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Following an informal meeting of European Heads of State and Government last Friday in Valetta, Malta, European Council President, Donald Tusk, called on EU Member States to renew their commitment to the values of the European project. The EU is a marriage of 28 Member States, but the honey moon has been over for a long time now. As life goes on, our marriage has its ups and downs and our affection has to be nourished. Yet, given the enormous challenges the EU faces, it’s not a renewal of vows the EU needs, but rather a proposal for a new and forward-looking vision of the European project.

As with any marriage, it all starts with a proposal. Unfortunately, as with endless informal EU summits, extraordinary Council meetings and declarations in recent years – just think of those following the Greek and United Kingdom referenda – there is little substance to what Europe’s long-term vision should be. Instead it’s all about one-time fire-fighting. To the three threats underlined by President Tusk in his letter to the EU Heads of State and Government, i.e. the new geopolitical situation, the spread of nationalism and the growing tendency of European leaders to succumb to populist arguments, I would add a fourth one: It is the growing and continuous mistrust of European citizens towards institutions, politics and politicians in particular.

If our governments are looking for the proposal of a new vision for the EU – to be equal to the ambitions of the Treaty of Rome signed 60 years ago – then it’s high time they began listening to civil society. Yes, we should be proud of our achievements, which have made Europe the best place on Earth, as recalled by President Tusk. Yet, some people in these harsh times don’t feel that way, while some others simply do not think it’s true anymore. The now and tomorrow count for people more than the most glorious past. Social Platform and our members have long been calling for the EU to treat social policies as equally important as economic policies. We believe that economic growth must go hand in hand with social fairness and justice, leaving no one behind.

Our calls for a strong social Europe have so far largely fallen on deaf ears. The Commission’s conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights held two weeks ago left many of us disillusioned. Social policy is still perceived as resultant of employment and growth rather than an equal to them. Such policy-making excludes entire groups of society who cannot work or do not have a chance to get a decent job. By doing so, we are teaching future generations that their worth is only measured by the amount they can contribute to the economy, and this is simply wrong. But there is a glimmer of hope that things can change. Both the IMF and the OECD have begun to call on world leaders to pursue economic policies that promote social investment and deliver social returns for societies. They see that austerity hasn’t worked. It’s time that European leaders accepted this, too. Until then, the EU can make as many vows, promises, declarations and roadmaps as it wishes, but without a commitment to fight inequalities, our continent will cease being the best place on Earth.

Maciej Kucharczyk, Vice-President