PROSPERITY
EQUALITY
SOLIDARITY
2005>2009
POLITICAL DECLARATION
ADOPTED BY PES LEADERS, BRUSSELS 16.12.041
The choices ahead of us
More than ever, the European Union needs a political vision.
The European project is intrinsically intertwined with the social-democratic project, which is the fight against all forms of inequality. Indeed, inequalities between rich and poor nations and within societies continue to grow, generating increasing fears amongst people and worsening existing global problems. This vision should provide the European Union with a new objective for its model of development: excellence in all domains – in the political, economic, social, environmental, or foreign policy domains – to give the EU a lasting capacity to improve the quality of life of its citizens.
The stake for Europe is to renew the legitimacy of public policies so that our citizens feel it is worth their while to participate, to exercise their civil rights, as society evolves and includes actions at the national as well as at the European and global levels. Tune in, turn on but don’t drop out!
In other words, the model of society to be advocated by European social democrats is one based on sustainable development, combining economic, social and environmental quality: strong growth for more and better jobs and a healthy environment, gender equality and equal opportunities for all.
In an increasingly interdependent Europe and globalised world, our national governments must work together more effectively. We need efficient political action at all levels. National governments must act. And we must cooperate and act simultaneously at European level to achieve more together. This will strengthen our collective capacity to shape a better common future for our citizens. As a level of political action, the European Union is more relevant than ever before. In this respect, the Constitutional Treaty, which awaits ratification across Europe, will better equip us to act effectively together, when it is in our common interest do so.
This next legislative period will be critical. As European citizens, as nations, and as a world region, we must address many important challenges during this term. We must achieve more growth and better jobs. We must couple the pursuit of competitiveness with social cohesion. Ensure the quality of our public services. Fight for gender equality in and outside of the workplace to achieve social justice for women and a higher level of productivity. Protect our environment regionally and internationally. Fight for a peaceful and just world more effectively. These are only some of our challenges. We face many more. This requires a comprehensive programme for action in the next five years.
Europeans must make ambitious and forward-looking political choices in the years to come.
The choice is clear. Progress must be conditioned by stronger economic growth, of which a strong social dimension is a key element. The society our citizens need must rely on a social market economy crucially endowed with social insurance mechanisms and not just on those provided by the market economy.
At the heart of our choice lies the deep conviction that the European social model is and needs to remain a driving force to our economic development. This conviction is opposed to the belief of right-wing and conservative forces that the social model needs to be dismantled to generate economic development. It needs to be modernised, but not dismantled. The most successful European economies in the world are those that have combined high economic competitiveness with strong social welfare.
Developing Europe - clear objectives, concrete action
We believe that, in order to ensure its future development, the EU has to pursue four objectives in the next five years:
A Europe of social progress and full employment
A safe and protected environment
A Europe of freedom, security and justice
A stronger Europe for a peaceful world
The pursuit of these objectives will require specific and realistic action. This will form the basis of our influence and actions at European level in the next five years.
A new political agenda for Europe
The enlarged European Union is entering a new five-year political term, following on from the June 2004 European elections and the European Parliament’s recent approval of the new European Commission.
In early 2005, the Commission is due to present its strategic objectives for this term and a detailed work programme for 2005. This offers us an important opportunity to act and influence, as European socialists and social democrats.
Next year, social democrats will be in the driving seat at European level: during the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU, in which we are in coalition government, and during the UK Presidency of the EU, following what we hope will be a successful outcome in the UK general elections.
We call on the European Commission to present proposals that will develop a Europe of prosperity, equality and solidarity.
We pledge to support all efforts by the Luxembourg and UK presidencies of the EU to pursue this objective at Council level, with the help of all progressive national governments
We trust our Parliamentary Group in the European Parliament to promote our common vision in close cooperation with our Party of European Socialists.
Objective 1: A Europe of social progress and full employment
Europe's economic growth is insufficient to create more and better jobs, to provide adequate resources to crucial policies for our future, such as research or education and training, and to generate a favourable climate to facilitate change in our economies. A well developed, modern social security system in itself contributes to growth and productivity – that is, jobs for all, security, lifelong learning possibilities for all - improves supply of the labour force and helps when implementing necessary structural change.
The Lisbon strategy, whose low level of implementation since 2000 is a cause of great concern, must be revitalised urgently, while maintaining its original objectives and its balanced agenda, which aims at simultaneously strengthening Europe's competitiveness, preserving social cohesion and protecting our environment.
