| Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group |
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|---|---|
| Members protest in Brussels in 2010. | |
| Name | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats |
| English abbr. | S&D[1] (23 June 2009 to present) PES[2] (21 April 1993[3] to 22 June 2009) |
| French abbr. | S&D[6] (23 June 2009 to present) PSE[7] (21 April 1993 to 22 June 2009) |
| Formal name | Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament[1] (23 June 2009 to present) Socialist Group in the European Parliament[7][8] (20 July 2004[3] to 23 June 2009) |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| European parties | Party of European Socialists |
| Associated organisations | Socialist International |
| From | 23 June 1953[3] |
| To | present |
| Chaired by | Martin Schulz |
| MEP(s) | 183 (23 June 2009) 186 (18 November 2010) |
| Website | http://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/ |
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (abbreviation S&D[1]) is the social-democratic political group in the European Parliament, formed by MEPs of the Party of European Socialists and allied centre-left parties. The group dates its ancestry via various names back to the beginning of the European Parliament in 1953. Until the 1999 European election it was the largest group in Parliament. It is currently the second-largest group and adopted its present-day name on 23 June 2009.[11]
| European Union |
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Policies and issues
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Contents |
The Socialist Group was one of the first three groups to be created when it was founded on 23 June 1953[3][12] in the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community. The Common Assembly was the predecessor of the European Parliament. A group bureau and secretariat was established in Luxembourg. The group continued through the creation of the appointed Parliament in 1958 and, when the Parliament became an elected body in 1979 following the first European election, the group became the largest in terms of returned MEPs.
In 1987, the Single European Act came into force and the group began co-operation with the European People's Party (EPP) to secure the majorities needed under the cooperation procedure.[13] The left–right coalition between the Socialists and EPP has dominated the Parliament since then[14] and (with some exceptions[15]) the post of President of the Parliament has been split between the two groups ever since.
Meanwhile, the national parties making up the group were also organising themselves on a European level outside the Parliament, creating the Confederation of Socialist Parties of the European Community in 1974.[4][5][16] The Confederation was succeeded by the Party of European Socialists (PES), in 1992.[4][16] As a result, the parliamentary group was renamed the Group of the Party of European Socialists on 21 April 1993.[3]
In 1999, the Parliament refused to approve the Santer Commission's handling of the EU budget. Allegations of corruption centred on two PES Commissioners, Édith Cresson and Manuel Marín. The group initially supported the Commission but later withdrew their support, forcing the Commission to resign.[17]
The group was renamed again to the Socialist Group in the European Parliament[7] on 20 July 2004[3] and was given a different logo, to further distinguish the PES group organisation from the PES European political party.
In 2007, the Socialist Group was the second largest group in Parliament, with MEPs from all but two member states, Latvia and Cyprus.[18] However, the 2009 European election saw a reduction in the number of PES MEPs returned from 2004. The group sought additional members in the Democratic Party of Italy, which is not affiliated to the PES.[19][20] By the conclusion of the 2004-2009 parliamentary term, the Democratic Party had 8 MEPs in the Socialist Group (coming from Democrats of the Left), but also had 8 MEPs in ALDE (coming from The Daisy). The Democratic Party is a big tent centre-left party, strongly influenced by social democracy and the Christian left, and had MEPs who were former Christian Democrats or had other political views.[21] So a new and more inclusive group name had to be found.
The group was going to be named Alliance of Socialists and Democrats for Europe (ASDE) but this was seemed too similar to Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).[22] The name Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats was suggested on 18 June by group president Martin Schulz[23] and it was renamed on 23 June 2009.[11] The English abbreviation was initially unclear, being variously reported as PASD[24] or S&D Group[25] or PASDE.[26][27] Dissatisfaction by Socialist MEPs towards the new name led Martin Schulz to admit that the name was still under consideration and that the group was to be referred to as the 'Socialists and Democrats' until a final title was chosen.[28] On 14 July 2009, the first day of the constitutive session of the 2009-2014 term, the full formal group name was Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament[1] and the abbreviation was S&D.[1]
The group is an Associated Organisation of the Socialist International.[29]
For Presidents of the European Parliament from the group, see President of the European Parliament.
The group is led by a President and a Bureau of Vice-Presidents. There is also a Treasurer and a Secretary General.[30]
Presidents of the Group include:[31]
| Number | President | State | National party | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Guy Mollet | France | French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) | 1953 | 1956 |
| 2. | Hendrik Fayat | Belgium | Socialist Party (PS) | 1956 | 1958 |
| 3. | Pierre Lapie | France | French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) | 1958 | 1959 |
| 4. | Willi Birkelbach | Germany | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 1959 | 1964 |
| 5. | Käte Strobel | Germany | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 1964 | 1967 |
| 6. | Francis Vals | France | French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) | 1967 | 1974 |
| 7. | Georges Spénale | France | Socialist Party (PS) | 1974 | 1975 |
| 8. | Ludwig Spénale | Germany | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 1975 | 1979 |
| 9. | Ernest Glinne | Belgium | Socialist Party (PS) | 1979 | 1984 |
| 10. | Rudi Arndt | Germany | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 1984 | 1989 |
| 11. | Jean-Pierre Cot | France | Socialist Party (PS) | 1989 | 1994 |
| 12. | Pauline Green | United Kingdom | Labour Party | 1994 | 1999 |
| 13. | Enrique Barón Crespo | Spain | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 1999 | 2004 |
| 14. | Martin Schulz | Germany | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 2004 | - |
Incoming Vice-Presidents of the group are as follows:[32]
Previous Vice-Presidents of the group for the 2004-2009 term were as follows:
Current/previous Treasurers of the group are as follows:
Current/previous Secretaries General of the group are as follows:
MEPs from the following parties sit in the group:[33]
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