It is time for the EU to renew its offer to citizens - this will be the message as Socialists and Democrats gather in Lisbon next week from Tuesday 10 June to Friday 13 June.
Exactly 40 years after Portugal and Spain signed the accession treaty to join the European Economic Community on 12 June 1985, the S&Ds will open a discussion with citizens on new ways for the EU to improve life for people in Portugal and across Europe.
On Thursday 12 June, S&D MEPs will take part in housing-focused fact-finding missions to EU-funded projects in Almada and Sintra. These will be followed by a dedicated S&D outreach event bringing together citizens, youth organisations, civil society, trade unions, associations, NGOs and S&D MEPs to discuss housing.
Earlier in the day, S&D members will also meet with representatives of CAIS, an NGO which works for the improvement of the living conditions of homeless people. Alongside magazine sellers, they will distribute copies of the CAIS magazine.
Alongside activity focused on housing, the S&Ds will also mark 40 years since Portugal and Spain signed the EEC accession treaty at a Group meeting taking place at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa (CCL) from 9am on Thursday 12 June. It will feature contributions from the former President of the European Parliament and former leader of the S&D Group Enrique Barón Crespo, and former Secretary of State for European Affairs of Portugal, Tiago Antunes. This will be followed by a discussion on what matters to young people, with Portuguese Socialist Youth Secretary-general Sofia Pereira and Young European Socialists President Enric López Jurado, with introductory remarks from European Commissioner Glenn Micallef.
On Wednesday 11 June, the S&Ds will hold a Group meeting with the participation of European Commissioner Dan Jørgensen (online) and European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu.
S&D President Iratxe García said:
“I was just a child when Spain and Portugal signed the treaty to join the EEC. I still remember the hope that it bought to everyone. In Lisbon, we will celebrate that moment and we will send the message that EU membership still means progress.
“Action on housing must be at the centre of a renewed and modernised offer to citizens that shows the added value of EU membership. The promise of Europe has always been the promise of a better life for people. Today, citizens need that help when it comes to housing. It is an area where the EU can and must act.”
Head of the Portuguese S&D Delegation, Marta Temido, said:
“From Lisbon to Łódź, and everywhere across the EU, citizens are crying out for action on housing. Already in 2023, António Costa, as Prime Minister of Portugal, asked the President of the European Commission for a joint response to the housing crisis. That is why we have made it an S&D priority and why we are welcoming our socialist colleagues here in Lisbon.
“We are worried that housing market failures are so large now that they are undermining public confidence in democracy. We need to act now to address the deep roots of this crisis: growing socioeconomic inequality, large-scale financialisation of housing and land, as well as unsustainable housing systems that prioritise profit over human rights.”
