The first step towards the creation of the Progressive Alliance was the decision in January 2012 by
Sigmar Gabriel, then chairman of the
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), to cancel payment of the SPD's £100,000 yearly membership fee to the
Socialist International. Gabriel had been critical of the Socialist International's admittance and continuing inclusion of undemocratic political movements into the organisation. An initial Conference of the Progressive Alliance was held in
Rome, Italy, on 14–15 December 2012, with representatives of 42 political parties attending. They included
Pier Luigi Bersani, leader of the
Democratic Party of Italy;
Harlem Désir, Chair of the French
Socialist Party;
Hermes Binner, Chair of the
Argentine Socialist Party;
Peter Shumlin,
Democratic governor of Vermont; and
Mustapha Ben Jafar, Secretary General of the Tunisian
Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties. Also present were representatives of the
Indian National Congress, the
Workers' Party of Brazil, and
PASOK of Greece. The Dutch
Labour Party also supported the formation of the organisation, as did the
Swiss Socialist Party, and the
Social Democratic Party of Austria. During the Council of the Socialist International in
Cascais, Portugal, on 4–5 February 2013, 50 political parties discussed on the sidelines the formation of the Progressive Alliance, including the
Movement for Democratic Change of Zimbabwe. The official foundation of the organisation was held on 22 May 2013 in
Leipzig, Germany, on the 150th anniversary of the formation of the
General German Workers' Association (ADAV), the predecessor of the SPD. The organisation stated the aim of becoming the global network of "the
progressive, democratic,
social-democratic,
socialist and
labour movement". It was reported that representatives of approximately 70 social-democratic political parties from across the world attended the event. The
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament joined the organisation upon its official foundation. Many member parties are also affiliated to the Socialist International. In September 2013 the
Democratic Party of Cyprus (DIKO) announced that it was negotiating to join the Progressive Alliance and that its representatives were to attend a seminar of the international in
Stockholm on 24 October. The
Democratic Party of Korea was a founding member but withdrew in 2016. The Korean
Justice Party currently participates as an observer. On 4–5 December 2014, a Progressive Alliance conference was held in Lisbon for member parties of the S&D group. A regional seminar was held on 25 September 2015 in
Batu Ferringhi, Malaysia, which also hosted delegates from the
Democratic Action Party of Malaysia,
Democratic Party of Japan and
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. On 25 April 2016 the organisation held a seminar in
São Paulo hosted by the Workers' Party of Brazil. == Participants ==