Photo: Betaphoto/Miloš Miškov
The European Social Democrats voted today to admit the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) from Serbia and the Kosovo Self-Determination Movement (Vetevendosje) into associate membership, the German news agency dpa reported.
Members of the PES, whose political group in the European Parliament is the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, also voted to admit the French left-wing, ecological and pro-European party Place Publique at the party congress in Amsterdam.
The leading European political family of center-left parties previously today excluded from its membership the Smer party of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whom it accuses of getting closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin and undermining the rule of law in his own country.
The PES unanimously adopted the expulsion of the Smer party, because in recent years it has taken positions that are “strongly and deeply contrary to the values and principles” that the political family stands for, said Secretary General Giacomo Filibec.
The Smer SSD party reacted on Facebook with a message that it had “finally freed itself” from membership in the European party PES.
“The Smer SSD party – Slovak Social Democracy is finally free! The termination of membership in the Party of European Socialists due to the sovereign position of the Slovak government is our victory, and their shame,” wrote Juraj Gedra, the head of the government’s cabinet, on behalf of the party.
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