The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament will co-host the first Progressive caucus meeting with the Party of European Socialists in Strasbourg on Friday 18 June, the day before the inaugural plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The Progressive caucus will take place in Strasbourg both in-person and online from 16h30. The opening will be web-streamed live on the S&D website with contributions from S&D Group president Iratxe García Pérez, PES president Sergei Stanishev and president of the European Parliament David Sassoli. The caucus meeting will bring together MEPs, MPs, Commissioners, and the Portuguese presidency, to shape the #Progressives4Europe vision for a fairer future that puts citizens at centre stage and leaves no one behind.

Any journalists present in Strasbourg on Friday evening should get in touch with S&D press contact Alexander Stanchev to speak to S&D Group president Iratxe García Pérez and PES president Sergei Stanishev. Journalists will be able to follow the opening of the event in-person or online.

S&D Group president Iratxe García Pérez said:

“The Conference on the Future of Europe is about making the EU fairer, more sustainable and better equipped for future challenges to respond to people’s needs and expectations. These are not decisions that the Brussels bubble should make alone which is why it is so important that at every step in this process, we work hand-in-hand with Progressives all over Europe. These caucus meetings will provide the opportunity for us to come together as a political family, to work toward a common vision for a fairer future so that we can revive the spirit of solidarity that gave birth to the EU in the first place.”

President of the Party of European Socialists (PES), S&D MEP Sergei Stanishev, added:

“This is an important moment; our political family understands that instinctively. We have an opportunity to embed what matters for our communities into Europe’s future. It is time to reconnect the European project with citizens and their ambitions for a fairer and more sustainable continent. The EU has always been a symbol of peace, unity, and solidarity. As we continue to fight the pandemic and its social and economic consequences, these values are more important than ever. We are working to make sure the Conference on the Future of Europe strengthens these principles, putting them at the centre of the recovery.”