The European Parliament again will be led by a member of the Socialists and Democrats following the election today of Italian S&D MEP David Sassoli.
The leader of the S&D Group Iratxe García said:
“The election of David Sassoli is very good news for our political family, for the Parliament and for the EU as a whole. He has a long experience in this house, where he was first elected in 2009 and he has been a vice-president during the last term. He will defend the central role and the autonomy of this Parliament, which represents European citizens. They expect us to build a stronger and better Union. David Sassoli can count on the full collaboration of our group to bring back hope to the European project and to build a Union that is closer to people's problems and concerns.
“Coming from a country that is struggling with forces that try to undermine European solidarity, he is well placed to bring together the pro-European forces in this house to fight the extreme right and the populists.
“In the next five years we must strengthen both our European democracy and our European values based on the rule of law, fundamental rights, equality and solidarity. In addition, the Parliament must lead the way for the European Union in the coming years, giving a clear political direction to the European Commission for a more progressive, sustainable and fair Europe. It will also be responsible for pushing for the important reforms that the EU must urgently accomplish, including the ecological transformation, the reform of the economic governance and a proper migration policy.” phto by Francesca Minonne, Wikimedia.