Quinta-feira, 29 de Novembro de 2007
Last impressions from the PES Council
Published Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 20:05
by jose reis santos in European democracy & diversity (39 views and 0 comments)
I haven’t seen any news coverage of last week's PES Council in Sofia, so I don’t know what spin the media made of it. From my perspective it was a success. Everybody already knows about the weather conditions that prevented a full house plenary and the presence of more high rank officials; but, even thought, the level of the discussions and the quality time available more than compensated this unfortunate event.
The funny thing is that I’ve been told that the airport was build in that location by German engineers in World War II, exactly because of the fog condition - it would make the place easy to defend and invisible to enemy attacks.
The political contribute of this PES Council was very intense, as the Manifesto 2009 took off with attention and strength. Most of the plenary interventions were in accordance to the four main issues – Save our planet, New Social Europe, European democracy and diversity and EU in the world – with some very good ideas and interventions. The fringe meetings, most of them addressing issues of these four major points, were very interesting, at least the ones I attended. I would like to highlight the "European democracy and diversity" meeting, not only because it was the meeting that I attended, but because of the quality of the interventions, especially the ones of Carlos Moreno and Rainbow Rose, a European LGBT organization.
This kind of organization proves to be a success. People are highly motivated to participate and the quality of discourse rises to a level of excellence. Definitely, we as European Socialists, have the ideas, the project, the people and the team to build a new Europe.
A Europe with a different role in international affairs; with a strong environmentalist discourse; and with a new green Agenda. A Europe with an active and strong relation with their citizens; who embraces differences and diversity as a genetic mark of the socialist view of contemporary societies. A Europe that takes the responsibility to achieve the goals of the New Social Europe project and, with it, operates the necessary social changes that we need, in today’s Europe.
I want to be a part of this new Europe - and to see it from the beginning that is a real privilege. Now, we haven’t build anything yet, there is a lot of work to be done, and the PES manifesto project is the one where we should gather our resources. The idea is to build a strong and straight forward manifesto with a strong connection to grass roots. A manifesto in which all European socialists can recognize themselves and that points towards this New Social Europe that we talk about.
It is not only possible, but needed, that Europe turns left in the next European elections. With a strong socialist majority in the European Parliament I don’t have a doubt that the New Social Europe could be a reality.
At the PES Cogress in Porto last year we were already talking of this need, in Sofia we continue to pave the road that lays ahead. This path will have its exposure at the 2009 European election, until then, we still have a lot of construction to do. Improve our ideas, our discourse, and our speech.
The manifesto 2009 process will be a very important initiative to assure that the relation between the PES and its grassroots is a dynamic one, and a validated one. The socialist family is calling for our input, our ideas, our thoughts in Europe, in our future. PES is the first European structure to try to think as a multinational party; with a European agenda, and with an integrated and articulated project between the PES, the national parties, PES activists, NGOs and grassroots.
Now it is up to us to help and contribute. You can also take part and be listened to. Just log on to this website, or connect to your party or the PES activist movement in your county. Write down and post your ideas about the PES 2009 manifesto. Your ideas will count.
Politics is still made for and by the people. It is not just economics - it’s the social as well. And only the socialist project can bring a new social justice and equilibrium to a much too liberal Europe. I believe in that - and I want to contribute for this change.
Tags: activists, council, PES, political parties
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Ainda Sófia
Da blogosfera vão-nos chegando relatos das odisseias em redor das tentativas de viagem para o Conselho.
Destaco duas.
1. Dos franceses
Grosse déception by chourka on Friday, November 23, 2007 at 12:42Les militants de Paris sont extrêmement déçus de n'avoir pas pu participer au Conseil du PSE en raison des mauvaises conditions climatiques qui nous ont empêché d'atteindre Sofia.Pourtant, nous étions très motivés ! Pourtant, nous avions pris de nombreux documents pour présenter le travail réalisé dans la capitale française pour promouvoir le PSE en tant que parti de militants, mais aussi pour aider à la réflexion des délégués sur les 4 thèmes du Manifeste 2009.Après plus de 24 heures passées entre les aéroports de Bucarest et de Rome, c'est le coeur gros que nous avons dû nous résigner à rentrer en France.
