The PES Group today officially welcomed 41 young progressive local and regional politicians from all over the European Union and from some of the candidate countries for EU accession. They are part of the European Committee of the Regions’ Young Elected Politicians programme (YEPs), which gives young elected local and regional representatives who are no older than 35 the opportunity to make their voice heard at EU level, work hand-in-hand with CoR members, and take part in tailored training sessions and events.
Speaking to the progressive YEPs in an online meeting, Christophe Rouillon, President of the PES Group and mayor of Coulaines (France), stressed: “With the new European Parliament about to start its work next week, the participation in the YEP programme promises to be a particularly interesting experience for our young progressive leaders. Together with the S&D Group in the European Parliament, our Group will fight in the months to come for a strong cohesion policy that supports all regions, a fair Green Deal that doesn’t leave anyone behind, decent and affordable housing for all, strong social protections for workers, effective gender equality, and a sustainable future Common Agricultural Policy. Young progressive politicians are our best ambassadors to champion a more social, sustainable and fair future. We look forward to closely involving them in our work and, at the same time, to learn from them and get inspired by their concrete action.”
Kata Tüttő, Vice-president of the PES Group and Deputy Mayor of Budapest (Hungary), added. “As progressives, we believe that this programme is a great opportunity to empower local and regional politicians who want to dive into EU politics and make the connection between the EU level and their specific local or regional context. I am particularly delighted that our Group is this year once again leading by example with a gender-balanced delegation that encourages women to bring their unique perspective to EU policy-making. Europe needs to integrate the gender perspective into all its policies. This is why we need a Europe for women and with women.”
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The PES Group network of young progressive local and regional leaders was set up in 2019 and has grown over the years, currently accounting for some 700 progressive leaders from all over Europe.
Each year, the Group organises the #ProgressivesSpeakUp School, a two-day event hosted by one of its Group members in their home town or region. More information is available here.
YEPs are also involved in the Group’s political campaigns and contribute to them with #ProgressiveLocalStories. More information is available here.
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