“The European Parliament must be fully involved in the forthcoming discussions on Eurozone governance”, warned leading S&D Group MEPs.

S&D Group vice-president responsible for economic and monetary affairs Udo Bullmann and S&D Group spokesperson Pervenche Berès said in a joint statement:

“The Socialists and Democrats fully support further progress towards the deepening of the European Economic and Monetary Union. These crucial discussions must be conducted in a transparent and democratic way and not behind closed doors between national experts.

“The Eurogroup's recent decision to table proposals – including this one on the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), proposing to recruit its current president as special advisor – came as a surprise.

If this goes through, it will mean that the fate of the Eurozone will be solely in the hands of national experts. It is totally unacceptable that negotiations are being conducted behind the back of the European Parliament.

“For us, any reform of the ESM requires better democratic control, including strong involvement from the European Parliament.

“At a time where more Europe is needed, the European Parliament’s voice – the only democratically elected EU institution – must be heard”.

MEPs involved
Coordinator
Germany