On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Schuman declaration (9 May), progressive forces are coming together for an event on solidarity. The COVID-19 crisis has shown that the EU needs to change to face new challenges. We need a new beginning focusing on people and their needs.
Speakers include S&D Group President Iratxe García Pérez; PES President Sergei Stanishev; Prime Minister from Spain, Pedro Sánchez; EP President David Sassoli; EP Vice-President Klára Dobrev; German Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz; EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit; S&D Vice-President responsible for the Green Deal Miriam Dalli; Alicia Homs Ginel, President of YES and many more local and regional representatives, alongside S&D MEPs.
Ahead of the event, S&D president Iratxe García said:
“This 9th May is not like any other year. We are mourning the victims of COVID-19 and thinking of all the Europeans who face uncertainty and the effects of a socio-economic crisis. They expect the European Union to live up to its principles of solidarity and equality.
“The Union is at a crossroads and this crisis can be an opportunity to take one step further. There were already existing problems such as growing inequalities and the climate emergency. The Recovery Plan must use all our energies to ensure every person, every region and every country comes out stronger.
“There is no better way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration than going back to the essentials: being a community that takes care of people. Social democracy has always been crucial in making sure that our Union is more than a free market. We have the vision and the experience, and our political family is strong enough to be the driving force of change at the local, national and European level, always in partnership with workers' unions and civil society.”
The event will start at 18h and will be streamed live on the S&D Facebook pages. Citizens can raise their questions directly to speakers.
The full programme is available here: https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/events/online-event-europe-day-new-beginning-europe
The link to the Facebook streaming is available here: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/europe-day-a-new-beginning-for/2619505455035750/
The event will also be live streamed here: https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/
