Following a press conference in Berlin, S&D Group leader Udo Bullmann said:
"I am very pleased that I am entering the EU electoral arena, together with Katarina Barley, in a strong dual leadership team today. The SPD chairman Andrea Nahles and I have agreed early that we want to win over the German Minister of Justice as a leading candidate. This will be a great combination. I am looking forward to the contest with the other political forces in Germany, because such confrontation is what is urgently needed.
“The next European elections will be of huge importance for the future of our continent and for the future of democracy. Nationalists and right-wing extremists like Steve Bannon are teaming up to attempt to lead European citizens in the wrong direction. It is now up to us to stand up against this and fight for a positive, progressive Europe.
“Conservatives are either divided or cowardly when it comes to European matters. Citizens can no longer rely on them; they either talk the talk of the right-wing populists or leave the discourse to them completely. It is time to minimize their weight in the European Parliament. The times in which we could see the conservatives as a reliable partner in European matters are over. We will make it very clear that we stand for a fundamentally different way of doing things in Europe.
“Together, we will fight for a fair and just Europe, in which all people can lead a good life. Europe must finally give strong impulses for more employment, for instance through a program of investment in our increasingly decaying infrastructure.
“Katarina Barley and I will combine our national and European political experience. This approach is a clear asset for the SPD. It is innovative and forward-looking. The times of thinking of ‘only Europe’ or ‘only Berlin’ are over. We will make it clear that only the SPD stands up for a strong Europe in the interest of Germany."
