Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-12-Speech-1-067"
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"en.20070312.17.1-067"2
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".
Madam President, I wish to thank Mr Hasse Ferreira for this report and for his efforts in reaching a broad consensus. I am pleased that you have largely adopted the approach put forward by the Commission in its communication of April 2006. Parliament’s contribution to our discussions is very important in defining systematic access to social services of general interest (SSGIs). This approach should clarify compliance with the Community rules on SSGIs and contribute towards modernising these services within a fixed and predictable framework, which will in turn ensure and underpin their main social objectives.
Mr Hasse Ferreira’s report especially highlights the vital role played by SSGIs as an important part of the European social model, the importance of these services to the Lisbon Strategy, the particular nature of SSGIs and the need to clarify the legal framework regarding these services so as to make it clearer and predictable. In this regard, I fully agree that this is not about implementing economic rules that conflict with the ideas of general interest and social cohesion. Our steps form part of the effort to achieve cooperation between the economic and social fields, as emphasised in the report. In the event of dispute, however, general interest must however prevail over the rules of the internal market and economic competition, as Commission President Barroso recently reminded Parliament.
The report emphasises quality, both in terms of social services for individuals and in terms of employment in the sector. Parliament is rightly adamant on this point. We must, however, strike the right balance between the protection that service providers expect and the quality that the users and the bodies funding these services are rightly seeking. On this point, too, Mr Barroso has reminded us of the importance of every framework relating to services of general interest at European level being based on targets such as high quality, the right price/quality ratio and universal access.
The Commission aims to launch this issue through consultation with the Member States and other interested parties. It will draw on the results of this consultation and also of course on Parliament’s views in determining the next steps. I will channel all my energies into securing the much-needed legal certainty and into enhancing the quality of social services, which will at the same time be compatible with the subsidiarity principle. In this spirit, the Commission is looking into the possibility of putting forward some draft legislation, as it indicated in its April 2006 communication.
I am aware of Parliament’s call to have clear timescales for completing the consultation announced by the Commission. I can assure you that the consultation will be completed by the end of June. I also welcome Parliament’s initiative to put together a forum which will accompany this process. I will gladly represent the Commission at this forum."@en1
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