Today the Socialists and Democrats concluded a three day event in Riga, during which, we discussed with experts on the social, cultural and democratic Future of the European Union. 

The event, organised by Nils Ušakovs - head of the Latvian delegation in the S&D Group . It is one in a series of events that the S&Ds are organising in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Nils Ušakovs - S&D MEP and host of the conference in Riga - said:

"What the S&D Group stands for is, a Europe that is home for everyone, regardless of ethnic origin, religion and political beliefs. This is the kind of Europe we want to live in and the worst thing to do now, in times of troubles, wars and crisis is drawing dividing lines. Instead, we have to think about how to further strengthen our democracy. This goes far beyond economic measures. The EU is above all a union of people and they have to feel safe in it.  This means we have to move towards social protection but also towards media literacy which becomes crucial in the information age. Rights and freedoms of every minority should be guaranteed if we truly want Europe to be a home for all of us.

We really cannot fail in this historic moment when we see dramatic changes in the world. There is far too much uncertainty on the planet and Europe and Latvia are no exception. This creates the best environment for populism and extremism to grow. The historic moment gives a major opportunity to the Socialists and Democrats to make our society more coherent and certain in the future."