The European People’s Party (EPP), the largest political force in Europe with 13 heads of state and government in the European Council, criticized the populist tactics of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the campaign for the elections in the European Parliament. The PES leadership reached new lows recently when it characterized the center-right voters of the EPP as “barbarians” and accused many distinguished EPP candidates as “terrible” or the “worst” there is.

“Instead of debating the serious issues that European citizens are concerned with, the PES has resorted to cheap populism,” stated EPP President Wilfried Martens. “To call a number of distinguished EPP candidates as ‘terrible’ as the PES did today or calling our millions of supporters across Europe as ‘barbarians’ as the President of the Socialist International did last week, is truly regrettable. I am convinced that European citizens will punish the populism of Socialists at the polls – their defeat will be bigger than expected,” concluded the EPP President.

For more information:
Kostas Sasmatzoglou
EPP Secretary of External Relations: +32-476393042
Javier Jimenez, EPP Press Officer: +32-475480446
EPP web: www.epp.eu