2. Dos Italianos
Chiuso per nebbiaCerto che Castagnetti è una potenza…! Aeroporto di Sofia chiuso per nebbia da ieri sera. Metà delle delegazioni al Consiglio del PSE bloccate negli aeroporti di partenza, compresi i francesi, Schulz e Papandreou. Ed ovviamente noi… Veltroni, che sarebbe arrivato oggi da Madrid, dirottato a Roma. Fassino proverà ad arrivarci domattina da Atene. Io e la Lanzillotta ripiegheremo su una chiacchierata sul Titolo V nel suo ufficio, tanto per non avere la sensazione di una giornata persa. Di perso, per me, c’è più di una giornata.
Innanzitutto, una quantità eccessiva (quasi insostenibile) di energia. Sono giorni che salto da un incontro all’altro, col mio bravo blocco degli appunti, e col cellulare che sembra un centralino, per parlare con tutti quelli con cui è bene che parli - per capire, ascoltare, prendere le misure, entrare in questo mondo “istituzionale” cercando di non fare il classico elefante nella cristalleria. E ieri la mia giornata era stata simile alle altre: qualche incontro, tante cose da leggere, tante telefonate, poi la presentazione del simbolo (a me piace. E’ semplice e nazional-popolare quanto basta). Tanto che, commentavo in ufficio prima di partire, i due giorni a Sofia mi sembravano quasi una vacanza, una piacevole parentesi – mentre fino a poche settimane fa mi sarebbe sembrato un momento di iperlavoro. Ecco, con questo spirito sono salita ieri sera sul volo per Sofia.
Partito in orario, atterrato verso le 23.00 a Bucarest perchè l’aeroporto di Sofia era chiuso per nebbia. Lì abbiamo fatto rifornimento di carburante, e siamo ripartiti per Fiumicino. La motivazione ufficiale è stata che non c’erano alberghi disponibili, ma essendo un volo di italiani il dubbio di una ritorsione da parte delle autorità aeroportuali rumene c’è stato… Arrivo a Fiumicino alle 3 del mattino, 8 ore per arrivare alla casella di partenza. A letto alle 4, di nuovo in aeroporto stamattina per tentare di prendere un altro volo – invano. Dire che sono esausta è davvero poco.
In più, sarebbe stato bello esserci. Esattamente un anno fa eravamo al congresso di Porto con una delegazione numerosa, affiatata, vivace e varia. Alcuni di quelli che erano lì, oggi sono nell’esecutivo del Pd. Quest’anno la delegazione non sarebbe stata altrettanto numerosa (è un Consiglio e non un Congresso) ma sarebbe stata altrettanto affiatata e varia. Sarebbe stata la prima delegazione del PD al PSE, ci sarebbe stato Pistelli e la Lanzillotta insieme a Fassino e Vecchi. (Non ci sarebbe stato Mussi…). Veltroni avrebbe parlato nella plenaria di domani mattina, prima delle conclusioni di Rasmussen, e poi avrebbe partecipato al pranzo dei leader. Sarebbe stato bello, importante. Non sarebbe stato un passaggio formale, questo è corretto dirlo, perchè il partito membro del PSE in assenza di una modifica della membership sono i DS, he da un punto di vista propriamente formale esistono ancora. Ma è altrettanto corretto dire che la soggettività politica, anche rispetto alle famiglie europee, è passata pienamente al PD. Per questo abbiamo pensato che la presenza del PD tra i partiti membri sarebbe stato un atto politico indispensabile. Non un dato di fatto per scavalcare una discussione interna (che dovremo fare, e che resta aperta), ma un segnale di coerenza sia a chi ha votato il 14 ottobre (e che non capirebbe il persistere dei “vecchi” partiti accanto al nuovo) sia ai nostri interlocutori in Europa. Che siano del PSE o del PDE.E invece la nebbia ha fatto slittare tutto. (Ma sarà stato Castagnetti, o piuttosto Mussi...?)
