Denver - PES was there

1 September 2008

The Party of European Socialists was well-represented at the US Democratic National Convention where Barack Obama was nominated Democratic Presidential candidate.

The PES was represented by Ruairi Quinn, PES Presidency member and Treasurer, and Philip Cordery, PES Secretary General. PES member parties had high level representatives including Mona Sahlin, Leader of  the Swedish Social Democrats; Eamon Gilmore, Leader of the Irish Labour Party; Caroline Gennez, Leader of  the Flemish Socialists SPa; Lilianne Ploumen, Chair of the Dutch Labour PvdA; Ivailo Kalfin, Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Hubertus Heil, Secretary General of the German SPD; Eero Heinäluoma former Leader of SDP Finland; Josef Kalina, from SPÖ Austria, Ed Miliband MP from the UK Labour Party; Juan Fernando López Aguilar from Spanish Socialists PSOE, Nicolai Wammen from SD Denmark; and many others as well as Walter Veltroni, Leader of  the Italian Partito Democratico.

PES participants were hosted by the Chair of the National Democratic Committee Howard Dean. They had a full agenda and took part in the International Leaders Forum (ILF) organised by National Democratic Institute, meeting with prominent policy makers and politicians, including Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Many also took the opportunity to meet other progressive American organisations such as ‘Take Back America’ and the trade union AFL-CIO.  

PES Secretary General Philip Cordery said “The European socialists and social-democrats support Barack Obama for President. His ‘Plan for America’ is a progressive agenda which we believe would bring many benefits to the American people and to the world.”
 

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Julian Scola, Communications Advisor - Media & Campaigns
Party of European Socialists, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels
Mobile +32 486 117 394