2023-05-05 07:00:00
The Socialist Group in the European Parliament votes on renaming.
Like its Austrian member, Europe’s red party family is in a process of self-discovery. But it’s not about the chairman, it’s about the name. On May 12, the 144 members of the Progressive Alliance of Social Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament can vote to rename their political group. As with the European People’s Party (EPP), the aim is a uniform name for the parliamentary group and European umbrella organization – and that should be the Party of European Socialists (PES).
One reason for the current debate is the Italian member party. Their involvement was the reason for the faction’s renaming to S&D in 2009. But the new party leader, Elly Schlein, wants to return to leftist semantics. She advocates a Partito del Socialismo Europeo (PES). She is supported by Fraktoins President Iratxe García, who has become active for the name change.
In German, the parliamentary group would be called the Social Democratic Party of Europe (PES). The German-speaking member parties have long insisted on emphasizing their democratic orientation. The German SPD changed its name from Socialists to Social Democrats in 1890, followed by the SPÖ in 1991. The SPÖ delegation in the EU Parliament supports a uniform name for the parliamentary group and family of parties.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, May 5, 2023)
#Return #socialism