Who are the Socialists & Democrats (S&D)?

The Socialists & Democrats (S&D) are the main centre-left grouping in the European Parliament. Following the 2019 European Parliament elections, the S&D is the second-largest grouping in the Parliament, with 146 seats (out of 705). The S&D has not been the largest grouping since 1994, although it has consistently come second behind the European People’s Party (EPP), with whom it has repeatedly formed a majority as a so-called ‘Grand Coalition’. However, in 2019 the Grand Coalition lost their majority for the first time, with the S&D’s share of seats falling to 20%, from 34% in 1994.