The European socialists launch their campaign for the European elections on June 9 in Rome on Saturday and must nominate Luxembourger Nicolas Schmit as their candidate for President of the Commission against Ursula von der Leyen, the big favorite for her own succession. Current European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, 70 years old, is virtually unknown to the general public but is a keen connoisseur of European mysteries. He notably participated, for the Luxembourg government, in the negotiation of the Treaties of Maastricht and Nice.
The Party of European Socialists (PES) is the second group in terms of number of seats in the European Parliament, behind the European People’s Party (EPP) which must formalize the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen for the election, during its congress on 6 and March 7 in Bucharest. Three months before the European elections on June 9, the two main groups of the EP are launching their campaign against an extreme right which could make a breakthrough, in France and Italy in particular, and against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
“The most important elections in history”, according to Raphaël Glucksmann
The PES congress in Rome is being held in the presence of the head of the French Socialist Party Olivier Faure and Raphaël Glucksmann, the head of the small party Place Publique, who will lead the socialist list in the European elections. These elections “will be the most important in history”, said Raphaël Glucksmann in a daily interview La Stampa published Saturday. “The result of the vote will have consequences for the survival of Europe in a context of crisis of the democratic model,” he warned.
Also present are several European leaders: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the head of the Italian Democratic Party, Elly Schlein. Pedro Sanchez and Olaf Scholz discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday morning in the Italian capital before the opening of the congress session. “The conflict is entering a delicate phase. We must show our commitment and our determination. The security and freedom of Europeans are at stake,” stressed the head of the Spanish executive on X (formerly Twitter).