European Socialists gather to discuss US relations and new leadership

The Party of European Socialists has gathered in Amsterdam on Thursday for a two-day congress to elect its top positions and discuss its European-level strategy.

Europe’s leading Socialists, such as Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, European Council’s President António Costa and Dutch Socialist leader Frans Timmermans, will discuss options for Europe’s autonomy from the US in the fields of defence, security, and trade, internal sources told Euronews.

The PES congress convenes just after the European Commission presented a European defence roadmap aimed at achieving the continent's “self-sufficiency” in defence. At the same time, nearly 80% of the military equipment EU member states procure comes from outside the bloc, mainly from the US.

The congress also follows a reprimand by US President Donald Trump to the Spanish head of government Sánchez, currently the most prominent figure in the socialist camp.

The friction between the US and Spain dates back to the NATO summit in June, when allies met in The Hague to agree on a new commitment to spend 5% of their GDP on defence.

But the Spanish prime minister called the 5% figure "unreasonable" and "counterproductive", and asked for — and obtained — a tailor-made exemption for his country.

The language of the final NATO declaration was then adjusted to allow greater flexibility in reaching the 5% target, effectively sparing Spain from the pledge.

This disagreement led Trump to criticise Spain’s attitude, even to the point of suggesting that the country should be “thrown out” of NATO.

Another contentious issue in this framework is the Socialist approach to the ceasefire in Gaza.

During the Israel-Hamas war, Socialist MEPs and leaders were at the forefront of European criticism of Israel for its actions in Gaza, pushing for EU sanctions and invoking the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement. Most of them have defined Israel’s action as “a genocide”.

Now that the war has ended, the left-leaning political party must redefine its strategy on the issue, which could also become a political battle for the future.

“The peace cannot mean forgetfulness or impunity. The main actors in the genocide perpetrated in Gaza will have to answer before the law”, Sánchez said in a Spanish radio network interview on Tuesday.

“Trump’s peace plan was a good move, even if it was a top-down plan. But now the institutions have to work to involve Palestinian population in a dialogue to achieve a long-lasting peace”, Socialist MEP Annalisa Corrado told Euronews.

A session of the congress will be dedicated to hearing the testimonies of doctors James Smith and Ana Jeelani, who have been working in the Strip, and more informal chats on the topic are expected.

According to sources, other relevant discussions will focus on S&D’s strategy in the European Parliament, where the Socialists face “strong pressure” from the EPP to dismantle the Green Deal, and on the worrying rise of far-right parties in Europe.

Nowadays, Socialists lead only three of 27 EU countries: Spain, Denmark with Mette Frederiksen, and Malta with Robert Abela, both not expected to attend the PES congress.

New leadership to elect

The Socialists will also elect their new leader on Friday. PES President Stefan Löfven, who was Sweden’s prime minister from 2014 to 2021, is the only candidate, and he has asked the current Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck to continue as well, according to internal sources.

The party’s vice presidents should also be confirmed, according to another source. Among them are the S&D European Parliament group leader Iratxe García Pérez, Slovenian Foreign Affairs Minister Tanja Fajon and prominent MEPs Katarina Barley and Victor Negrescu.

During the congress, 12 resolutions with the Socialists' priorities for the coming months will be discussed and voted on, on topics such as jobs, green transition, housing, social rights, and youth empowerment.

"This congress is an example of how the socialist family's offensive and strategy are more alive than ever. We progressives continue to defend our values and provide solutions to the challenges facing modern societies", García Pérez told Euronews.

Beyond the election, the resolutions and a final declaration of the congress, the crucial takeaways will come from what Socialist leaders say on stage during the debates and, above all, from what they discuss among themselves on the fringes of the congress.