About: S&D Archives

The decision of former European Parliament President Martin Schulz to return to national politics came as a “relief” for the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) who now have their hands free to forge alliances with political parties on the left, S&D sources told EURACTIV in Strasbourg.

The right-wing European People’s Party (EPP) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) decided to form a pro-European coalition that will support EPP candidate for the Parliament presidency Antonio Tajani. EURACTIV.com reports from Strasbourg.

The votes of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), as well as the ultimate stance of the far-right Europe of Nations and Freedom group (ENF) will determine today’s election (17 January) of the next European Parliament president, EURACTIV has learned. EURACTIV.com reports from Strasbourg.

The European Union's centre-right grouping yesterday (13 December) elected Antonio Tajani as its candidate to replace Social Democrat Martin Schulz as President of the European Parliament, a move that could increase calls for a reshuffle of other top EU jobs.

The European Parliament's 2016 Sakharov Prize will be awarded tomorrow (12 December) to Iraqi Yazidi survivors and activists. On this occasion, 104 MEPs signed a letter to EU’s foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, asking the EU to recognise the ISIS genocide against the Yazidis.

Strains in Germany's right-centre ruling coalition are playing out in the race for the presidency of the European Parliament, with the conservative European People's Party (EPP) trying to oust Martin Schulz, a German centre-left Social Democrat (S&D).

Socialist MEPs are exploring a left-wing alternative to their traditional alliance with the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which currently rules the European Parliament.

The ascenscion of liberal Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the New Democracy party's leadership has shaken Greece's fragile political landscape. EURACTIV Greece reports.

The heads of three political groups in the European Parliament sent a joint letter yesterday (9 November) to the 28 EU leaders urging them to back the European Commission’s proposals on refugees. EURACTIV Greece reports.

EXCLUSIVE / Martin Schulz has launched a discreet campaign to remain President of the European Parliament for a third consecutive term. One of his most fervent supporters is Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President.

The main groups in the European Parliament have rejected a proposal from the French National Front to ban a bee-killing pesticide, in an attempt to shut the extreme right out of the legislative process. EURACTIV France reports. 

Syriza chief Alexis Tsipas left the door open on Thursday (3 September) for cooperation with the PASOK, in the event that the party purges members who belong to the ‘old establishment’. EURACTIV Greece reports.

Next week’s vote on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is in question, after the Socialists and Democrats backed down from a deal with the European People’s Party.

EU lawmakers on Wednesday accused some member states of passing the buck by rejecting a Brussels plan for binding quotas for refugees making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing.

The so-called Monti group, named after its chairman, the former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, is trying to identify what exactly creates European added value, so that more resources for the EU budget would come from there in the future, to the relief of taxpayers, member Ivailo Kalfin told EURACTIV.

A poll measuring the most and least active members of the European Parliament reveals that the leaders of the political groups are among the most inactive MEPs, in terms of parliamentary engagement.

The European Parliament will vote tomorrow (13 March) over a resolution on the EU budget for 2014-2020. But as the vote approaches, the common position spelled out by five political groups last week appears to have been undermined by national views opposing the proposed budget “rejection.”

EU ministers in charge of agriculture and food safety are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday (13 February) to consider the wider implications of the recent discovery of horsemeat in beef products.

As expected, German MEP Martin Schulz has been nominated as a candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament for the second half of the current term (January 2012-June 2014).