French Socialist MEPs Isabelle Thomas, Guillaume Balas and Edouard Martin announced on the sidelines of the plenary session on Wednesday 3 October – attended by Benoît Hamon – the creation of a new Generation.s delegation within the S&D group of the European Parliament.
“Our action today is not an act of defiance towards our history but of loyalty to our history and our values. It is an act of freedom, necessary to rebuild the left”, said Hamon, who founded the Generation.s movement, on this occasion.
The initiative does not aim at European elections as such, the head of the delegation, Edouard Martin, assured EUROPE. He pointed out that the initiative is aimed more at creating an autonomous political area within the S&D.
“Our line represents around 40 MEPs within the current Parliament”, the French MEP said, citing the Greens/EFA and the GUE/NGL, as well as other members of the left wing of the S&D Group. The French MEP, who said he did not count on standing for a second mandate, explained that the project was aimed at the “post-election” period and at laying the basis for, possibly, a future political group.
A source explained to EUROPE that the plan to create the new delegation was delayed due to administrative difficulties in order to safeguard the posts of employees linked to the French Socialist delegation. Thus, the new delegation is totally autonomous from the French delegation, but remains financially linked to it.
The presentation of the new delegation was made in the presence of MEPs of the S&D Group, including Virginie Rozière, as well as the Greens/EFA and Communists and, more generally, members of the Progressive Caucus (see EUROPE 11814).
Generation.s under ambush. The movement launched by Benoît Hamon, Generation.s, should present a list for the European elections by the end of October. Hamon told the French press that he would be head of list at the European elections, given no alliance on the left. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)