The PES Group took today part in the Together - A new direction for a progressive Europe - Stand up for our future! kick-off event, organised by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, and which launches a fundamental reflection process on the future of the EU. It will last for a period of 18 months and encourage citizens through a series of events across Europe to contribute to this new direction for Europe.
Among the key speakers were S&D Group President Gianni Pittella, the President of the Party of European Socialists, Sergei Stanishev, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, the 1st Vice-President of the CoR PES Group, Markus Töns, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, as well as the President of the Young European Socialists, Laura Slimani.
Intervening in the debate, Markus Töns made a clear case for a bottom-up driven progressive Europe. "Europe's future cannot be dictated by conservative national governments. We need to break down borders, be it physical or social borders, or the ones in our heads. We need to dare more democracy, more Europe, and more social justice. Guaranteeing quality education to young people and providing fair chances for everybody are both keys to it", he said.
He was joined in his call by Anne Hidalgo, who underlined that "cities are in the front-line when it comes to facing a series of challenges, such as climate change, migration, and growing populism. By openly discussing with our citizens, we can lead the progressive change from the ground and be an important part of the solution."
TOGETHER is a joint project by the S&D Group and its partners, including the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, the Party of European Socialists (PES), social-democratic representatives of national parliaments, the Socialist Group in the Council of Europe, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), Global Progressive Forum (GPF), SOLIDAR, civil society and progressive NGOs.
