Ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections, the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) will hold an exchange of views with Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission and designated Spitzenkandidat for European Commission President of the Party of European Socialists (PES), in Brussels on Monday, 26 November 2018, from 14.30 to 17.30.
Commenting ahead of the meeting, PES Group President Catiuscia Marini, President of the Umbria Region (Italy), said:
“Next year’s European elections will be historic. The future of the European Union is at stake. Progressive locally and regionally elected politicians must fight together for a more inclusive and social Europe based on solidarity. Local and regional authorities are the closest to the citizens and they will play a key role in 2019, especially as they are best placed to explain the European Union, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey. With this debate, we want to share with the designated PES Common Candidate Frans Timmermans our key priorities for the future of Europe, that are reinforcing solidarity and territorial cohesion, safeguarding cohesion policy, fighting climate change, and bringing the European Union closer to its citizens”.
Sergei Stanishev, President of the Party of European Socialists, and Maria João Rodrigues MEP, Vice-President of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, will also speak at the meeting.
The meeting will be followed by the Award Ceremony of the 10th European Photo Competition “My Social City”, organised by the PES Group in cooperation with SOLIDAR, with the participation of Patrizia Toia, MEP (S&D, Italy), Michaela Kauer, Coordinator on the Urban Partnership for Housing and Director of the Brussels Liaison Office of the City of Vienna, and Conny Reuter, Secretary General of SOLIDAR. The event will take place between 17.30 and 18.30, in the Atrium 5, 5th floor, European Committee of the Regions. Full details and a registration form can be found on the website of the event.
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Notes to the Editors:
The exchange will take place in Room 52, 5th floor, European Committee of the Regions. Journalists are welcome to attend. Frans Timmermans will intervene at 16.00.
The official confirmation of the PES Common Candidate will take place at the PES Congress on 7/8 December 2018 in Lisbon, to which the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions will participate with a delegation.
The PES Group adopted its key priorities in July 2018. The document can be accessed here.
For further information or to organise an interview, please contact Monica Tiberi, Press and Communications Adviser at the PES Group, at monica.tiberi@cor.europa.eu.
