PES Manifesto

PES Council: How do we best promote sustainable peace?

Published Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 17:09
by Editor (826 views and 0 comments)

The first plenary debate, right after the opening of the PES Council, was dedicated to international politics. The debate entitled "The EU on the international scene; Promoting sustainable peace’" was chaired by the Katrin Saks, Member of the European Parliament from Estonia, and was filled with lively interventions and contributions.

"It’s an important challenge for us as socialists and social democrats to apply our values in the 21st century," said Espen Barth Eide, Secretary of State for Defense in Norway, when he presented a recent report by the PES on the international scene and sustainable peace.

According to him effective multilateralism is a fundamental tool and has to be focused on the creation of other instruments for changes. The main objective of socialists and social democrats should be to bring the advantages of an interdependent world to citizens in many different parts of the world. For example through the European Security Defense Policy, or via humanitarian aid and health policies, trade policy or external relations with countries such as China and India.

The discussion tackled how socialists and social democrats can reach their objectives - to this Carlos Carnero, Member of the European Parliament from Spain, added that our main focus should always be public opinion and the people.

Among the contributors to the debate were speakers from France, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Britain, Cyprus, Poland, Greece, Sweden and Italy.

Watch the entire plenary debate and view more photos from the PES Council here.

Tags: aid, China, council, peace, trade