Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-05-Speech-2-189"
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"en.20060905.23.2-189"2
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"Mr President, I wish to congratulate both rapporteurs, who have done excellent work.
Last autumn, during the British Presidency and in the run-up to the extraordinary summit at Hampton Court, members of my own government were saying two contradictory things about the idea of the European social model. On the one hand they said there was no such thing as a European social model – we have 25 different national social models – while on the other they said that if there was such a thing as a European social model then it was a continental phenomenon and a millstone around the necks of a number of Member State economies.
Mr Helmer has reminded us of what Mr Blair said in this House. In fact, a number of ministers have said the same thing, and are obviously reading from the same script - i.e. do we really want a social model that throws 20 million into unemployment? If Mr Helmer was listening to the debate then he would have heard an answer to that assertion from Mr Blair, because this report nails those lies. The very first substantive paragraph underlines the point that we indeed have a European social model which reflects a common set of values based on the preservation of peace, social justice, equality, solidarity, the promotion of freedom and democracy and respect for human rights. The report makes the point that far from the model being a burden or a millstone, social policy should be seen as a positive factor in the European Union’s economic growth, not only by increasing productivity and competitiveness but also by generating social cohesion, raising living standards for citizens and ensuring access to fundamental rights and freedoms. That is absolutely correct, and if we see it in that sense, social policy becomes a productive factor – the theme of a Dutch Presidency some years ago.
The report also recognises what a number of people have said, which is that there is a clear need to modernise and adapt the model to respond to the wide range of challenges we face: demographic and technological change, globalisation and so on. The rapporteurs also stress that reform and modernisation of the model must preserve and enhance the values associated with it. That is of vital importance. In Britain a number of people engage in headshaking about what they see as the over-slow progress in modernisation and reform in a number of continental European countries. What they tend to forget is the brutal, inhumane and destructive way in which reform was managed during the Thatcher years in Britain. What a number of continental countries are trying to do is to engage in that reform process through consensus, while preserving the underlying values of the European social model. That is the way to do it, and it is one I very much admire.
One final point: I regret that the PPE-DE Group has tabled an amendment to paragraph 23 aimed at removing a specific reference to the need for the Commission to bring forward a framework on services of general interest. I very much hope that amendment falls, because had we had that framework the Services Directive itself would have had a far easier passage. We still need it and I hope the Commission will heed the call for it made in the report."@en1
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