Implementing the ambitious objectives of the Lisbon agenda, furthermore, calls for more growth-oriented, cooperative, and simultaneously coordinated national economic policies, within an updated Stability and Growth Pact. These joint national efforts could generate a growth rate of 3% or more for the EU as a whole, and create several million new jobs by 2010. This higher growth would also considerably accelerate economic and social progress in the new Member States and would, all in all, make the public finances better and stronger.
This is the only way to unleash new and stronger growth for the EU as a whole, and thereby to create more and better jobs, and generate a favourable climate for private investment and consumption, and for economic reforms. Countries already fulfilling the medium-term targets of the Pact and with acceptable levels of public debt should, therefore, be allowed to temporarily deviate from the 'close to balance or in surplus' rule so that they can meet their investment needs.
Member states should be encouraged to gradually increase their net "intelligent" public investment in research and development, education and training, and infrastructures in a well-coordinated way - conceived as a joint investment effort by all member states - by identifying national and trans-national public investment projects with a large enough social rate of return.
These national efforts would encompass the already agreed Barcelona objective of 3% GDP for research, and would significantly add to the implementation of the recently approved European Growth Initiative as well as a necessary shift and full use of available Community funds to finance Lisbon strategy objectives at EU level
National budget policies are crucial for each of our member states, but also for reaping the full benefits of cooperating more closely in Europe to obtain higher growth and more jobs. It simply pays to cooperate! Therefore there is a strong argument for national budget policies to be better coordinated at European level and embedded in new coherence in the three key instruments at our disposal at European level - the Stability and Growth Pact, the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, and the Lisbon strategy. In the framework of reinforced Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, it is crucial for national budget policies to give priority to the Lisbon strategy, notably in terms of adequate spending on research and development, high quality education, and active labour market policies, such as lifelong learning and traning programmes.
The EU must also ensure that a strong industrial activity, which is highly competitive internationally and capable of providing an increasing number of skilled jobs, is maintained. In this context, Europe's industry has to face the outsourcing phenomenon. The EU, together with Member States, businesses and trade unions, has the capacity to tackle the negative results of this phenomenon: it can provide a comprehensive response which combines the different political levels of action and set of policy instruments. First and foremost it is about creating more and better jobs in Europe, thereby also fighting the negative effects of outsourcing. And to ensure that European workers have real opportunities to upgrade their qualifications and to receive social security, in preparation for newly-created jobs.
Achieving a Europe of progress and full employment also calls for ambitious action in other fields, to prevent unfair forms of tax competition, to preserve services of general interest, to promote regional convergence, competitiveness and cooperation in an enlarged Europe, to address old and new social demands, to fight discrimination at work, and to ensure gender equality.
A Europe of progress, full employment and social inclusion is a goal in its own right. However, it should not be considered in isolation from the objectives of economic growth and competitiveness. It is part and parcel of the balanced and progressive socialist and social democratic agenda of coupling economic success with social justice.
We must also pursue a European cohesion policy, provided with adequate and sufficient resources and favouring growth and competitiveness in all parts of Europe, especially in least developed areas.
Achieving gender equality in the workplace will not only deliver social justice for women, but it will increase the level of productivity for society as a whole, which is needed to meet the growth and competitiveness targets of Lisbon. This involves not only securing equal opportunities and equal pay in the workplace, but also providing working parents with the conditions to balance work and family commitments. In the nation states, there must be an increase in accessible and affordable childcare, which currently remains in scarce supply in the majority of EU member states.
Gender mainstreaming, that is the systematic consideration of the effect of policy initiatives on gender equality, should be assured. There should be a higher level of awareness and application of this approach across the European institutions and member states governments in their policy development and implementation.
Objective 2: A safe and protected environment
First and foremost, environmental challenges cannot be addressed without resolute action at international level. Therefore, the EU must consolidate its role as a key global player in this field, committed to the principles of intra-generational and inter-generational solidarity, and to multilateralism, with a view to achieving sustainable development both domestically and internationally. New efforts are particularly important in reducing CO2 emissions and in promoting renewable energies.
The EU must continue an ambitious EU policy on climate change, with enhanced objectives of emission reduction beyond those of Kyoto and by playing an active role internationally to promote the Kyoto Protocol.
To address the sustainable development objective, we need to further change our patterns of production and consumption. If they were to be the model of development globally, they would put our planet at risk. We argue for a society that produces and consumes in a reasonable, equitable and responsible way. In this context, the development of environmentally-friendly technologies must be actively encouraged, with a view to making Europe a leading actor in this field.
