PES Newsletter n°5 - January 2006

Happy New Year

The PES wishes you a very happy social new year. May 2006 bring us opportunities for election victories in parliamentary and presidential elections in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

Decent Work

Decent work was the subject of remarkable public meeting at the WTO in Hong Kong jointly organised by the –PES supported- Global Progressive Forum, ICFTU, World Confederation of Labour, and Solidar. It featured Pascal Lamy and Peter Mandelson. Read the account of PES president Poul Nyrup Rasmussen on his blog. An article on decent work by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was published at the same time in Le Monde.

PES takes on climate change

PES Environment Ministers and opposition spokespeople met for the first time in December and resolved to develop a common strategy for tackling climate change in the long term.

New SPD Leadership promises strong support for PES  

In meeting with PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Germany’s new Social Democratic leaders - Matthias Platzeck, the new SPD Leader, and Hubertus Heil, the new SPD General Secretary - promised strong support for the PES after months of electoral campaigning.

Social Europe

As the PES presses ahead with its Social Europe initiative, an article by PES president Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and the Socialist Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Sweden in the German business daily ‘Handelsblatt’ calls for a rapid end to restrictions on the free movement of workers from new EU member states and for those workers to enjoy the same wages, health and safety protection and other working conditions as workers in the country where they are employed.

EU Services Directive

The PES has written to all member parties reminding them of the PES position on the controversial Services Directive which has the potential to create many jobs but also threatens to undermine public services.

E-Journal

Issue 3 of the PES supported e-journal ’Social Europe’ was published in December with articles by, amongst others, Günther Verheugen, Piero Fassino, Elisabeth Guigou and John Prescott. 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

People’s Dialogue

The PES ‘People’s Dialogue on the future policies of Europe’ initiative kicks off in Dublin on 27 January 2006.  

Socialist Finance Ministers

Socialist Finance Ministers and Shadow Ministers next meeting is on 14 February and again in April on the eve of the ECOFIN Council in Vienna. Top of the agenda is getting their Growth and Investment Strategy implemented by the EU.

PES Women

Ahead of the EU’s Spring Summit, PES Women will meet on 23 February to discuss gender equality in the labour market, in particular the participation rate of women in the labour market and the gender pay gap.

Lisbon Network

Politicians from each socialist Government attending the EU ‘Lisbon process’ aimed at making Europe’s economy more competitive will meet on a date to be confirmed in late January.  

World Social Forum

The PES supported Global Progressive Forum will take part in the World Social Forum in Bamako, Mali, with a meeting on Decent Work on 22 January featuring GPF vice-president Harlem Désir.

Social Europe Initiative

Debates contributing to the PES ‘Social Europe’ initiative will take place in several countries including Romania on 17 March, and on dates to be confirmed in Sweden and UK in February, Spain in April, Greece in May and France in June.  

With the financial support of the European Parliament