PES Manifesto

Success with Social Europe!

Published Monday, June 2, 2008 at 21:31
by liebetruth (831 views and 1 comments)

I believe courageous steps towards a social Europe are needed to tackle the challenges that Socialists and Social Democrats are facing all across the continent before the elections for the European Parliament (EP) in 2009. The trust of the citizens into the European Union and politics in Europe in general can and must be rebuilt. To reach this goal the PES campaign has to make clear that a truly social Europe is possible – and that PES is the only European political party which fully commits itself to turning the vision of a social Europe into reality!

Social mainstreaming, Common EU minimum social standards and stronger EU social policies are needed to make clear that a New Social Europe is possible! We expect from PES to fully commit itself to building this New Social Europe in the 2009 electoralcampaign. This commitment is the key to rebuilding people’s trust into the European Union and a successful PES at the 2009 European elections.

Our map towards Social Europe

I am convinced that the following courageous steps are needed to reach a truly social Europe and should therefore become the centerpiece of the PES manifesto for the European elections 2009:

Social mainstreaming

Social mainstreaming means that all political decisions have to contribute to a more social Europe. The Common Market and competition without boundaries must not remain the leading motive of EU policy. Instead in the future social aspects and the aim of equal living conditions on a high level all across the European Union should be taken into account whenever European institutions and the EU member states decide EU matters. Therefore the different policy fields like economic policy, monetary policy, structural policy, foreign policy, educational policy and social policy have to be thoroughly coordinated. We demand:

• A better macro-economical coordination to reach a maximum of jobs and sustainable growth. This includes both, a demand-oriented, anti-cyclical fiscal and monetary policy on EU level as well as a new dialogue with the national level where wage policy remain to be dealt with.
• More money for education (including childcare) and research. Social Europe needs sustainable growth based upon education and research as it is mentioned already in the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs until 2010. We ask not only for stronger commitment so the Lisbon targets can be met but also for new Socialist and Social Democratic aims that characterize our social Europe. One of these aims has to be that every young person living in Europe – no matter what his or her financial or educational background is - has to obtain the opportunity to experience Europe through living in another European country for a while.

Europe wide minimum standards

Europe-wide minimum standards have to be formulated in many political areas. The race to the bottom towards lowest possible standards inside the EU has to be stopped – and PES has to become the party that commits itself to do that! We demand:

• The introduction of a European minimum wage on a high level.
• A European minimum corporate tax from which part of the tax revenues flow directly into the EU budget, so it helps the EU to become more autonomous from the Member States financially.
• There have to be minimum standards for the rights of trade unions in all EU member states.

Strengthening of EU social policies

Social policies on EU level have to be strengthened, however, without cutting down on the social political competences of the EU member states. One important step in this direction that PES should clearly stand for is the development of the “Open Method of Coordination” used in EU social policy into a stronger, more binding instrument.

• More employees’ participation in enterprises all across Europe.
• A common EU labour market needs social benefits that are portable across EU member states.
• European migration and integration policy: legal ways to immigrate to the EU and therefore the development of a European immigration law is needed. In addition to that the causes of forced migration have to be tackled. Sustainable development in poor countries has to be strengthened through newly aligned EU trade and agricultural policies

Dörte Liebetruth

Jusos Verden in Lowes Sawony (Young Socialists Germany)

Tags: education, employment, social dialogue