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The 2009 PES Council in Sofia ended. Three intense days came to an end last Friday under a powerful fog that covered Sofia. The last speeches, especially those of Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev (in a perfect English) and the one of Poul Nyrup Rasmusen were particularly brilliant and let us, European socialists, the impression that the European socialist project, and PES, is maturing every day.
The fact that it was the Bulgarian Socialist Party the ones with the responsibility of organizing this important reunion, after the Portuguese socialists in 2006, allowed Europe the opportunity to see, in two consecutive years, both ends of Europe, the western and the eastern. It allowed also experiencing the impact of Europe in a new incoming country facing one of most successful cases of European successful integration.
Bulgaria, in a sentence, reminds me Portugal before we entered the European Union: high hopes, eager to work and to be integrated, and a enthusiastic vitality that catches you. The Bulgarians, so it seemed, are humble people, honest and with a high civic sensibility. Remember that they lived under a totalitarian regime until the 90’s, and that their transitional process was not an easy one (as most of former communist countries). Even thought, they managed to maintained a certain positive civic attitude, appreciated in the fact that people in the streets, although their humility, are persecuting their regular live, with the difficulties that exists in today’s societies. They didn’t turn to crime, or begging or prostitutions, at least from what I could see in the city of Sofia. Another example can be drawn from the public transports. You don’t see any control in the trams, for example, and the tickets are supposed to be validated in some kind of manual machine, most certainly still a remembrance of soviet times. Although all this easiness, that in some European capitals would be taken as an invitation to free-ride, the Bulgarians, young and old, validated their tickets, in a prove of civism and ethics behaviour.
Even though, they still have a long way to go. They have their country to rebuild and it is very important that there is a socialist at the elm, because, as we see in other former communists countries, It is very important to maintain a strong social preoccupation in order to create a balanced society; and not that wild capitalists experiences, with high social cleavages, that we sometimes see in the eastern Europe countries.
Positive
The people, the council organization, Sofia and the weather, that allow us to have more time to talk between ourselves and to have more face time with leaders, delegates and guests. People, activists, politician, new friend, old friendships consolidated. The guys from Rainbow Rose. The Portuguese delegation and staff. Not because of my nationality, but Paulo Pisco intervention on the environment was one of the best ones the Council eared (It was recorded and showed here), and Gisela and Hugo on the PES Staff team. Hugo as a non-stop guy, always supervising and controlling; and Gisela, in the backstage, dealing with the internet, logistics and all (you can see her interview here). It was also very interesting to met most of PES Staff and be able to see Europe in the making as all these nationalities, all these young, highly motivated men and women working towards the same goal: to build in Europe a Social Experience that would transform the old continent in the best place to be, on Earth.
Negative
The weather, again, now because it didn’t allowed the Council to have the dimension we wanted, as much more than half the predicted attendance never showed up. For the activists this had a bigger impact as from the more than 100 expected, 10 turned out, 4 Bulgarians. The taxi drivers, as I explained here. I had another experiences, that I’ll talk in the next post, that sustained the impression that they are definitely a class of their own, with the necessary exceptions.
Overall
It was my fist abroad experience with the PES family. I had been in Oporto, but as I am Portuguese, it was more as an internal thing… To be able to meet so many bright people, so many people with shared interests was worth wile. Then, discover a new country, with so many traditions and history; a country proud of himself, with is eyes in the future and with high hopes on the European project, was such a wonderful feeling, that I would do it again tomorrow.And Sofia is such an interesting city. I have to come back, at least to try out their slopes…
So, if not soon, I’ll see you in Madrid.
