Today the Party of European Socialists Group in the European Committee of the Regions held its constitutive meeting for the beginning of the new mandate of the institution. Strong of its more than 170 members, the PES Group remains the second biggest political family in the European assembly of cities and regions, even after the departure of its green members, who joined the newly established Greens group, and its big Labour’s delegation after Brexit.
Following its Code of Conduct on Gender Equality, the PES Group elected its candidate for the presidency of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Cordeiro, President of the Regional Government of Azores (Portugal), and its executive body with Christophe Rouillon, Mayor of Coulaines (France) as its president, Yoomi Renström, Mayor of Ovanaker (Sweden) as its first vice-president, Concha Andreu, President of La Rioja region (Spain), Enrico Rossi, President of Tuscany region (Italy), Kata Tüttő, Deputy-mayor of Budapest (Hungary) as its vice-presidents, and Per Bødker Andersen, Kolding City Council Member (Denmark) as its treasurer.
“We are very proud to start this new mandate of the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions, building on our new members and their commitment to work together to shape a more progressive and sustainable Europe. As socialist mayors, councillors and regional leaders, we believe that cities and regions must be at the heart of Europe’s response to today’s two most important challenges: the climate crisis and growing social inequalities. Without their cooperation, there will be no Green Deal or social Europe. These are the two priorities on which I want to work together with the Party of European Socialists and the S&D Group in the European Parliament to make sure that the voice of cities and regions is heard at European level,” said Christophe Rouillon.
The PES Group also nominated its political coordinators for each commission of the European Committee of the Regions: Roby Biwer, Member of the Bettembourg Municipal Council (Luxembourg), as ENVE coordinator; Manuela Bora, Regional Minister of Marche (Italy), as COTER coordinator; Joan Calabuig Rull, Regional Secretary for the European Union and External Relations of the Government of Valencia (Spain), as NAT coordinator; Barbara Duden, Member of the Hamburg City Parliament (Germany), as CIVEX coordinator; Jácint Horváth, Member of the Local Government of Nagykanizsa (Hungary), as SEDEC coordinator; and Isolde Ries, First Vice-President of the Saarland Regional Parliament (Germany), as ECON coordinator.
Note to the editor:
- The PES Group is formed by socialist, social-democratic, and left forces coming from 26 EU member states. It is currently composed of 90 full members and of 87 alternate members.
- The PES Group adopted in 2018 a Code of Conduct on Gender Equality that establishes quotas for leadership position both within the Group and within the European Committee of the Regions. More information is available here.
- The president of the European Committee of the Regions will be elected on 12 February during the plenary session.
