In November 2017, the 197 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathered in Bonn for the COP23. By now, an overwhelming majority of countries have realised that in order to avoid rising temperatures and to contribute to a sustainable future, a transition towards more efficient energy is needed. It is not necessarily only a question of energy type and source, but more about efficiency and which techniques and business conduct can help to amplify this.

Brussels, 25 January 2018

On the conviction of ex-president and presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of the European Left Gregor Gysi declared:

Electing some Members of the European Parliament using transnational lists would boost democracy and strengthen the European dimension of the elections.

Pan-European electoral lists were first endorsed by the PES in 2017, when member parties adopted a resolution committing the party to "support the proposal of electing a part of the Members of the new European Parliament through European lists of candidates, presented by the different [European] political parties".

PES president Sergei Stanishev said:

Today the environment committee in the European Parliament backed a report aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. The EU is committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, and road transport must make a relevant contribution to this target. It is generating the greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions (72.8% in 2014) of all means of transport, with heavy-duty vehicles accounting for 5% of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the EU.