PES Presidency decides to lift suspension provisional membership Smer-SD
21 February 2008
In its meeting on 14 February 2008, the PES Presidency agreed by qualified majority to lift the suspension of the Slovakian party Direction-Social Democracy (Smer-SD)’s application for membership.
On 16 October 2007, the PES Presidency had decided to postpone Smer-SD’s candidacy for becoming a PES member due to the Smer-SD’s coalition with the Slovak National Party. According to PES chairman Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the decision was taken in line with the Berlin Declaration of 2001, on the basis of which the member parties have to avoid joining any political grouping or co-operation at any level with a political party inciting racial or ethnic prejudice or hatred.
The agreement taken on 14 February revokes this decision:
“- The [PES] Presidency decides today to lift the suspension of SMER. SMER regains its provisional membership which will need to be confirmed by the next Congress in autumn 2009;
- The Presidency will remain vigilant and act as a monitoring body as it does for all PES member parties. It is clear that in case SMER breaches PES principles as expressed in our statutes the Presidency can, at any time, review its position.”
