French Socialists mull leadership decision[fr][de] 

The candidates for the position are Benoît Hamon, leader of the party's left wing faction, and Martine Aubry, mayor of Lille and daughter of former European Commission president, Jacques Delors. The third candidate is former presidential candidate and head of Poitou-Charentes region, Ségolène Royal. 

Ahead of last weekend's party congress and the imminent leadership nomination, French Socialists gathered to outline their views on the future of the party's European policy at a 'summer university', EurActiv France reports. 

The EU has become a somewhat divisive issue for the Parti Socialiste. While many parliamentarians are strongly supportive of the European project, other party members prefer to avoid the issue completely. 

Bringing Europe closer to citizens… 

Most agreed that there continued to be a gap between the EU and its citizens, with leadership candidate Royal rejecting the notion that the European project could succeed without its citizens. Instead, "a European consultation should be launched among citizens across the 27 member states to debate the future of Europe," she argued. 

"Europe will not get built without its peoples," agreed fellow Socialist MP Marc Dolez, while Pierre Moscovici spoke of "the identity crisis of a Europe divorced from its people". 

Colleagues Jean-Luc Melanchon and Gérard Filoche want the June 2009 elections to the European Parliament to lead to the creation of a "European constituent assembly" that would allow citizens to regain control of the European project. 

Others believe it is time for EU leaders to stop getting bogged down in institutional issues. "The problem facing today's Europe is not how to do things but what to do policy-wise," argues Gérard Collomb. 

…by promoting 'Social Europe' 

Many French Socialists rallied around the notion of a 'Social Europe', arguing EU action on social policy would best address the concerns of today's citizens. Marylise Lebranchu wants "a Europe that is capable of regulating capitalism and its detrimental effects," echoing French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent call for a "refoundation of capitalism" (EurActiv 22/10/08). 

Leadership candidate Royal defines 'Social Europe' as "a Europe which does not prevent individual states from deciding upon the level of solidarity they desire". 

But PS member Pascal Jacquemin goes much further, demanding a "social Europe [with] uniform laws to progressively equalise salaries, boost consumer spending and moralise business profits". "Only a social Europe can ensure the EU's future," claimed Filoche, calling for the establishment of an EU-wide minimum wage. 

Boosting European economic governance 

Lebranchu called for the European Central Bank (ECB) to be integrated into "a European economic government," while Hamon lamented that the bank's independence prevents the Eurogroup, which brings together eurozone finance ministers, from significantly changing economic policy. 

Other party members want to increase the Community budget to between 1.5 and 2% of total EU GDP, rather than the current 1%. This would give the bloc "a genuine budget capable of providing solidarity between countries," argued outgoing leader François Hollande. 

Boosting EU defence policy 

Finally, Lebranchu called on France and the UK to give up their seats in the United Nations Security Council, which would allow EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to take a seat on behalf of the entire bloc instead. 

"It is vitally important [for France] to discuss [issues such as globalisation] with other EU countries," said French Socialist parliamentarian Marylise Lebranchu, while her colleague, party leadership candidate Martine Aubry, wants Europe to better "address the issue of sustainable development". 

Fellow PS member Marie-Noëlle Lienemann wants "a different Europe," denouncing "unelected institutions" like the European Commission, which she believes to be "obsessed with promoting free competition", and the European Central Bank, which "penalises growth and jobs". 

Gaëtan Gorce and Louis Gautier want to see the French Socialist Party better integrated into the Party of European Socialists (PES), but colleague Lienemann would prefer the emergence of "a common platform" between the PS and the European United Left. 

Jean-Luc Mélenchon spoke out against the French Socialist Party's decision to make "strengthening transatlantic dialogue" a political priority. "Such a split in the European projected should be completely rejected," he said. 

Regarding reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Laurent Fabius called for "an ecological agriculture that adequately supports the farming community," while Lebranchu believes the new CAP should include measures to address future food crises. 

Colleagues Christophe Caresche and Pierre Larrouturou want "a treaty for social Europe" to be established.