EAPN press release

The European Council must launch a democratic debate to ensure an ambitious social dimension of the European Monetary Union (EMU)! 


Brussels, 26 June 2013 – EAPN has written to the Prime Ministers prior to their meeting on the 27-28 June, where a discussion will take place on the next steps for President Van Rompuy’s proposals for a social dimension of the EMU. EAPN sets out concrete proposals and calls for a democratic debate to ensure that the social dimension is not reduced to an instrument of economic policy but contributes to a vision for an EU based on social rights and solidarity.
EAPN is concerned that the European Council will merely look at the social dimension in terms of how far social policy is supporting economic goals, or by very limited measures on social indicators. This is not enough!” said Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN.
The Council must respond to the urgency of the situation - the disillusionment at the EU’s failure to deliver on its Europe 2020 poverty reduction target, the growing social, economic and democratic crisis with rising levels of xenophobia and the growing distrust of the EU’s handling of the crisis with its one-size fits all agenda of austerity, wage reductions and privatisation. A change of direction is needed and the Council should launch a real democratic debate – with parliaments, civil society, social partners and involving the people most affected aimed at ensuring a credible social dimension for the EU and the EMU”, concluded Mr Farrell.
In the letter EAPN calls for
  1. Ambitious objectives for the EMU – rebalancing economic and social objectives, that ensure economic priorities support rather than attack social goals.
  2. the Council to launch a democratic debate to develop an ambitious social dimension – through consultation with national and European Parliaments and engaging civil society and social partners.
EAPN sets out 5 key elements:
  1. Set an ambitious coherent social vision for the EU , as well as the EMU
  2. Ensure that economic policies contribute to social goals, stop current austerity measures which are undermining social rights and carry out ex-ante coordination, going beyond the proposed social scoreboard.
  3. Ensure a coherent, social approach is mainstreamed through the European Semester – in all its elements, with the Europe 2020 targets at the centre of the process.
  4. Pro-active visible EU measures to promote social standards across the EU – i.e. a Framework Directive on the adequacy of Minimum Income Schemes.
  5. Social Investment and Employment Pact to drive recovery through investing in social protection, public services and quality employment.
/END/
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