The leader of the Party of European Socialists, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, yesterday said the PES endorses Labour's reform plan, pledging the group's support for the MLP's electoral bid.
"Change is now coming and it's not only the weather that is changing," he said, intentionally aligning his words with Labour's new beginning slogan.
He was speaking at a press conference held at the Labour Party's headquarters in Ħamrun on the second day of the high-level PES meeting being held in Malta, in the run-up to the MLP's general conference.
Speaking of Labour Leader Alfred Sant, whom he met at the party's headquarters just before addressing journalists, Dr Rasmussen said the Opposition Leader looks good, pointing out that they had had a fruitful 30-minute exchange regarding Labour's plans.
Echoing the points of a policy speech delivered by Labour's spokesman on EU affairs George Vella the day before, Dr Rasmussen said he saw a lot of commonalities between Denmark, the country he led as Prime Minister a few years back, and Malta in terms of the challenges facing both countries, making particular reference to the need for greater inclusion, fighting corruption and making society more even.
"Responsibilities should not only apply to the cleaners and the taxi drivers but also to the bankers, the managers and the decision makers," he said, ending with an appeal for the Maltese to choose more inclusion and future-oriented solutions at the coming election, while pledging the PES's support for Labour's bid.
When asked to comment on the MLP's position on Malta's entry into the eurozone, which it consistently insisted was premature, Dr Rasmussen diplomatically skirted the issue, saying he would rather focus on the future.
Labour's plan for economic reform is sound and conforms with the eurozone rules, he said, pointing out that the Maastricht rules allow for certain flexibility to be able to implement the sort of reform being projected by Labour.
Dr Rasmussen was Prime Minister of Denmark between 1993 and 2001 when his Social Democratic Party was defeated at the polls by a centre-right coalition headed by Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The 2001 electoral defeat was the first time since 1920 that the Social Democratic Party was not the largest party in the Danish Parliament. The party also lost the subsequent general elections held in 2005 and 2007. In 2004, Dr Rasmussen was elected an MEP and in 2006 he was re-elected president of the Party of European Socialists.