About: socialists
European Parliament strip jailed Catalan MEP of seat
The European Parliament declared Friday (10 January) that jailed Catalan separatist Oriol Junqueras is no longer an MEP, stripping him of the immunity his supporters hoped would see him freed.
Allied with far-left, Spain’s Sanchez stays on as PM
Spain's parliament on Tuesday (7 January) narrowly confirmed Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez as premier for another term, paving the way for the country's first-ever coalition government since its return to democracy in the 1970s.
Portugal’s ruling Socialists win election but fall short of outright majority
Portugal's ruling Socialists won Sunday's (6 October) parliamentary election but fell short of an outright majority, meaning Prime Minister António Costa will need to negotiate a new deal with one or both of his far-left allies in the previous legislature.
EU socialists say Romania’s Victor Ponta is ‘fully unreliable’
Romania’s former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who has left the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) and formed his own ProRomania party, cannot be trusted as he changes his mind every week, a high-ranking EU socialist told EURACTIV.com.
France’s incoming MEPs will be ‘like a company that only functions with interns’
Only 20 out of the 70 MEPs set to represent France in the new European Parliament already know the system. "It is like a company that only functions with interns," according to one lawmaker. EURACTIV France reports.
UK should ‘cool down’, ditch Brexit – Timmermans
Britain should use the next few months to "cool down and rethink" its decision to leave the European Union, the socialist candidate to head the next European Commission, Frans Timmermans, said on Wednesday (17 April).
Council and Parliament lock horns over EU chief prosecutor choice
MEPs and EU government representatives failed to reach an agreement on the appointment of the bloc’s first chief prosecutor on Wednesday (27 March), following disagreements over the potential hiring of Romania’s former anti-corruption chief Laura Codruţa Kövesi. The talks were the second...
Stanishev loses leadership of European elections list to former partner
Sergei Stanishev may be the leader of the Party of European Socialists (PES), but his authority in his home country Bulgaria is under pressure.
Albanian police disperse opposition protest with teargas
Albanian police used teargas Tuesday (26 February) to disperse hundreds of opposition protesters who tried to prevent ruling Socialist MPs from entering parliament.
Kovesi tells MEPs: I know you received negative information about me
Laura Codruţa Kövesi, the former chief of Romania’s anti-corruption agency (DNA) who is one of the three shortlisted candidates to become the EU's first-ever chief prosecutor, emerged as the favourite after a hearing in the European Parliament on Tuesday (26 February).
‘Grand coalition’ to end after May’s EU parliament poll, survey suggests
The 'grand coalition' of the centre-right and left groups in the European Parliament is set to end after May's European elections, according to a projection by VoteWatch, the Brussels-based think-tank famous for monitoring how MEPs vote, published on Wednesday (9 January).
Socialists entrust Timmermans to replace Juncker at EU helm
Europe’s socialist parties on Saturday (8 December) chose Dutch politician Frans Timmermans to lead them in May elections and to succeed his boss Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission. Delegates voted in Timmermans, currently first vice president of the EU’s powerful...
Romanian Europe minister resigns on cusp of EU stint
Romania's Minister for European affairs Victor Negrescu has resigned just weeks before the country takes on the EU's six-month rotating presidency in January, media reported Saturday (10 November).
Bulgarian president sees democracy ‘under threat’
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev issued a stinging critique of the government's record on corruption and press freedom Friday (9 November), saying "the foundations of democracy are being threatened to a critical degree".
Romanians boycott the ‘referendum of hate’
A referendum to change Romania’s constitution to prevent same sex couples from securing the right to marry failed to draw enough voters to validate the result on Sunday (7 October), after a campaign that led to a rise in hate speech against the gay community.
Romania’s constitutional court backs rights for gay couples
Romania's constitutional court ruled Thursday (27 September) that gay couples should have the same family rights as heterosexuals, a judgment that runs counter to a referendum next month seeking to interdict gay marriage.
Romania’s strongman urged to resign with ruling party in free fall
Three former allies of the leader of Romania’s ruling Social Democrats called on him to resign on Wednesday, saying his criminal convictions have become the party’s largest vulnerability ahead of elections in 2019 and 2020.
Trial starts for violent storming of Macedonian parliament
A Macedonian court on Wednesday (22 August) launched a trial of 33 men, including five opposition MPs and a former interior minister, accused of involvement in a violent attack on parliament last year.
Romania’s president removes chief anti-corruption prosecutor
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis sacked chief anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi on Monday (9 July) to honour a constitutional court ruling which Kövesi said may leave prosecutors exposed to political interference.
Half of Aquarius migrants seek asylum in France
Almost half of the 630 migrants that were rescued from the Mediterranean and arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend want to seek asylum in France, the Spanish government said yesterday (18 June).
Valencia gives ‘huge example of solidarity and humanity’
The head of the Red Cross urged European Union member states yesterday (17 June) to follow Spain's example of welcoming a rejected migrant ship and "put into practice" the humanitarian values promoted by the bloc.
Rajoy ousted from Spanish government, replaced by socialist Sánchez
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, plagued by corruption scandals, lost a confidence vote in the Spanish parliament on Friday (1 June) and will be replaced by opposition leader Pedro Sánchez, a socialist who vowed to call elections soon.
Bulgarian truckers protest against ‘Macron law’
Hundreds of truck drivers blocked roads across Bulgaria on Thursday (17 May) as European Union leaders met in Sofia, protesting against proposed EU rules they say would cost them their jobs and put their firms out of business.