Commenting on yesterday's national elections in Sweden, in which the Social Democrats achieved 31.2% of the votes, S&D Group president Gianni Pittella said:
"Sweden has chosen change and they've chosen the Social Democrats to make this happen.
"We extend our warmest congratulations to Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven and to our sister party. The country clearly needs to change direction and the new government will need to tackle major challenges. Eight years of centre-right rule has resulted in widespread inequalities throughout the country.
"We hope that the centre-left bloc will be able to find a way to build a parliamentary majority to face these problems as soon as possible.
"The growth of the far-right in this election raises deep concerns. Extremist forces feed off the lack or the ineffectiveness of solutions to major problems such as immigration, economic recovery and unemployment. Europe itself has to change to find effective solutions, alongside national governments. Global issues need a global, European approach.
"Either Europe must tackle these major problems seriously and definitively or radical and far-right forces will gain ground in every single state. Genuine solutions are the only way to answer people's needs and avoid the radicalisation of our societies."