Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-05-Speech-2-177"
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".
Ladies and gentlemen, I should first like to thank Mr Silva Peneda and Mr De Rossa for their report on the European social model for the future. The report makes a useful and thought-provoking contribution to the debate launched at the Hampton Court European Council in October 2005. Most importantly, though, it once again emphasises the significance of social Europe and the need to protect and develop the European social model.
Ladies and gentlemen, the debate on the European social model is, by nature, a complex one, which can be approached from a number of different perspectives. I feel that Parliament’s report in its original form takes a wide-ranging approach and conveys the most important points. I should like, if I may, to share a few thoughts with you.
Firstly, the report ultimately states that the European social model was built on a specific set of values. The technical implementation of those values may vary, of course. When we speak of values, we speak of something worthwhile; in other words, if we are convinced that there are values at the heart of the European model we are saying that we are willing to channel our efforts into protecting and developing those values.
When we speak about the European social model, one of the adjectives we use is European. I feel that the European social model is clearly based on European integration, without which there would be no hope of progress on the world stage, regardless of which Member States we are talking about. Accordingly, European integration is a cornerstone of the European social model, and, as the other side of that coin, the European social model is one of the cornerstones of European integration. Given that, from a geographical point of view, European integration is a complex concept, we could hold a series of wide-ranging debates, although in principle where we find the European social model, there we also find the boundaries of European integration. It exists where we have a set of values that have been adopted by the individual Member States. There are, of course, other values that one could add, and this is clearly a question that would provoke a great deal of lively discussion. In my view, these are the core elements of this debate in Parliament, and the main reasons why it is so important.
I share the view expressed by the rapporteurs that it is important not to regard social politics or policies as a burden, but rather as a positive, proactive factor in creating jobs, in supporting growth and in strengthening social cohesion. Europe cannot be competitive without being socially strong. It cannot be competitive without a social policy. It is mistaken to think that if we throw away this core idea, we will gain some kind of wonderful advantage. This opinion has, in my view, been expressed very clearly, which I am pleased to see.
I am also pleased that the positions of Parliament and the Commission coincide on a great many points, for example in their assessment of the situation. Europe must reform its policies if it wants to protect its values. Preserving the status quo is not a solution; preserving the status quo is in the long run simply a waste. We must also realise that besides an innovative and open Europe we also have a Europe with almost 20 million unemployed. The situation in the labour market is gradually improving, and recently the figure was more in the region of 18 million, a 2 million improvement, which is not inconsiderable. We have a Europe in which there is poverty; we have a Europe in which there is child poverty; we have stagnating growth and a Europe with too much social exclusion. If the EU is to remain active and economically strong, the challenges that must be tackled head-on also include the ageing population, which threatens the financial viability of our social systems, and globalisation, which is a source of fear mainly for countries with high unemployment and which at the same time confirms how indispensable it is to launch the structural reforms.
I should like to thank Parliament for its proposals, which I wish to sum up in one word: modernisation, or perhaps a better word would be improvement. We need to modernise in order to be able to preserve high-quality education and health systems, and to deliver decent employment and decent pensions for all. The Commission and the Member States have launched the process of modernisation and the reforms as part of the re-launched Lisbon Strategy. I wish to thank the rapporteurs, in this regard, for highlighting the importance of striking a balance between the economic dimension, on the one hand, and employment and social protection on the other. The EU has at its disposal a range of individual instruments that will help the Member States to press ahead with modernisation. This legislation will support economic change and the implementation of measures to protect our values and quality of life, conferring the authority to monitor compliance with Community rights and providing a budget which is vital for supporting the Union’s economic, social and territorial cohesion.
Most of the proposals in the report bear a striking similarity to the Commission’s current activities. These include activities relating to demographic change, which will be addressed in the proposals contained in the Green Paper on demography that I should like to introduce in October. They also include activities relating to what is known as flex-security, that is, flexibility with security, regarding which the Commission has begun to negotiate with the interested parties, and these negotiations are due to culminate in the adoption of joint principles by the end of 2007. Additionally, we have activities relating to services of general interest, which the Commission will address in a communication to be completed by the end of this year on the basis of Parliament's report. There is also similarity in the activities arising from the Commission communication of June 2006 entitled ‘A citizens’ agenda delivering results for Europe’, in which the Commission undertook to carry out, in 2007, a thorough assessment of the reality of the European Community and to launch a programme geared towards an approach to rights and solidarity, which will also examine the possibility of establishing a list of rights for Europe's citizens.
Lastly, I should like once again to thank the rapporteurs for their report, which looks to the future and which makes some useful proposals. The Commission will respond to it in the coming months in the context of the main initiatives to which I have alluded. Ladies and gentlemen, I should like if I may to return to the very beginning. The European social model is founded on the idea that it is possible to link up political democracy, economic efficiency, economic effectiveness and solidarity."@en1
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