The environment is our most outstanding common good and environmental policy is a crucial Community policy. However, the environmental dimension is horizontal and, therefore, underlies all other policies. There is a need for highlighting how these environmental needs are taken into account in key policies, such as in rural development, in transport and trans-European networks, in industrial regulation, and in the promotion of corporate social responsibility.
Objective 3: A Europe of freedom, security and justice
Europe should strive to be an open, democratic society, based on the principles and practice of non-discrimination and equality.
In this policy field, the key objective of ensuring the security of citizens must be pursued in full respect of fundamental rights. Fighting terrorism and organised crime requires the full use of all instruments available, in absolute conformity with our democratic principles.
In order to fully respect the fundamental rights of all our citizens, it is essential to eradicate trafficking of people, which hits women and children particularly hard, to eradicate violence against women across the EU and to promote the reproductive rights of women.
Furthermore, the protection of fundamental rights and civil liberties is intimately linked to guaranteeing the existence of cultural diversity and freedom of expression. Globalisation has many faces. Trade opening accelerates the diffusion of values and different models of society. It can foster peace and cultural understanding by helping people to learn from each other. We must actively promote the freedom of expression and cultural diversity of European citizens through our media policies.
Another challenge in the consolidation of an area of freedom, security and justice is that of ensuring an integrated management of external borders. This requires action with and in third countries of origin and of transit, in parallel with cooperation on the management of migration, control and surveillance of external borders and controls inside the territory.
The management of the EU’s external borders represents a heavy responsibility for those countries whose borders lie on the EU’s outer limits. We must address the disproportionate impact of this responsibility and strengthen European cooperation in this field.
The EU must also uphold the right to asylum while preventing its abuse. Furthermore, guaranteeing individual and civil liberties is now intimately linked to guaranteeing the existence of cultural diversity, an area in which existing international efforts should be actively supported by the EU.
Europe needs migrants - not least for its future economic prosperity in the light of forthcoming demographic changes - but we have to recognise that our citizens will only be prepared to accept this if we can show that it is possible to regulate the admission of economic migrants, fight illegal immigration that disrupts our own labour markets and that we are determined to pursue an integration policy that is based on the right balance between the respect of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity and the respect of values and principles of our democratic societies. Within the EU framework, Member States could develop a common set of minimum claims to immigrants based on a mutual rights and duties approach.
Objective 4: A stronger Europe for a peaceful world
With more than 450 million inhabitants and a quarter of world output, the enlarged EU should wield considerable influence over the long-term political and economic choices determining prosperity and stability in Europe and the wider world, which in their turn influence the well-being and security of Europeans. There is, however, a gap between the EU’s economic weight and its political clout. The Union is not a State, but coherent external relations can increase its influence far beyond what Member States can achieve separately or even along parallel lines of action.
The EU must now take a leading role in revitalising the Midle East peace process. We must actively contribute to establishing a political solution, enabling the Palestinian people to live in their own independent and viable state, next to a secure state of Israel.
We must develop Europe’s partnerships with our neighbours within the Northern Dimension and revitalise the Barcelona process for our partners from the Mediterranean basin.
Enlargement has entrusted the EU with even greater responsibilities, as a regional leader and as a global partner. It should therefore strengthen its capacity to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law as well as its capacity to focus on the fight against poverty, which hits women particularly hard, and global inequalities, both in its neighbourhood and through its multilateral and bilateral policies which are mainly aimed at sustainable development and political stability. New efforts and initiatives are called for to considerably accelerate the economic, social and political development of Africa. In this way, the EU will achieve genuine consistency between its domestic and its external agendas contributing thereby to global security and prosperity, and to the emergence of a new and peaceful world order. The EU should support the strengthening of the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations and give serious consideration to the recent recommendations of the UN High Level Panel on threats, challenges and change. In this light, the EU should strengthen its ties with other global players within the multilateral system, and especially renew its partnership with the US in a balanced way.
Conclusion - A common effort by all progressives
National governments and each of the institutions of the European Union now face an unprecedented collective political responsibility, in securing a prosperous and promising future for our citizens and for the world.
Europe’s socialists and social democrats, acting collectively through our national parties and in the Party of European Socialists will act, using all political levels of action.
We will build a new type of solidarity which draws on a reinforced dialogue with all stakeholders and takes on board the concerns of all our citizens, especially women.
We are committed to "Developing Europe". We will pursue this ambition through our national governments, within the Council, and our Parliamentary Group in the European Parliament. We will work together with all progressive forces in Europe, including trade unions, and in NGOs and in the business community, to pursue this ambition.
