Chat with Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, 11 July 2006
Pedro Ribeiro: I Think it was important that the PES alowed sections of pes activists in countrys that have pes partners.
PN Rasmussen: Dear Pedro, yes I fully agree. Our new PES activists will make a big difference, and for the national parties. there is so much to do and I look forward to a lot of PES activists coming to our Congrress in Porto in December. We need you.
OleHall: Where would you like EU to be in 10 years? And how will you get it there?
PN Rasmussen: I have a dream, a realistic dream of a Europe without competiton among states but fair and transparent competition between companies and services to finance our welfare states. A dream of a Europe based on justice, minimum rights for workers to make sure that this Europe is not a place for social dumping but for increasing qualifications all the time, for our citizens to ensure more and better jobs in the global economy. I have a dream of a Europe based on tolerance and equal treatment of all citizens including all migrants as a frontrunner for a strong dialogue also with the Arab world based on respect and social progress. A dream of a Europe a new social europe where everyone will not be lost even if you have lost sometimes, a deam of a Europe where our voice and our values andour ambitions for peace and justice will not only be our internal affair but the very new global agenda. And I tell you this will not take ten years it is up to us through an ever strong PES.
Fabienne: The World Cup showed that Europeans (and the others!) are very much attached to their nations. Don't you think that this exacerbated nationalism is contrary to the European ideal?
PN Rasmussen: Dear Fabienne, in the track of the poloiticisation of Europe we still see signs and examples of growing nationalism and populism not everywhere but in some countries - Poland for instance. The PES has to be an uncompromised party which will never accept or be passive towards this development even if we see an example of that development in our family. So consequently in relation to the SMER-SD's new government coalition in Slovakia with the SNS and HZDS. Our credibility is not only depending upon our criticism of the Polish populist Government but first and foremost the consequence for our own parties. All this has nothing to do with football, you know, we all need dramas in our lives. And you dont see another workshop, firm or team where so many different ethnic minorities are among the nations best players - so in a sense football is the frontier, and bridging friendship and understanding among cultures and peoples.
Socialist: How do you explain that a socialdemocratic party like SMER-SD in Slovakia has formed a coalition government with an extreme-right party, SNS? Will SMER-SD be expelled from the PES?
PN Rasmussen: To all who asked about Slovakia, dear friends we cannot defend or explain or accept a government coalition where one of our parties goes into government with a nationalist party like SNS. Our values, and our Congress in 2001 is crystal in our charter "PES parties should refrain from, any form of political alliance or cooperation at all levels with any political party to incites or attempts to stir up racial or ethnic prejudiices or racial hatred." We have therefore taken the initiative to hold an extraordinary PES Presidency meeting in September and I have proposed to all our member parties that the Presidency will at that time suspend the Slovak member party according to our statutes.
This is an ongoing political struggle - there will always be tendencies towards nationalism, xenophobia - that's why we need to act , that's why we must see our reaction as exta support for th enew lights in Europe, a new Government in Italoy after Berlusconi, a second term for our Hungarian Socialist Party and other good signs, probably soon in the Netherlands and France. So you see, if you don't find you dont count.. José Luis Zapatero and the PSOE in Spain have also shown the way in Spain: they and we are talking of an alliance of civilisations, and they are doing it with great skill and success. Tony Blair in the UK has also taken progressive initiatives of that kind.
Sauvard: Je pense que l'Europe ne pourra se réconcilier avec ses citoyens que si elle a un projet clair. Dans ce cadre, quel est la position du PSE sur l'avenir à moyen et long terme de l'Europe, sur le plan institutionnel (Structure fédérale ? Réseau de collaborations renforcées ? Mélange des deux autour d'un noyau dur ?) et sur le plan de ses frontières ?
PN Rasmussen: Dear M Sauvard, don't make any confusion - ordinary people want to see a Europe dealing with their worries and hopes for the future - how can I get a new job? How can my children manage for education and security? How can my parents be ensured a decent life when they retire? Europe's role is to add to the three other democratic houses , to realise the answers to these questions. We must in the future ensure a much better and well coordinated work at the local, regional, national and uroepan level. We cannot say that Europe should take the place of the other three, it is about a Europe to fulfilli ts role in cooperation, and together with, the other three democratic houses. The question is not whether we should be more federal oriented, the answer is the following:the present treaty - the Nice Treaty - cannot function properly when we ar becoming 28 or 30 members, therefore we need a better Treaty. On the one hand we are confronted with a no in France and the Netherlands, but sometimes we forget that we are confronted with a yes in 16 other countries including referndums in Spain and Luxembourg. The answer is clear: we must have a stronger Treaty to ensure our New Social Europe and a strong voice for Europe in the world. If we start this way around by asking people 'do you agree these are our needs?' I think we will get stronger agreement.
