Christophe Rouillon, mayor of Coulaines (France) and vice-president of Le Mans metropolitan region, and Yoomi Renström, mayor of Ovanåker (Sweden), were today elected as the new president and first vice-president of the Party of European Socialists (PES) Group in the European Committee of the Regions. The group brings together social democratic and progressive locally and regionally elected politicians from across the European Union. Enrico Rossi, President of Tuscany Region (Italy) was elected vice-president in charge of the relations with the Party of European Socialists and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, of which the PES Group is a full member organisation.
Upon his election, Mr. Rouillon commented that “I thank the members of the PES Group for their trust. As President, I will work on the principles of collegiality and transparency and fully implement the Code of Conduct on gender equality. Together, strong of our local and regional roots, we will contribute to the victory of social-democracy in Europe by bringing forward solidarity, integration, sustainable development, neighbourhood policy and the values of the European progressive forces. We will work closely with the S&D Group in the European Parliament and the Party of European Socialists for this common goal.”
Ms. Renström added “I am proud to have been elected First Vice-President of the PES Group and I will do my very best to live up to your expectations. Leading a political group is not a one-person show. It builds on teamwork, and the more each one of you engage in this work, the stronger the Group will grow and the clearer our political vision will be. People put less and less their hopes for a better future in the hands of politicians, but we can regain their trust because of our proximity to them, our values of solidarity and openness and our uncompromising stance on human rights. We must continue our work for cohesion in the EU, amongst Member States, regions, cities, and rural areas. We represent the political force that works to ensure that no person nor region is left behind. Thank you for giving me the chance to work with all of you in order to implement our common vision for a truly inclusive European project.”
Mr. Rossi said “I am very grateful to have received the trust of the members of the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions. Because of their proximity to citizens, regions and cities have a key role to play in building the future of the European Union. I look forward to working closely together with all members of the PES Group to place jobs and social policies at the heart of the EU strategy, just as growth and investment have been so far. The fight against the climate crisis must be a top priority. Environmental protection is a universal right and a principle of hope shared by all people, in addition to being a cross-cutting instrument associated with different policies. These will be my battles, in cooperation with the Party of European Socialists and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, to build a type of socialism that is up to today’s challenges and is more European. All together for a stronger European Committee of the Regions, in a stronger and socialist Europe.”
Christophe Rouillon has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions since 2008. He has been mayor of Coulaines (France) since 2001. He is vice-president of the French Mayors’ Association, in charge of European affairs. He is also a member of the Sarthe Departmental Council, representing the canton of Le Mans-Nord-Campagne, since 1998. Since 2014, he has been second vice-president of Le Mans metropolitan region in charge of higher education, research and EU funds. His full CV is available here.
Yoomi Renström has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions since 2006. She has been mayor of Ovanåker (Sweden) since 2010. She was president of the district board of the Swedish Social Democratic Party of Gävleborg County between 2010 and 2015. From 2005 until 2006, she was a member of the Swedish parliament. She is also a member of the Congress of the Council of Europe. Her full CV is available here.
Enrico Rossi has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions since 2015. President of Tuscany since 2010, he was a member of the Regional Council of Tuscany from 2000 to 2010, mayor of Pontedera from 1990 to 1999, and Pontedera's deputy mayor and councillor for social policy and urban planning from 1985 to 1990. He is also vice-president of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) in charge of cohesion. His full CV is available here.
