1 December 2008

Today the leaders of Europe’s social democratic and socialist parties adopted the PES manifesto for the 2009

European elections.

The PES manifesto “People first: A new direction for Europe” features over 60 concrete proposals including

- A European strategy for smart green growth to create 10 million new jobs by 2020
- New financial market regulation covering all players including hedge funds and private equity
- Climate-changing emission reductions for industries such as transport and construction
- A European Pact on Wages for decent minimum wages in all EU member states
- Stepping up the fight against the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation.

The proposals are featured under six priority areas for reform:

Relaunching the economy and preventing new financial crises Giving people a fairer deal in a new Social Europe Transforming Europe into the leading global force against climate change Championing gender equality in Europe Developing an effective migration policy for Europe Enhancing Europe’s role as a partner for peace, security and development

PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said “The conservatives have had a majority in Europe for the last four years. What have they done to make a fairer society? They have ignored the interests of ordinary hard-working families.

We want to take Europe in a new direction creating a fairer society and putting people first."

“Our manifesto gives voters a clear choice between the PES and our opponents. A clear choice between a progressive

European Union in which member states work together to tackle the economic and climate crisis for the benefit of all the people of Europe, or a conservative European Union which places our future in the hands of the market.”

The PES manifesto was adopted in Madrid by over 232 delegates from 33 PES member parties, and over 300 grassroots activists from all over Europe, including Jose Luis Zapatero, Franz Munterfering, Martine Aubry, Jose Socrates,

Ferenc Gyurcsany, Alfred Gusenbauer, Sergei Stanishev, Borut Pahor, Gediminas Kirkilas, Jean Asselborn, Carolin

Flint, George Papandreou, Mona Sahlin, Elio Di Rupo, Caroline Gennez, Helle Thorning Schmidt, Jutta Urpilainen, Eamon Gilmore, Grzegorz Napieralski, Janis Dinevics, Riccardo Nencini, Yiannakis Omirou, Joseph Muscat, Piero Fassino, Margot Wallstrom, Martin Schulz and Mercedes Bresso.

The manifesto was drawn up following a nine-month consultation involving over 300,000 visits to the consultation website, some 120 meetings across Europe, over 500 written contributions on-line, and more than 60 formal submissions from NGOs, trade unions, foundations and member parties.

“Our policies are more inclusive than the conservatives” said Rasmussen “and we do our politics in a more inclusive way too.”