Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-14-Speech-2-029"
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"en.20060314.6.2-029"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, first of all I would like to thank my fellow Members for entrusting me with this report.
In my report, I have tried to define three spheres of action. First of all, there is a sphere of action to support what we might call good corporate citizens, by strengthening the tools for analysing the phenomenon, in order to prevent it in advance, increasing aid to small and medium-sized enterprises, encouraging continuing vocational training, which is a right for employees and an undeniable asset for businesses, reforming State aid to support growth and, in particular, setting up a globalisation adjustment fund.
Secondly, there is a sphere of action to punish the 'gangster' companies, if I may call them that – they are certainly very much in the minority, but they are the ones we talk about the most. This type of action involves better monitoring of the use of the European funds in order to prevent subsidy tourism, challenging certain instances of restructuring with doubtful motives, and respecting the Community legal
and its enforcement.
Thirdly, there is a sphere of action to support those primarily affected by the phenomenon of restructuring: the workers. This involves setting up permanent retraining units to help people to find new positions as soon as possible after losing their jobs. It involves strengthening the role of the social partners, who are our greatest asset in dealing with these phenomena, and that is why I would ask you all once again to consider reviewing the European Works Councils directive. It also involves encouraging employees to become shareholders in their companies and setting up a one-stop shop to give all EU citizens equal access to care.
To conclude, I think that, alongside the social partners and beyond any party political affiliations, we can help to provide support for restructuring in order to win the employment battle. We need to bear this in mind at a time when, from one minute to the next, it is possible for a decision taken by a board of directors on the other side of the world to completely destroy, here on our territory, the fruit of decades of work. This matter gives us the opportunity to get involved in the lives of our citizens, because that is what this is all about, behind all of our technical circumlocutions: men and women who just want to be happy. In the spirit of the founding fathers who created a Europe based on peace, it is up to us today to contribute to a Europe based on social peace.
One of the methods I used in preparing this report was to listen. I met all of the social partners, employees and employers, I went to meet the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions and I had a meeting with Commissioner Špidla and the Commission's partners.
We also carried out a great deal of consultation with the shadow rapporteurs and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Bachelot, Mrs McDonald, Mrs Schroedter and Mr Beaupuy for their willingness to compromise and for the quality of their work.
When we talk about restructuring, there is always a certain impression that people are surprised, and that it is a new phenomenon. In fact, it is as old as the hills and completely unavoidable. Society changes, moves on, modernises. It is quite normal for its economic activity to follow the same evolutionary curve.
The technical progress made by humans has been resulting in restructuring for centuries. I will give you an example that I am sure will not offend anybody here: in the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, our ancestors experienced a great deal of restructuring. Having said that, it is true that the acceleration of progress and today's global market have given these phenomena a new face.
Each new decision we take may result in restructuring. That is why I would like, if I may, to congratulate the Commission on having recognised, in its communication, that, since the EU is sometimes the cause for restructuring, such as in the textiles sector, it needs to bear its share of the responsibility by supporting it to the best of its ability.
As you will have noticed, I have attempted throughout my report to stress the fact that restructuring is necessary, because in my view it ensures that our businesses remain economically competitive and thus safeguards jobs. However, in examining this issue, we cannot ignore restructuring based on false pretexts, which is in fact predicated on the hunt for an immediate profit. It is quite justifiable to condemn such behaviour as immoral, because it is absolutely unacceptable in today's Europe for a father with a family to support to find the factory gates locked on Monday morning, everything having been cleared out over the weekend.
The role of our institutions, and of the social partners, is to intervene as early as possible, so as to plan for restructuring better and to soften the blow in terms of the social cost. This is because restructuring, whether or not it is justified, often leaves people by the wayside.
Restructuring is not a phenomenon that affects any Member State in particular. We must not heed the siren's call that tries to set us in opposition to each other whenever we discuss employment in this Chamber. There are not two blocks with the old Member States on one side and the new ones on the other. No, there are 450 million Europeans from Tallinn to Lisbon, any of whom could suddenly find themselves in this situation."@en1
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