Brussels, 24/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - European Socialist leaders will be meeting in Madrid on 26/27 November to discuss their plans for Europe for the next five years. Socialist heads of state (Gerhard Schroder will not be attending, but Tony Blair probably will), national Socialist Party leaders and Socialist Commissioners will take inspiration from the report drafted by the high level group chaired by former Commissioner Pascal Lamy to set out broad guidelines for the next five years, which will be presented to the new European Commission for consideration as it draws up its multi-annual work programme for presentation to the European Parliament at the beginning of 2005 (see Europe of 19 November, p.14). Describing the Summit to reporters, the President of the PES group, who for the first time in history is also a member of the European Parliament, Danish national Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, hailed the work of Pascal Lamy's group and the work by a group headed by Giuliano Amato of Italy on the PES's relations with the European institutions. The erstwhile Danish prime minister said that the PES was preparing to make changes to allow members of Socialist parties in the Member States to join the PES on an individual basis.
Asked about the EP's procedure for ratifying the composition of the European Parliament, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said it had been used well by the European Parliament but better use could be made of it the next time. He added that the European Council he had attended should in the future make recommendations to the European Parliament from a list of candidates put forward by the political groups when it comes to appointing the President of the Commission.