Speaking ahead of the crunch meeting, the PES President stated that; “It seems that prior to every European Council, Centre Right politicians make policy pronouncements that have nice titles, but are devoid of any substance. It is time to recognize that improved growth and jobs means clear public and private investment - full stop. This must become the new golden rule of EU policy”. Mr. Stanishev added that; “without this, the treaty proposals remain unsatisfactory. The contrast between right wing cuts and progressive investment is clear”.
In the run-up to the 30 January EU summit, the PES is keen to ensure a commitment to growth based on investment and not a deregulation/liberalisation path. The PES will urge the European Council to base its policy path to recovery, on the measures adopted at the PES November Convention. Those measures included an acceleration in green investments, sustainable infrastructure and clear steps to tackle the youth unemployment crisis. The PES programme for the EU 27 called for; “€ 210 billion of public and private investments annually - entailing an increase of 1.1% for public investments, which would create 12 million new jobs over the next 10 years, pushing unemployment back at 7.7%, while allowing for the public deficit to be reduced to an average of 1.2% of GDP between 2016 and 2020”.
Mr. Stanishev added that; “Unfortunately, to right wing politician, the only solution is a mix of austerity and liberalization. This is unbalanced. What we really need for economic recovery is recognition that any real growth by definition requires investment, as outlined by the PES. Tackling youth unemployment, for example is the major priority of the PES for 2012. Over the last year we have developed a concrete policy framework on the issue. Based on our discussions, we have clearly identified that tackling the issue means delivering support and providing schemes that will guarantee young people a productive future.
The PES will make a major policy announcement on tackling Youth Unemployment ahead of the Council.
Mr. Stanishev will also use the meeting to reiterate the PES commitment to genuine financial market reform, including Credit Rating Agency regulation.
The Party of the European Socialists (PES) has long been committed to investment at private and public level in order to create new, better jobs and generate sustainable growth. We support green growth linked to environmental sustainability and carbon-free economy. We defend fair growth connected to innovation, better education and improved health care. And we believe that this large scale investments need to be used to promote solidarity in the whole region, especially for young and elderly people.
For more information, please contact Brian Synnott, PES Media Adviser, +32 (0)474 98 96 75, brian.synnott@pes.org