Dinner (2)Because
of this post, I closed the council venue, and left alone towards the dining place. Somebody told me that it was at the National History Museum, the new-one-not-the-old-one. It was in the city limits, and I would need a cab to get there. Fog was worse them it ever was, you didn't see anything from one side of the street to the other.
After my first taxi experience in Sofia, I wasn’t seeing a good end to this journey. Fog and a 20 km trip did not seem as a good combination. The first cab I approached didn't spoke a word English. I tried to find someone in the street who could translate the address, so I could go. I did this and the guy refused to take me, insulting me in some strange ways. Luckily there was just another one behind. I was already running late.
The taxi drivers in Bulgaria are not as the ones in Portugal, fat old man, with the classic moustache, sometimes drunk and so on... no, the ones in Bulgaria are between 30-40 years old, they all go to the gym and are big as hell... This is the picture. You definitely want to be in their good side.Anyway... I took this second taxi. The man was learning English for one year and I started to try to have something of a conversation.
After the basic exchange of words and short sentences, it evolved to a football conversation, always a classic topic to engage with a foreigner taxi driver. Euro this, Euro that, Portugal - Figo -Ronaldo - Mourinho; Bulgaria - Barbatov - Petrov - ?...; I told him I went to see Bulgaria at the Euro 2004, in Portugal (they lost 5-0 against Sweden) and the fog was deeper and deeper.
As we drove outside city limits I started to wonder:
- Deep fog, trees, no transit, strange narrowed roads, a taxi driver and a yuppie tourist (that’s what probably people would think of us)... this is not ending well...I think I’ve seen such a movie…
The football continued. Now it’s Benfica and CSKA, Rui Costa, and our shared historical background. Benfica Portugal greatest, CSKA, Bulgaria greatest. we managed to see, I am not exaggerating, 5-10 meters ahead. All of a sudden he goes out of this narrowed main road turning to a no road path. I was thinking:
- what about now? Is this it?
In a distance we saw some light. Fading. Football continued. We arrived at a gate, I saw some security and he stopped.- It’s here. There is supposed to be a big building, house to the former soviet government, but with the fog we don't see anything.
The security guys approached me, I identified myself and they showed me the way: towards the lights...The fare was 6 Lev 30 ; 3 euro 15 cents. (
I paid almost 20 Lev from the airport, which was roughly the same distance) I gave him 10, we shake hands and anticipated a Benfica - CSKA next Champions League.
The reception was flawless, imperial style, big building, lots of ancient stuff (all with Bulgarian titles, with no translation whatsoever, so we didn't know what we were looking at), the traditional folk groups (
15 mature women), and a very nice three string trio (
young trendy girls).
Diner was a buffet, a good one, and ended around 22.30 because all the buses were leaving and we had no change of staying. Because I'm still in Portuguese time, I was leaving diner at 20.30, already eaten. The buses all had hotels as destinations, the hotels were everybody is hosted. I took one, randomly, that took me at the Council place, were I managed to get the last tram heading to the centre of Sofia, where I'm staying.
I arrived at the hotel and went to work thinking about this Benfica - CSKA in next year champions...
How do we build a strong activist network for the 2009 elections?
Published Friday, November 23, 2007 at 17:02
by Editor in
European democracy & diversity (45 views and
0 comments)
Like yesterday, this afternoon offered a number of fringe meetings. One of them was devoted to
PES activists and how they can take part in PES campaign for the 2009 European elections. The meeting clearly demonstrated the growing need of grassroots party members to participate in the European political debate, and expressed the necessity of a well-organized and Europe-wide activist network. Participants agreed that the PES manifesto campaign is an ideal tool to participate in the political debate and to share local experiences at the European level. Many also mentioned the initiative as an opportunity to consolidate a strong network of socialist and social democratic grassroots in Europe.
