S&D Group president Gianni Pittella today called for a ‘New Pact for Europe’ after the decision of the British people to leave the EU, during a meeting of social democrats leaders today near Paris.

Gianni Pittella stated:

"After the British vote on the Brexit, it is impossible to do business as usual. Our citizens and the British citizens would not understand it. Too much time has been wasted since the British referendum two months ago. We need clarity from the British government, and soon.

"Europe is facing many challenges; Brexit is just one of them. After the Brexit, we cannot limit ourselves to cosmetic changes. The next European summit in mid-September in Bratislava must pave the way for future reforms. We need a New Pact for Europe. The status quo is no option.

"We believe that the EU must focus on three priorities:

•    We need to extend and upgrade the European Commission investment plan in order to boost growth and create jobs. We need to change the investment plan by making it more ambitious in supporting riskier projects and raise investment capacities above the 315 million euros currently foreseen. We also need to change the growth and stability pact in order to leave more room for manoeuvre to allow the member states to invest.
•    We need to pursue the fight against tax evasion and tax fraud and strengthen the social dimension of the Eurozone.
•    We also need to strengthen the security at our external borders and implement the decisions on relocation and the establishment of a European coast guard to manage the flow of migrants.

"It is time to move from rhetoric to action."