Yildiz Akdogan: Dear Poul, I really appreciate your work. I’m curious about the future of Turkey in the Union. It’s seem like Cyrus is going to be a huge problem for both parts – EU and Turkey. On the other hand, the signals from the EU can unfortunately also affect the conservative and nationalist wing in Turkey. Considering the upcoming elections in Turkey, I see a huge problem in December. I would like to now, what the PES perspective is on this matter?
PN Rasmussen: Dear Yildiz, Turkey belongs to Europe but membership of the EU will be a very long process, and to be honest we still don't know whether the outcome will be de facto membership. That will depend on the reform process in the coming years, but it is our goal. But I have seen negative steps since we started real negotiations- too many negative steps in Turkey. It looks like the reform process has nearly stopped. Think of the way the police treated the women's demonstration. Think of the ban on teacher's unions because they wanted to teach the Kurdish minority in their own language. You mentioned yourself the need to recognise Cyrpus. I am very aware of the balance that is necessary not to fuel the contradicitons between the nationalists, conservatives and Government in Turkey. But since Kamal Attaturk modernised Turkey it has been a permanent struggle to ensure the sustainability of this modernisation. Europe must know its role and contribute ina way that Turkey doesn not turn its back to Europe. But we cannot and should not overtake the internal discussion, struggle, among he different actors and parties in Turkey. That is why the PES has established a High Level Group for Turkey under the Leadership of Paavo Lipponen and George Papandreou to ensure contacts, informations, dialogue between the PES and the leading political actors in Turkey. We can inspire, we can formulate a vision, we can help but at the end of the day it is Turkey's own choice.
Ilia_BG: Dear Mr. Rasmussen, in your view, what would be the future of new MS's like Bulgaria and Romania once they join the EU. Is there a danger of them being perceived as 'second-class members'? Or even second-class NEW members, compared to the big favourites - e.g. Poland, Czech republic and Slovenia?
PN Rasmussen: Dear Ilia, since I was a young boy, born of poor parents, I have always been against differentiating people or nations based on prejudice. Let me be clear, we want Bulgaria and Romania as fully fledged members of the EU from January 1 2007. In Bulgaria the Prime Minsiter Sergei Stanishev is doign a marvellous job. He and his party have done more for Bulgaria in one year to ensure membership than his predecessors. We see a breakthrough in justice and fighting corruption. In Romania a new leadership of the Romanian Social Democratic Party Mircea Geoana is day be day influencing the society and modernising the party in a very progressive way. So Ilia, Bulgaria and Romania are not second class countries, they are first class. Just two weeks ago I underlined in the European Parliament and in our Socialist Group that when we talk about membership of the Eurozone, about ensuring fair access to structural funds and cohesion funds, the ten new members are not second class either. For me it is simple, we all belong to the same family. It must be in the EU as it is int he PES - when you are a member you are a full member.
Marc Bellens: What are the arguments you mostly advance to (say) a trucker in one of the ex-EU-15 member states confronted with delocalisations (within and outside of the EU), competition from truckers of the new EU-10, but also outside of the EU, and the apparent lack of any initiatives in that field at EU-level ?
PN Rasmussen: Dear Marc, I will tell you the truth - I have always had a dream of being a trucker. Whether we are talking about truckers, or plumbers, or electricians, or construction workers, the answer is the same. We will not accept social dumping. We shall not compete on lowest salaries and worst working conditions. We shall compete on on higher qualifications, fair and transparent competion between firms and trucker companies. That is why the European Commission must enforce its rules about working time, rules for minimum rest periods for drivers, and a fair transport market in Europe. It is a converging process, that means we are moving progressively closer to each other - upwards not downwards. That is why we need a strong Euroepan Union to enforce and ensure that these common rules are respected all over Europe.
