Mr Stanishev stated that; “Hannes, throughout his 30 year political career has been a champion of social democratic principles. I am extremely glad that he becomes the face of those principles in the European Parliament”. The former Bulgarian Prime Minister added that; “In my many years of working with Hannes, he has long supported the enlargement of the EU based on clear, democratic standards”.
The S&D group was congratulated on the conduct of the election. The PES President praised the other candidates, French MEP Catherine Trautmann, and UK MEP Stephen Hughes for their; "continued commitment to social democracy".
Mr. Stanishev concluded that; “there is a huge appetite among the people of Europe for democratic, fair, and just EU policies. For two years now, the response to the economic crisis has become stuck in the quagmire of right wing austerity. Hannes will show, in the strongest terms, the clear distinction between these failed right wing policies and the strong, democratic and economically credible approach from the Socialist and Social Democratic family”.
The PES General Secretary, Philip Cordery added that; “I look forward to continuing the close relationship with Hannes to ensure that, in this time of crisis, Europe’s people are given the strongest reasons why social democratic principles provide the best route to economic recovery. Our European Party is based on the principle of coordination - coordination of message, and coordination of actions. We will use every resource to ensure this coordination with our friends in the group”.
For further information please contact Brian Synnott on +32 474 98 96 75 (brian.synnott@pes.org)
