The Socialists, who formed the largest group in the European Parliament in the 1994-1999 electoral cycle, have since fallen behind their centre-right EPP rivals and currently hold 215 seats compared to the EPP's 285.
In a bid to reinvigorate its traditionally strong pan-European base, the PES conducted a Europe-wide public consultation on its manifesto for the 2009 European elections. The consultation, comprising both online debate and physical meetings across Europe, ran from October 2007 to July 2008.
PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen told EurActiv that "through the manifesto consultation, our parties wanted to show that not only are our politics different from our liberal, conservative and nationalist opponents, but that we do our politics in a different, more inclusive and more open way".
Rasmussen added that he was "confident" that the PES manifesto would be "much more prominent in the 2009 European elections than in the 2004 elections, and that our parties will feel much more ownership of this manifesto". "Literally thousands of people have been involved in the consultation," he added.
Major issues that came up during the consultation included migration, climate change, rising food and energy prices, jobs, equality and the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
The party has invested heavily in online tools: as well as the internet consultation, the party has launched a YouTube channel and a Facebook group.
Julian Scola, a communications and campaign advisor at the PES assured EurActiv that the consultation was not merely paying lip service to online fads and that "many of the 600 written comments that came up in the consultation will be reflected in the manifesto".
The party declined to comment on recent political rumours that the EPP and European Liberals may form an alliance following the 2009 elections, effectively shutting out the PES.
Meanwhile, in advance of the Madrid Council, the party vowed to support Spain's Socialist government in its attempt to take part in the G20 world financial crisis summit, scheduled for November 15 in Washington.
"Spain should be there," said Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. "We are not going to convince the world to take concerted action if key players are ignored. It is absurd to exclude Spain from the upcoming meeting of the G20 on 15 November. Instead of excluding, we should be including one of Europe's most important economies. It is time to stand together in order to strengthen our common efforts to tackle the financial crisis and avoid a recession in Europe and worldwide."
