PES ready to fight 'anti-Socialist alliance' in June polls[fr][de] 

Like the other leading European parties, the PES is preparing its manifesto in an attempt to provide national member parties with a set of common electoral campaign issues from which they can pick and chose. These manifesto might help national parties to distance themselves from the reality that national issues still dominate European elections (EurActiv 14/05/08). 

The party's confidence ahead of the European elections next June has strengthened in recent months, primarily due to the fallout from the global financial crisis, which many leading socialists consider to be a vindication of social democratic economic policy. 

Socialist Group President and German MEP Martin Schultz hailed the EU's response to the financial crisis for "singing from the hymn sheet of social democracy" and expressed his approval that Europe's leaders had "finally arrived, however late" to socialist economic thinking. 

Speaking to EurActiv, leading British Labour MEP Richard Corbett said the Madrid Council was key to the European Socialists' election build-up, as delegates "will put the finishing touches to the common European socialist manifesto" (see EurActiv 29/10/08). 

Corbett confirmed that the financial crisis had invigorated the socialist base across the EU, as "we have always been among those who said that markets can't be left totally unregulated and unsupervised. Markets need rules, and shaping – who can doubt that now?" 

Responding to persistent rumours in Brussels that the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) may form a post-electoral pact with the ALDE group of European liberals (see EurActiv 05/11/08), Corbett said that the PES was "aware of that possibility," but added that "the feasibility of different alliances will depend on the relative strength of the party groups after the elections". 

"We hope to be in a strong enough position to ensure that noone can form an anti-Socialist alliance," Corbett concluded, adding that "even if they might be able to pull it off in terms of sharing out positions (EurActiv 06/11/08), if the Socialists are strong enough, they'll still have to deal with us where it really counts – getting legislation through." 

As well as a number of debates on the economic and financial crisis, the PES council and manifesto will focus on issues such as migration, climate change, rising food and energy prices, jobs, equality and the EU's Lisbon Treaty.