PES Newsletter n°3 – October 2005
Socialist Leaders meet in 10 Downing Street
Europe’s Socialist Prime Ministers and Party Leaders met in Tony Blair’s official residence on the eve of the EU informal summit.
A joint statement 
was issued by the British Prime Minister and Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, President of the PES.
Growth and Investment strategy 
A Socialist plan to get Europe back to work was agreed by PES Leaders in their meeting on 26 October. Prepared by Socialist Finance Ministers and Shadow Ministers, the PES Growth and Investment Strategy proposes a more balanced economic policy featuring both structural reforms and investment in growth as well as better coordination of economic policy.
A new Social Europe
Over 200 people took part in the PES conference in Brussels, supported by the European Trade Union Confederation, on “A new Social Europe”. Keynote speaker included PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, ETUC Secretary General John Monks and British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. A PES publication with the same title was launched on the same day with articles by the President of the German SPD Franz Münterfering, Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, and Swedish Employment Minister Hans Karlsson amongst others.
Next is a further conference on 2nd and 3rd December.
Turkey & EU on common journey
We support Turkey’s European aspirations and want to help Turkey complete its journey to EU membership successfully is the message from the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Paavo Lipponen and Greek Socialist Leader George Papandreou after they led the PES’ “High Level Working Group on Turkey” on a delegation to Istanbul and Ankara.
Europe’s demographic challenges
With the right policies Europe can prosper with a declining and ageing population. That’s the conclusion of a PES Reflection Group chaired by Ylva Johansson, Swedish Minister for Health and Elderly Care. The Group’s recommendations show the way for Europe to respond to its population trends.
E-Journal
The second issue of “Social Europe - the journal of the European left” is out. The journal is a PES initiative. The second issue engages in the debate about the future of the European Union after the French and Dutch ‘No’ to the European constitution.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Eastern European Neighbours
The PES Working Group on Eastern European Neighbours will meet the Prime Minister of Ukraine and party leaders on a delegation to Kiev on November 7 chaired by Polish MP Tadeusz Iwinski and Austrian MP Peter Schieder.
PES Women
Europe’s socialist women meet in Birmingham on November 7 – on the agenda is equal pay, World AIDS Day and following up on the international dialogue at the Global Progressive Forum on women and globalization.
Lisbon Network
Socialist politicians working at national and European level on the EU’s ‘Lisbon Agenda’ to make Europe more competitive meet on December 1.
With the financial support of the European Parliament
