12/10/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 12 October, the S&D Group in the European Parliament supported the unanimous decision taken earlier in the day by the Presidency of the Party of European Socialists (PES) to suspend the membership of the Slovak parties SMER and HLAS (see EUROPE 13263/24). “In line with its internal rules and procedures, and taking fully into account [this] decision [by the PES], the [S&D] Bureau will propose that the Group suspend the membership of its three Slovak MEPs next week”, the group said in a statement. This includes Monika Beňová, Katarína Neveďalová and Robert Hajšel. The PES decision follows discussions on the formation of a coalition government in Slovakia with the far-right Slovak National Party SNS. The S&D group is also critical of the recent positions of the leaders of the SMER and HLAS parties on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, immigration, the rule of law and the LGTBIQ community. (CG)