Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-03-12-Speech-3-011"

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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to begin with an observation to the President of the Council. We have been informed, Sir, that the Mediterranean Union is to be discussed at tomorrow’s dinner. This is an idea of the French President, and at the talks over dinner – as well as hoping that all the participants enjoy their meal – I would ask you on behalf of our Group to clarify the following. If the idea is that the Mediterranean Union will build on, or upgrade, the Barcelona process into which we are pumping a good deal of money out of the European Union budget, then we are fully in favour of it. However, there need to be guarantees that such a policy will be pursued within the framework of the European Union. We are discussing unbundling in the energy sector, which might or might not be necessary. Let us talk for once about an unbundling that is taking place in the social policy field in Europe. There is a real danger that economic growth will become uncoupled from social security, which is why the guidelines need to be revised. We must make plain that whatever happens in the social policy field in the European Union goes hand in hand with economic progress. We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the European Parliament this afternoon. According to the spirit that prevailed here in Strasbourg 50 years ago, the combination of economic development and social security was the basis for the European Community's growth and success. It is increasingly being put at risk. You say that red tape must be cut for small and medium-sized enterprises. Yes! However, if red tape is cut and such companies move around Europe and then produce a case such as the Laval case, that strikes a blow against confidence in the European Union. For if freedom of movement can be used even by SMEs to roll back social progress, companies may stand to gain but their employees will not. Those employees, however, make up the vast majority of EU citizens. Of course we need investment in education, training, research and technical innovation. That goes without saying. However, if, for the overwhelming majority of people, access to university or school is dependent on whether their parents have enough money in their wallets, then that is not a social policy. We need equal access for all citizens in the European Union, wherever they come from and whatever their family circumstances. If Europe is to survive, we must strengthen that potential, not only business potential. We must above all strengthen the potential of young people on this continent who need access to research, skills and training. It undoubtedly strikes a blow against social confidence if any rich person in Europe can take their money coffers from one country to another without having to pay tax. That is another blow! You are therefore right to say that we need to regulate the EU's financial markets. All of this, Mr President, argues in favour of a revision of the guidelines. Ultimately it matters little whether or not we call it that. If you convey this message to the Council tomorrow, we will be on your side; but we will only be on your side if you do so, Mr President! If the Mediterranean Union is to be a success, it must be a Community policy within the framework of the existing EU institutions and policies. If, conversely, the Mediterranean Union were to become a divisive factor in the EU, then that would be a bad sign; it would moreover isolate France on the eve of the French Presidency, something we certainly do not want. We therefore ask you to pass on this message to the participants at the summit. Not altering the guidelines is one thing. The decision taken here on 20 February by a majority of 515 votes, namely to alter them, is quite a different matter. However, let us not argue about whether or not to alter the guidelines; let us discuss whether or not the substantive changes contained in our demand for the guidelines to be altered are practicable. Mr Barroso, I criticised you last week for demonstrating a lack of commitment. I have heard in the meantime that some Members of your Commission – presumably after consultation with you – have taken up and put forward some of the ideas that we proposed here. Hence my criticism on this point is no longer relevant. However, Mr President of the Commission, having heard your speech today I must repeat the following: you have a guiding role in Europe. Your words to the Heads of State and Government tomorrow must encourage them to put what you have just been calling for into practice in the Member States. A good deal of what you say is true, naturally, but we need to address the real situation in Europe. Allow me therefore to list five points which we believe remain crucial but have not been sufficiently flagged up or put into practice. Yes, progress has of course been made: unemployment is falling and productivity rising, yet job insecurity in Europe is rising too. That is also a fact. Of course more jobs are being created, but the jobs being created are not secure; they are ever more insecure. Pay rises in Europe are not keeping pace with company profits: in percentage terms, company profits are outstripping pay rises for workers. This represents a social imbalance. We wish to improve social cohesion; we want more social protection. What is the point of a growing internal market, what is the point of a globally competitive Union, if the reality is this: a manufacturing company makes a 4% profit at a site and says ‘this is not enough for the shareholders; they want a 6% profit, so we are closing down the company at this site’. That strikes a blow against the basic confidence that the European Union needs. Our citizens must have confidence!"@en1
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