Dear Madam or Sir,
I am an active member of DRY and M15 and I have attended the PES Congress. I believe that they should be aware of the great responsibility that the European activists give to their effort. I have written an article and I would be happy if you could publish it.

Did PES get the civil society’s message ‘right’?

The European Party of Socialists held a convention last weekend and more than two thousand persons attended it. It was a big step forward as it engaged the civil society and announced that it will seek a democratic election of the next European Commission president through primary elections in all 27 countries.

Sergei Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and former Bulgarian PM was elected as interim president until the next PES congress will be held in Bucharest on 28-29 September 2012 where the next leader will be elected.

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen who held the office op PES president for almost eight years was hailed for the transformation of the party into a truly European actor and for the foundation of the PES activists.

The Financial Transaction Tax, the CO2 tax and Eurobonds dominated the speech of Martin Schulz, the EPS leader at the European Parliament.

From the whole effort in the congress I believe that it is worth noticing PES’ rapprochement at the civil society and the grassroots movements such as Democracia Real Ya! PES has made a turn that is so historic as it is obvious. People have been literally screaming across Europe as they suffer from the austerity measured due to the bailout of the banks with tax payers money.

PES has finally understood that in the new Europe that emerges civil society has a role. But has it understood that role in the right way?

Civil society has been calling for the FTT a long time now, and talks between them and PES have ended with no success due to the fact that civil society has an independence that cherishes a great deal. It is an independence that guarantees a level at the dialogue between them and the European institutions. A dialogue which hasn’t always been smooth but it has added value to the European democratic project.

Now of course it is true that the European cause calls for these collaboration to be implemented and to be also fruitful. But these issues are PES’ base campaign and no one can imagine the party now without them. Also the DRY voice in the congress raised the issue of transparency and accountability for politicians as well as the lack of contact with the real problems of normal people.

Political leaders though seemed to have got half of the message. Civil society and especially grassroots movements have been disillusioned by socialist parties and their policies as well as from the fact that they seem to be immune of their responsibilities from participating in the system they blame now.

Even if the Arab spring and the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters for democracy has been hailed at the congress, political leaders seemed untouched by the fact that in Europe there is an ongoing revolution.

The revolution is a political one. People communicate, organize and inform each other via internet. This is not a virtual world as it has spread with demonstrations around Europe and so has the message that we the citizens of Europe, the civil society have done what parties have been claiming they want to do. We have crossed boarders and spoke the common language of solidarity!

Young people are aware of the democratic deficit in Europe and are determined to put this issue on the top of the agenda, next to the economic reform.

As many know this crisis will lead to a stronger economic union, but it can also put a solid basis for a political one. We don’t have the luxury to wait until the next crisis or leave more than the current generation without a clear voice within the European institutions. It is time for the discussion to begin regarding the representation of civil society within the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee, where a place has been reserved for it according to the founding fathers.

PES has the possibility to ride the wave, along the tide, and make what is expected to do, or it can be a surf champion and capture the true essence of political reform.

PES holds two keys in its hands. One key will just open the door to the change of political direction for Europe from right to left. The other key will open the door to Europeans in order to participate as equal interlocutors with the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council, to the European project and the democratic reform.

The Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee are the natural places for civil society as it has been predestined in Schuman’s vision of Europe. This would give the impetus for genuine European integration and it could be the proof of the sincere intentions with which PES extends its hand to the civil society community.

It is a political question but it is also a question of hearing the people. In the end it can be the single most important commitment to the European project since it will make justice to the Democratic values of the socialists.

Will the progressive forces of the European social democrats get the message from civil society ‘right’?