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European socialists change name to accommodate Italian lawmakers
Jun 23, 2009, 15:25 GMT
Brussels - The Socialist group in the European Parliament on Tuesday changed its name to accommodate left-of-centre lawmakers from Italy.
At a meeting in Brussels, its 183 members agreed to rename their group The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. The grouping, the second-largest in the European Parliament, was formerly known as the Party of European Socialists (PSE).
A final decision on the group's new logo and acronym is to be taken after the summer.
The change of name addresses the concerns of 21 MEPs from Italy's Partito Democratico, some of whom said they did not identify themselves with socialism.
The group also confirmed Germany's Martin Schulz as its leader.
Separately, the biggest group in the European Parliament, the conservative European People's Party, re-elected Joseph Daul of France as its chairman.
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