European socialists launched their campaign for the European elections on June 9 on Saturday March 2 in Rome with the aim of beating the far right which could make a breakthrough.
“The soul of Europe is in danger (…) The ghosts of the past are once again at the posts of our institutions,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned the delegates, castigating “hatred, greed, lies, climate denial, authoritarianism” of the far right. “They have digital weapons and they have powerful allies inside and outside Europe. But we will beat them, as we once beat them,” he added.
The Party of European Socialists (PES) is the second largest group in the number of seats in the European Parliament, behind the European People's Party (EPP). Three months before the European elections on June 9, the two main parliamentary groups are putting themselves in working order in the face of an extreme right in great shape, in France and Italy in particular, and against a backdrop of war in Ukraine.
The PES congress in Rome is being held in the presence of the head of the French Socialist Party Olivier Faure and Raphaël Glucksmann, the head of the small party Place Publique, who will lead the socialist list in the European elections.
These elections “will be the most important in history,” said Raphaël Glucksmann in an interview with the daily La Stampa published on Saturday. “The result of the vote will have consequences for the survival of Europe in a context of crisis of the democratic model,” he warned.
Also present are several European leaders: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the head of the Italian Democratic Party, Elly Schlein.
Nicolas Schmit for President of the Commission
Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez and Olaf Scholz discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday morning in the Italian capital before the opening of the congress session. “The conflict is entering a delicate phase. We must show our commitment and determination. The security and freedom of Europeans are at stake,” stressed the head of the Spanish executive on X (formerly Twitter).
The European socialists must also nominate the Luxembourger Nicolas Schmit as their candidate for president of the Commission against Ursula von der Leyen, the big favorite for her own succession and whose candidacy for the EPP must be ratified during its congress on 6 and 7 March in Bucharest.
Current European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, 70 years old, is virtually unknown to the general public but well versed in European mysteries. He notably participated, for the Luxembourg government, in the negotiation of the Treaties of Maastricht and Nice.
