Our welfare states are fundamental in enabling citizens to participate in society and the labour market, to provide freedom and solidarity, to guarantee gender equality and the integration of all groups in society and to protect people from the harshest effects of the financial and economic crisis. Tight budgets, the ageing of our population, mass unemployment, growing poverty and increasing migration flows pose enormous challenges to the sustainability of social security systems. Previous reforms of social security systems have not always contributed to answering those challenges and to more social cohesion.
What policies should we as European socialists and social democrats put forward to protect and strengthen the welfare states and improve living conditions for all people??

Confronted with the permanent changes in our world, making it closer, richer, more interconnected but also more unequal, more unstable and more unpredictable, European social democrats propose innovative solutions for sustainable peace, prosperity and equality. The new challenges that we face require international and European solutions. With the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it is the time for the PES to define clear and consistent strategies that will make the EU speak with one voice reflecting the common values of all progressives across Europe and the world.

Europe has suffered a major blow with the financial crisis, forcing 7 million more people into unemployment and threatening our economic system and our societies. Today, we should be encouraging tomorrow’s growth with a new model that places environmental sustainability and social inclusion at its core. Yet, we are now faced with mounting piles of debt and the prospect of another recession.
As political choices are being made on the best way to exit the crisis, we must decide which path to recovery we should take: fast consolidation of national budgets or a more careful recovery by actively creating jobs and paving the way for a sustainable model.
We must decide which future we see for industry, energy and services and were to create future jobs. Putting our progressive values at its heart, we must find ways to reform the globalised, financialized economy. We must redefine the relationship between the State and the market. We must balance the relationship between the economy, society and the environment.
Have your say on what the Progressives’ next step should be!