Stephanie Fenech, Malta: I am very interested to know your opinion about the role of young persons in PES, and how one can motivate young persons to directly participate in the different levels of politics not just through voting. Many thanks and well done.
PN Rasmussen: Dear Stephanie, we cannot do it, we cannot change Europe for the better, we cannot change our societies for the better, without engaged young people. The first thing I can propose to you - tell all young people who are members of national parties - to become PES activists. I've seen in lots of national parliaments that young parliamentarians can bring in a new dynamic, a new approach to our parties, and I have also seen that the interplay between the yong ones and the experienced can be of mutual benefit. Again, the tolerance and unederstanding, the global and European vision, the uncompromised will to learn and to know other countries and people, is so storng among young people - that's why my final answer is very simple: do it, engage yourself, make your choice and you will have a richer life. You know, life is too short not to use it.
Elsa: Dear President, Within the framework of 'Social Europe', I would like to enquire the following: how many more victims will it take for Europe to develop the appropriate policies (education, legislative, etc) to protect children for physical or psychological abuse? According to my opinion children are the future, our future, and we should be able to secure this future for them. What can we do as a party to get the EC and the national governments to advance towards towards this direction? Thank you
PN Rasmussen: Dear Elsa, you are completely right, I cannot imagine what is worse than the abuse of children. We have to counteract it by acting all together. I got a feeling that we need a new kind of common value for protecting our children. We should start as early as possible. My experience is that when the nurse meets the lucky parents with their new born child she is the one that who can be the first bridge to ensure a good start. I have seen that in many positive integration efforts for migrant families, socially excluded families, single mothers. Then I am convinced that systematic child care as an opportunity for all families is fundamental in modern societies. You see here our children learn to socialise, to live with others, especially in southern Europe childcare is also a precondition for ensuring women's participation in the labour market, equal treatment between men and women, and thereby better chances also for women.
faeles: Quelle est la position du PSE sur les fonds de pension européens pour contrecarrer les fonds de pensions américains? E
PN Rasmussen: Dear Faeles, the first answer is transparency. Time has come to set up European rules to make it possible for every consumer, every wage earner, to see what is going on. In administrative costs, in investments, in competition. I also see you question in a broader light: the wage earners in Europe must realise ther own co-responsibility for their pension funds. For the moment we see capital funds and hedge fund to a large extent speculating or investing on behalf of pension funds. I think we need common rules to ensure fair and transparent market rules for these funds. After all, our pension funds in Europe are a fundamental part of our welfare societies, of our solutions to the demographic challenge; without growth and better employment the real value of pensions is undermined. So investing actibvely in new jobs in a crucial part of ensuring the real purchasing power of future pensioners.
Jette Hougaard: Dear Poul, I want to thank you for the opportunity to make contact with the far away Parlament in EU. My questions are: Will it be possible to make consensus with the other european socialdemocratic parties in EU about environment impact and environmental protection? and the policy of labour market as to EU labours get the same pay as the rest in the country they work in? Jette Hougaard
PN Rasmussen: Dear Jette, yes definitely and I think women have always been frontrunners in this political struggle for sustainability. All of our social democratic have supported the PES in our priorities for 2006-7 where a better environment and a sustaénable energy policy are some of the key issues. I call it a New Smart Green Growth Strategy. It is with social polcy as it is with environmental policy: it is not a cost, it is a competitive factor if you do it right.
Socialist: how do you evaluate the work of the president of the EU Comission, José Manuel Barroso? Is not the Commission weaker and without a leadership?
PN Rasmussen: I understand your doubts. In some questions I would like to see a stronger Commission leadership. We still need a stronger line to ensure more and better jobs. We still need a stronger basis for ensuring a Social Europe in the global economy. In the absence of a cvWstrong vision fromt he Commisison it is the role of the European political parties - including the PES - to formulate and present one.
Oliver: DEar Poul, this is most difinately not a question, but a comment instead... - You did a good job as prime minister in DK, and I sure miss your work..! sorry you resigned your position..
PN Rasmussen: Dear Oliver, thanks for your comment. In my daily political life now I underline again and again that Rasmussen 2 (Anders Fogh Rasmussen) is not the same as Rasmussen 1 (that's me). But to be serious, Denmark needs a new leadership to place our country again in the group of solidaristic- minded, open and engaged European countries.
