Brussels, 11/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, announced that they would be going on the offensive in a very politicised campaign for next June's European elections. They will specifically strive to clearly differentiate their fundamental political differences with those of the European “right” (particularly the European People's Party (EPP) and the Liberals of the ELDR). Mr Rasmussen declared at a press conference during the official launch of the PES campaign in Brussels: “we must politicise Europe and make our political choices clearer”. According to Rasmussen, in the face of the current economic and financial crisis, European Socialists believe that they offer the best responses to citizens' fears and concerns by, above all, defending social protection and job security. He asserted that “the EPP and ELDR have no coherent response on financial market reform and the economic recovery. They are the do-nothing parties”. On the other hand, “the PES has a plan: coordinated investments in smart, green growth and regulation covering all financial players at European and at global level”. Mr Rasmussen declared, optimistically, that the PES aimed to become the main political force in the next European Parliament and affirmed that “people are ready for change and want a radical change of Europe, a new direction for Europe”.
The PES has still not decided whether it will appoint its candidate or not for the post of president of the next European Commission. Mr Rasmussen said that it was very likely that a decision on this subject would be taken during the party leaders' “pre-summit” on the eve of the March European Council in Brussels.
On Wednesday, the PES officially presented its “manifesto” adopted by the party congress last December in Madrid. “People first: a new direction for Europe” puts forwards 71 concrete proposals based around six objectives: Relaunching the economy and preventing new financial crises; New Social Europe - giving people a fairer deal; Transforming Europe into the leading global force against climate change; Championing gender equality in Europe; Developing an effective European migration policy; and Enhancing Europe's role as a partner for peace, security and development. The manifesto and other information on the election campaign can be located at: (http://www.elections2009.pes.org ). (H.B./transl.rh)