Brussels, 24/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - The birth of the "European Reformist Left" was announced at the end of last week in Brussels at a press conference attended by two co-founders, Bruno Liebhaberg (former member of the cabinet of Jacques Delors when he was European Commission president) and Claude Desama, former MEP, as well as Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former French minister, and Charles Picqué, Belgian parliamentarian. This new club for discussion aims to include Belgium in the network of similar bodies already created in the Union, such as the French "A gauche, en Europe" founded by Pierre Moscovici and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and the Italian "Italianieuropei" founded by Giuliano Amato and Massimo d'Alema, and the groups already existing in Spain and Sweden. The aim is to go beyond the slogan calling for "more Europe" to define guidelines on the nature of a new Europe closer to its citizens, a Europe which combines economic effectiveness with social progress.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn stressed that the different reflection groups will collaborate together even if some responses will necessarily remain of a national nature. A base "corpus" must be defined, valid for all EU Socialist parties, whether in power or in the opposition. In his view, the traditional Socialist parties are now at a standstill, reformist social democracy must be totally renovated and it must reorientate the choices and the management of Europe.
The first event organised by the "reformist left" will be a colloquium on "Globalisation, public services and citizenship - three challenges for the 21st century", to be held on Wednesday 26 November at the "Maison des parlementaires" (rue de Louvain 21, Brussels) with the participation, among others, of European Commissioners Pascal Lamy and Philippe Busquin, the former Danish Prime Minister, Poul Nyrop Rasmussen, and the president of the Socialist Group at the European Parliament, Enrique Baron Crespo. The work will be opened and concluded by the co-founder of the club, Bruno Liebhaberg.