: for the above governments led by a PES party, that party may not be present in all Council configurations; in other governments led by non-PES parties a PES minister may be its representative for certain portfolios. PES is in coalition in a further two countries: Ireland and Luxembourg.^[8]

Overview

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Committee of the Regions

PES has 110 members in the Committee of the Regions as of 2007.^[8]

National legislatures

Member parties

With 32 members it is the only political party to have a member from every EU state, although not all of them have elected MEPs.^[10]

References

External links

• Party of European Socialists, official website
• Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists, official website
• 2009 Manifesto consultation, PES website
• PES Manifesto, PES blog
• PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, official website