Sylvia Lacroux, from the
PES activist city group in Geneva, was one of the participants in the meeting. We asked her what she thought should be the most important priority for the PES manifesto:“The PES family needs to promote a more human and social face of globalization, beginning in Europe. To achieve this it is very important for us to become active citizens, citizens that can transform in actions the political orientations given by our leaders and fight for a New Social Europe, the only true and human alternative to the existing neo-liberal model.”
Tags:
activists,
council,
PES
PES Council: a common manifesto, yes please
Published Friday, November 23, 2007 at 16:54
by Editor in New Social Europe (32 views and 0 comments)
Towards the PES manifesto – was the dynamic title of the fourth and last plenary of this week’s PES Council. The session was a mix of live speakers and videos with PES activists giving their take on what should be in the PES manifesto. There were several topics which were mentioned again and again – by both politicians and PES activists: workers rights, employment, immigration, energy supply and climate change. Several speakers also mentioned the lack of citizen participation and the low turnout at European elections as issues that the PES should deal with.
Marek Siwiec, Vice-President of the European Parliament and from Poland, was among the plenary’s live speakers. He brought up the gap between rich and poor parts of Europe as an important priority for the PES manifesto:“New Social Europe sounds very different in rich and poor Europe. In poor Europe access to quality education is the number one issue right now. There are great differences between the villages and the cities when it comes to the possibilities for education.”These were just a few of the opinions put forward during the debate today – you can watch the full session, including all speeches. Next to what is mentioned here – what do you think should be in the PES manifesto?
Tags: council, education, employment, equality, immigration, women
PES Council: It's time to act
Published Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 18:00
Who should lead the fight against climate change, if not Europe’s socialists and social democrats?
This question, posed by Stephan Singer, of WWF European Climate and Energy Policy Unit, was answered by speakers and delegates at the PES Council today. They want to turn the planetary emergency into a global opportunity. The PES adopted a resolution which offers a roadmap for combating global warming.
Speakers in the debate underlined that we know enough about the threat, and we already have many of the solutions. “It’s time to act”, said Linda McAvan, Vice-President of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament. To keep the rise in average global temperatures below 2°C, the PES calls for binding targets for the reduction of green house gas emissions in all industrialised countries and for the limitation of CO2 emission increases in emerging economies. The aim for 2050 is a reduction of global CO2 emissions by at least 50%. This is only possible with effective global, regional and national policies and an effective system international emissions trading system.
New, sustainable energy resources are the key for a low carbon economy. This requires massive investment in research, development and innovation, not least in Europe, as well as a global partnership to help developing economies get eh latest green technology to fight climate change and to cope with climate changes. Without our solidarity poorer countries cannot shoulder the rising costs of fighting and coping with climate change
A roundtable debate on the
‘Save our planet’ manifesto theme concluded the first day of PES Council. Hans Eichel, chair of the PES Lisbon Network, and Herbert Schmalstieg, President of the Union of Socialist Local and Regional Representatives in Europe, discussed what they believed were essential elements of the PES manifesto for the European elections in 2009: an effective green growth policy, citizens’ involvement, sustainable energy resources, smarter forms of urban transport, and a truly European framework for climate change policies.Watch the entire plenary debate and view more photos from the PES Council
here.
Tags:
citizens,
council,
environment,
global warming,
green growth
Vox pop: delegates on 'Save our planet'Published Friday, November 23, 2007 at 09:25by Editor in
Save our planet (36 views and
0 comments)
After
yesterday's plenary on combating climate change we asked a couple of delegates what they think should be the most important priority for the PES manifesto:
Robert Goebbels, Member of the Euopean Parliament, Luxembourg:"Humanity will always need energy and there is no silver bullet to resolve the problem. I think the PES manifesto should suggest investments in research into all kinds of energy."
Petroula Nteledimou, Vice-President, ECOSY:
"I think it is very important that the PES manifesto presents an integrated and whole strategy to environmental issues. These problems are not isolated from other issues such as social problems and foreign and security policy."
Tags:
council,
energy efficiency,
environment
