Can We Globalize Markets and Safeguard Social Welfare? Seeking answers in Flexicurity and a New European Left

Having dominated Danish politics for over a decade, as Prime Minister and leader of the Danish Social Democrat Party, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was elected President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in April 2004. As President of the PES, he leads 34 national socialist and social democrat parties in government and in opposition, in their common efforts at European level.

Member of the Danish Parliament since 1988, Poul took over the chairmanship of the Danish Social Democrats and its Parliamentary Group in 1992. In under a year he was elected Prime Minister, a post which he kept until 2001. Since then, Poul has concentrated his political engagement at the European level. From 2002 onwards, Poul has been a leading figure in the development of new policy ideas and initiatives for European social democrats, as chair of the PES High Level Group on globalisation and chair of the PES Lisbon Network.

Poul has also been chairman of the Global Progressive Forum from 2004 to 2007, a globalisation initiative involving a wide range of NGOs, and a Member of the European Parliament, having led the Danish Social Democrats to a stunning victory in the June 2004 European elections.