Brussels, 06/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - It doesn't come as any great surprise, given the growing rumour, that Martin Schulz (Germany) will be the Party of European Socialists (PES) candidate for the European elections in May 2014. On Wednesday 6 November, Schulz, the current president of the European Parliament, confirmed that he would run for the post of the next president of the European Commission and would put winning back the trust of the people of Europe at the heart of his campaign. This announcement comes before those of the other European parties, including the Christian Democrats.
In truth, the procedure at the PES has been relatively swift because Schulz was the only one to have had his name put forward as a candidate (nominated by the German SPD). He was delighted to have been supported by 21 out of the 32 member parties of the PES (according to the group's internal rules, a minimum of 15 approvals is required). He denied that this would weaken the democratic process, stating that, “if there had been other nominations, we would have organised a preliminary vote”.
It is precisely on democracy that his campaign will focus, Schulz being determined to “regain the trust of our European citizens” at all costs. He said that citizens must again believe in the idea that, “instead of opposing one another across borders, countries and nations should work together in common institutions to build, on the basis of common interests, compromises that are fair, which create more wealth, social welfare and opportunities, especially for young people”.
He takes on the role of the adversary of “the parties that openly oppose the idea of Europe” despite the fact that, in some countries, these are the leading parties. Schulz is eager to prevent these parties “monopolising the debate with a message that is either for or against Europe” and he would like the argument to be what sort of Europe we would like to see.
He is therefore putting citizens at the heart of his concerns and said that the fight against youth unemployment will be his number one priority. He also asserted that the fact that “the most educated generation on the continent is suffering unemployment is unacceptable for Social Democrats, as it should be for everyone else in Europe”. He insisted on the fact that the return to growth is a precondition for tackling unemployment. He briefly stated that his other goals include (without elaborating on his campaign programme or strategy) the need to regulate the financial markets, banking union, further stabilisation in the euro zone, sustainable management of sovereign debt in certain countries and looking more closely at the “revenues” section of the European budget.
The PES Congress will take place from 28 February - 1 March 2014 and is expected to formally ratify this candidacy. Schulz is obviously hoping to obtain as broad support as possible from his colleagues but he also has his eyes on the members of the institution of which he is still the president. According to the Lisbon Treaty, it is Parliament which ultimately approves the proposal for European Commission president, based on a recommendation from the European Council. Schulz firmly declared that “I will strive to obtain a majority at the European Parliament. The candidate must be able to have an influence and impact”. He did, however, acknowledge that an absolute majority will never be obtained and that his group is not the biggest in the institution.
Schulz was questioned about the ongoing attempts to form a coalition in Germany between the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats and the impact that this could have on both his appointment and possibilities for a coalition at a European level. He stated that “the candidacy of a Socialist candidate in Europe is not negotiated in Berlin… They are currently holding negotiations on a coalition in Berlin and not on joint list for Europe”. (MD/transl.fl)