The President of the Party Of European Socialists Sergei Stanishev and Maria João Rodriges, Vice-chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament
Dear friends,
The crisis in Europe remains a bitter reality for many people. As a result, the far right and populism are on the rise. Solidarity is weakening and divisions and inequalities are growing, both within and between EU countries.
We say, enough! Conservatives in Europe have been pushing the same old recipes. They insist on competitiveness through squeezed labour costs, reduction of public expenditure, limitation of the State’s role in the economy, and labour market deregulation.
This recipe is not new. It looks more and more like political projects of old, from the ‘80s and ‘90s. It didn’t work then, it won’t work now.
Across Europe, members of the PES political family have been fighting the conservatives’ mantra of cuts, cuts, cuts. We have fought for more investment, and as a result European countries are slowly regaining the means for promoting social fairness, stability and growth.
