The Council
The Council is the place where our political priorities are discussed. It meets every year, unless there is a Congress, and it gathers around 500 participants, including PES leaders, delegates, international guests and - since 2006 - PES activists. A Congress, by contrast, is the event where a new leadership is chosen.
PES Council Lisbon, 2017
In 2017, the PES Council took place in Lisbon on 1-2 December.
The Council was co-hosted by our sister party Partido Socialista (PS). On the eve of the Council, PES Women held their Annual meeting and the PES Activists' Forum gathered more than 200 activists from all over Europe.
The topic of the Council was #ProgressiveEurope: Renewal
Three resolutions were adopted:
- Resolution on the future of Europe (other languages: FR, DE)
- Resolution on political prisoners in Turkey
- Resolution on common candidate (other languages: FR, DE, ES, PT)
PES Council Prague, 2016
The 2016 PES Council took place on 1-3 December 2016 in Prague, under the title 'Saving Europe'.
At the top of our agenda was the future of Europe in an age of growing populism on both sides of the Atlantic. Our planning focused particularly on improving the lives and futures of young people – our top priority.
The 2016 Council was co-hosted by the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) and was preceded by an activists event on 1 December, as well as a PES Women Annual Meeting on the same date.
Sofia, 2013
The PES Council 2013 took place in Sofia on 22 June, where the PES Fundamental Programme was adopted. The Fundamental programme was the base for our common manifesto for the 2014 European election. It reflects our commitment to the common values of democracy, equality and solidarity.
Two other resolutions were adopted: an appeal to increase the speed and substance of the European Youth Guarantee and a roadmap for "A European Industrial Policy for growth and employment".