PES pre-Summit declaration

12 December 2007

The PES today issued a pre-summit declaration   agreed by all Socialist and Social Democratic party leaders, Prime Ministers and Opposition Leaders, including Gordon Brown, Kurt Beck, Alfred Gusenbauer, José Socrates and Mona Sahlin.

The PES declaration is wide-ranging and covers the Reform Treaty, globalization (which is the subject of a Summit Declaration to be adopted on Friday), and the Lisbon Agenda of social and economic reform. 

The PES sees the Treaty as a springboard for far more effective EU intervention in global affairs and globalization: and states that Europe must adapt to compete more effectively in the global economy and at the same time shape globalization by tackling some of the market failures of the global economy (such as climate change and huge wealth imbalances). The PES declaration is much clearer on the need to improve global governance than the draft conclusions, and includes a commitment to debt cancellation which the draft conclusions do not.  

Among the key points in the declaration are:

• “The Lisbon Treaty gives the European Union a strengthened capacity to meet the global challenges that all our citizens face”
  
  
• Recognizing the potentially positive impacts of globalization “far greater prosperity and improved living standards, both in Europe and the developing world”
  The need to “shape policies for a more inclusive globalization” with special mention of addressing imbalances in wealth and  the need to tackle climate change,
  a “progressive European agenda both adaptive and pro-active in response to globalization”
  “The EU must promote completion of the Doha Development Round, which will bring new trade opportunities to the world’s poorest countries” – and “use its influence to extend the initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative” and “meet its commitments in terms of development aid”  
  
  
• Asserting that the Lisbon agenda “is still key” but that “the EU has not gone far enough towards implementation”, that “there is still further work to be done to ensure that we achieve a genuine single market in the EU” and calls for “renewed commitment to proactive social, education and labour market policies within the EU”  and “making environmental policies a dynamic, contributing factor to economic growth” 

In a letter to PES party leaders, PES president Poul Nyrup Rasmussen writes “The signing of the Lisbon Treaty on December 13th means that 2008 will be devoted to ensuring a successful ratification process. The PES should regard this as our major job for the next year. Citizens will only support ratification if we can explain why this treaty is important and how we intend to use it for our political goals.” 

“The question now is whether European heads of state and government will manage to adopt a globalization declaration at the Council on 14th December which resists both protectionist and neoliberal tendencies and comes out with a vision of a fairer, more inclusive globalization for Europe and the developing world.”

The letter also says “It has never been more important to define a progressive approach to globalization, which is adaptive – helping Europe’s people face new challenges, through lifelong learning and social policies – but also proactive in shaping global governance.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Julian Scola, Communications Advisor - Media & Campaigns
Party of European Socialists, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels
Mobile +32 486 117 394,