Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-11-25-Speech-2-030-000"
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"en.20141125.5.2-030-000"2
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"Madam President, today we are looking at the employment and social aspects of the EU 2020 strategy, but our resolution also reminds us that the strategy is designed to cover three elements: the smart, the sustainable and the inclusive. If we are not bearing all three parts in mind, as our resolution recalls, we are not actually going to be moving forward, because it is that integration and cooperation which gives us that direction.
We are also very clear that the search for growth is not an end in itself. It is more about political choices to reduce inequalities and to tackle poverty. The benefits need to be spread throughout society and not just concentrated in the hands of those that are already rich.
It is clear that we are moving away from what, in our view, were already pretty unambitious poverty reduction targets. But it is also clear that work in itself is not the answer. If you look, for example, at the report of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which was published yesterday in the UK, 50% of those in the UK who are in poverty or at risk of poverty are in work. Social security benefits are important; they are a key stabiliser, and they actually give people a base from which to be able to move forward. As others have also been saying, the quality of work – decent work, a job you can build a life on – is also a key element of a job-rich recovery and this strategy.
So we do need to look at the abusive practices that we have. We need to look at the way in which people are working many, many hours and still actually cannot afford to live a decent life. It is not enough for us to end the biting austerity measures – which have had such a destructive effect on so many lives – if we are not engaged in a socially-just transition which is going to tackle inequality and move us towards a low-carbon economy, which is also part of the EU 2020 strategy. The issue of bureaucracy and administration costs for businesses is important, but removing that does not necessarily give you a better society with decent work either. You have to look at the outcome of what you are doing.
We very much welcome the Council’s words about the balancing of the social and economic dimension, because we think that the reaction to the financial crisis has been one of stand-alone economics and that it has not taken into account the need to actually develop people’s lives. So, yes, we would agree that new investment is needed, but we should not forget – as the Commissioner has said – that we need to make the money that we are already spending through the structural funds – including the social fund – work properly. Parliament has an oversight role there too.
And finally I also very much welcome the words of the Council on the reference to governance. It is not just about social partners and the engagement of local and regional authorities; civil society also has a key role to play in this area, and it needs to be there as part of the discussion as well as part of the delivery."@en1
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