On the eve of the ceremony of the 150th Anniversary of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), PES Women celebrated yesterday (22 May) its two decades of progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. The 20th Anniversary Reception took place in Leipzig, commemorating the foundation of the PES Women’s Standing Committee in May 1993 and honouring the remarkable work of past PES Women Presidents Karin Junker and Fiorella Ghilardotti.
PES Women President Zita Gurmai stated that; “this anniversary is a poignant reminder of our achievements to date and challenges ahead. For over two decades, PES Women has done justice to its motto ‘The same rights, the same fights’. In the last years we have fought tirelessly for a European Youth Guarantee, gender quotas on company boards and equal sexual and reproductive rights for all women in Europe”.
Ms. Gurmai added: “Nowadays, concerning the Gender Pay Gap, it definitely is about time: on its 20th birthday, PES Women calls for a 2 percent reduction per year of the Gender Pay Gap and demands the creation of a European Commissioner for Gender Equality and Women’s Rights with the political will to ensure the implementation of this and other progressive legislation”.
The event was co-hosted by Elke Ferner, vice chair of the SPD Group in the Bundestagg, and chairperson of the „Association of Social Democratic Women” (ASF) – the women’s organization of the SPD.
PES Leaders’ meeting: “A progressive industrial policy can change the course of the crisis”, says PES President
Within the framework of the 150th Anniversary of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), PES Prime Ministers and Party Leaders have gathered today in Leipzig (22 May) to examine the conclusions of the latest European Council meeting. The PES Leaders’ Conference discussed the ongoing effects of the crisis, the next steps for implementing the European Youth Guarantee and the details of a progressive industrial policy.
PES President Sergei Stanishev underlined that; “a progressive European industrial policy can change the course of the crisis for the better. With 3 million jobs lost in the industrial sector since the start of the crisis, we need to act swiftly and decisively to generate new opportunities and areas of growth. This is the reason why, on 28 May, the PES will hold a major conference in Brussels that will define an Action Plan to revitalize Europe’s Industry”.
Mr. Stanishev added that; “another pivotal project is our ongoing elaboration of a fundamental programme for all social democratic parties in Europe. Its adoption next month at our PES Council in Sofia will be an invaluable tool to put our progressive values into action. This strong and shared commitment will constitute one of the main pillars of the PES family towards the 2014 European elections”.
The socialist and social democratic leaders expressed their support for the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) candidate Plamen Oresharski, who used his participation in the Leaders’ Conference to stress Bulgaria’s alarming situation of instability and corruption triggered by electoral fraud and the undemocratic practices of the conservative GERB party.
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