The Council of the Party of European Socialists (PES) would meet in Sofia on November 21 – 23 2007, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) representatives announced as reported by Focus News Agency. 

The PES Council meeting's programme includes debates on EU's foreign policy, environmental problems and climate change, regulating of the hedge funds among others.

There will be also additional meetings on a number of topics, among which the situation on the Balkans, diversity and integration in Europe and sustainable development perspectives.

The Council of the PES 2007 meeting was extremely important to PES with regards to the mandate assigned to it by the Congress for modernisation of the party and its transformation in a powerful, influential and effective European party capable of formulating policies and being a strong player on the political scene, Focus News Agency reported.

This Council of the PES meeting is very important to European socialists because it will start the consultation process on the PES Manifesto for the elections of members of the European Parliament in 2009.

Before Sofia, the Council took place in Vienna in 2005 and in Warsaw in 2002, Focus News Agency reminded.

Prime ministers, leaders of PES member parties and other high-level officials will participate in the Council meeting.

The PES Council meets every year without PES’s Congress (which meets twice every five years). Its composition is one fourth of the Congress. The Council of the PES is a forum for strategic discussions regarding PES's policy. It is the body that adopts the PES manifesto for participation in the European Parliament elections.