The Party of European Socialists pushed for a European Migration compact at the PES meeting ahead of the EU Council on 20 October.

PES President Sergei Stanishev said: "We welcome the Migration compact and we look forward to the first assessment to be carried out by the European Commission before the end of this year."

The PES Leaders agreed that a workable European Migration Compact must be developed as soon as possible. This compact must, on the one hand, ensure the control of the external borders of the EU through a reinforced European Border and Coast Guard and, and on the other hand, to be based on mutual solidarity.

At the meeting, PES leaders agreed that European Institutions need stability in this particular moment and that it would be good for the European Union if the current presidents of the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament would hold office until the end of the term.

"We will be having difficult negotiations for the Brexit and we need people in the EU team that have experience playing together", Stanishev said.

Stanishev highlighted that the European Socialists and Democrats have agreed that the progressives should lead the process of further development of the EU for the best of its citizens. The PES leaders agreed on the need to rediscover the social democratic roots of the EU.

List of participants:

- Sergei Stanishev, PES President

- Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden

- Christian Kern, Chancellor of Austria

- Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta

- Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

- Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party (UK)

- Liviu Dragnea, President of PSD (Romania)

- Fofi Gennimata, President of PASOK (Greece)

- Diederik Samsom, Leader of PvdA (the Netherlands)

- Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament

- Gianni Pittella, President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament

- Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security

- Maros Sefcovic, Commissioner for Energy Union

- Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission

Check the photos of the meeting here.