PES Manifesto

Globalisation? Yes, but let's not forget the Social Europe!

Published Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 12:11
by Editor (690 views and 0 comments)

Kurt Beck, SPD chairman, is determined to fight for decent work and minimum income! He also wants to lower the social security contributions of low-earners and make up for the budgetary shortfall by raising taxes for the wealthy.

The announcements were made during a debate between SPD party leadership and some 3.000 delegates that came together in Nuremberg in the end of May to discuss the future of Germany and its oldest party.

Attending one of about 20 thematic discussion forums, party members could mingle with prominent representatives of the German social democracy. The panel on “New Social Europe”, for example, brought together Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development), Michael Sommer (Chairman of the German Confederation of Trade Unions), Martin Schulz (MEP, President of the Parliamentary Group of the PES) and Bernhard Rapkay (MEP, Head of the SPD delegation).

There was a consensus among participants that the central idea of the European social model is still up to date: economic growth and social justice combined with ecological responsibility are no contradictions. In an increasingly globalised world it’s up to the social democrats to renew the policy strategy for the European societies. There is a need for European standards when it comes to employment rights and co-determination. German social democrats therefore want to establish a social stability pact for Europe, taking into account targets and standards of education and social spending.

Who else, if not social democrats, can make Europe the vanguard in the peaceful, social and sustainable shaping of globalisation? Martin Schulz underlined that a new social Europe will not be realized by conservative governments. He called upon his fellow party members to be vigilant about the dismantling of the social welfare state (Sarkozy) and the concentration of political, economic and media power (Berlusconi). Only a strong social democratic group in the European Parliament can counterbalance a majority of conservative Commissioners and build up a truly social Europe.

Tags: globalization