Press

Re: President Barroso’s State of the Union Address 2013 

In his state of the union address, President José Manuel Barroso reflected on Europe’s efforts to overcome the economic crisis and the importance of making a case for Europe. The President of Social Platform, Heather Roy reacted “as Social NGOs we are ready to make the case for Europe but not for the one presented by the President of the Commission yesterday. Europe can not only focus on its economic values but it must also be about its social values”.

Contrary to President Barroso’s address we are not all suffering the crisis together.  The crisis has had a disproportionate effect on the most vulnerable in our societies which must be addressed now. 120 million Europeans are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, 26 million are unemployed, and austerity measures have sharply deepened the level of inequalities in our societies (including inequalities in wealth and in access to services). These are the most alarming results of the economic crisis –not just the increased fragmentation of Europe’s financial sector. 

Although the Council and the Parliament may have played a role through the “most impressive records of legislative work ever” their social legacy is poor. The few proposals in the social arena such as an improved maternity leave directive and better protection against discrimination in our societies have failed in the Council negotiations.  Strengthening the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union is one necessary step but it will not be sufficient. 

Heather Roy highlighted “as President Barroso rightly stated “we are much more than a market”; indeed we are more than just consumers, we are people.  A Europe based on values must respond to the needs of its people and not just to the financial markets.”  Europe now needs a more social face with concrete proposals for actions in the social field if we want to shape a “new normal”.

In 8 months voters across Europe will judge the actions of the last 5 years and Social Platform agrees with President Barroso that citizens will only be convinced by concrete achievements where Europe has solved problems for its citizens. As the problems of European people go far beyond just employment and growth it is time now to also prioritize a social Europe. 

ENDS

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