Last impressions from the PES Council

Last impressions from the PES Council

Published Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 20:05

by jose reis santos in European democracy & diversity (39 views and 0 comments)
I haven’t seen any news coverage of last week's PES Council in Sofia, so I don’t know what spin the media made of it. From my perspective it was a success. Everybody already knows about the weather conditions that prevented a full house plenary and the presence of more high rank officials; but, even thought, the level of the discussions and the quality time available more than compensated this unfortunate event.
The funny thing is that I’ve been told that the airport was build in that location by German engineers in World War II, exactly because of the fog condition - it would make the place easy to defend and invisible to enemy attacks.
The political contribute of this PES Council was very intense, as the Manifesto 2009 took off with attention and strength. Most of the plenary interventions were in accordance to the four main issues – Save our planet, New Social Europe, European democracy and diversity and EU in the world – with some very good ideas and interventions. The fringe meetings, most of them addressing issues of these four major points, were very interesting, at least the ones I attended. I would like to highlight the "European democracy and diversity" meeting, not only because it was the meeting that I attended, but because of the quality of the interventions, especially the ones of Carlos Moreno and Rainbow Rose, a European LGBT organization.
This kind of organization proves to be a success. People are highly motivated to participate and the quality of discourse rises to a level of excellence. Definitely, we as European Socialists, have the ideas, the project, the people and the team to build a new Europe.
A Europe with a different role in international affairs; with a strong environmentalist discourse; and with a new green Agenda. A Europe with an active and strong relation with their citizens; who embraces differences and diversity as a genetic mark of the socialist view of contemporary societies. A Europe that takes the responsibility to achieve the goals of the New Social Europe project and, with it, operates the necessary social changes that we need, in today’s Europe.
I want to be a part of this new Europe - and to see it from the beginning that is a real privilege. Now, we haven’t build anything yet, there is a lot of work to be done, and the PES manifesto project is the one where we should gather our resources. The idea is to build a strong and straight forward manifesto with a strong connection to grass roots. A manifesto in which all European socialists can recognize themselves and that points towards this New Social Europe that we talk about.
It is not only possible, but needed, that Europe turns left in the next European elections. With a strong socialist majority in the European Parliament I don’t have a doubt that the New Social Europe could be a reality.
At the PES Cogress in Porto last year we were already talking of this need, in Sofia we continue to pave the road that lays ahead. This path will have its exposure at the 2009 European election, until then, we still have a lot of construction to do. Improve our ideas, our discourse, and our speech.
The manifesto 2009 process will be a very important initiative to assure that the relation between the PES and its grassroots is a dynamic one, and a validated one. The socialist family is calling for our input, our ideas, our thoughts in Europe, in our future. PES is the first European structure to try to think as a multinational party; with a European agenda, and with an integrated and articulated project between the PES, the national parties, PES activists, NGOs and grassroots.
Now it is up to us to help and contribute. You can also take part and be listened to. Just log on to this website, or connect to your party or the PES activist movement in your county. Write down and post your ideas about the PES 2009 manifesto. Your ideas will count.
Politics is still made for and by the people. It is not just economics - it’s the social as well. And only the socialist project can bring a new social justice and equilibrium to a much too liberal Europe. I believe in that - and I want to contribute for this change.
Tags: activists, council, PES, political parties