06/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - Piero Fassino, Secretary of Democratici di sinistra, spoke in Strasbourg on 5 September with the presidents of the party of European Socialists (PES), Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, and of the EP Socialist Group, Martin Schulz, on the prospects of creating a “Partito democratico” in Italy. In an interview with La Repubblica, Mr Schulz said the Socialist Group supports the idea of building a new party in Italy similar to the Social Democrat parties of other countries. Still according to La Repubblica, Mr Rasmussen said it would be natural to invite Prodi to their congress and to the summits held before the European Councils.