Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-19-Speech-2-170"
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"en.20080219.28.2-170"2
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"Mr President, I want to welcome Sweden’s Prime Minister to Parliament and to this debate on the future of Europe. It is an important debate, which affects 493 million citizens. The debate must therefore be held, and decisions on the debate must be taken not only in Parliament but also among the citizens. But for the citizens to become engaged in the debate, they must also be able to influence the future. Without participation and the ability to influence there will be no engagement. So how can we get citizens to participate? The answer is obvious: by asking them about the future and by listening to their answers. A referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon is therefore necessary if we are serious about a citizens’ Europe. Too much EU legislation is now created by anonymous officials who are influenced by experts and lobby groups in which the citizens’ voices are not heard. Now it is time to let the citizens’ voices be heard.
The Prime Minister did not mention the Vaxholm judgment at all. It has received a great deal of attention, not just in Sweden but also in many other EU countries. This is natural because it is not just a deathblow to the Swedish model but an attack on wage earners and the trade unions’ position throughout the EU. The judgment is an invitation to reduce workers’ wages to the lowest minimum levels. No country has to set more favourable conditions for workers than the minimum protection. The result is a two-tier labour market. Some fringe benefits will apply only to domestic wage earners, whilst different rules apply to foreign wage earners. This leads to dumping in terms of wages and conditions of employment and to discrimination.
Sweden can change this. Sweden can defend the rights of wage earners and a social Europe by demanding exceptions in the Treaty of Lisbon for collective agreements. Sweden can take the lead and get others to follow.
In conclusion, I want to remind Sweden’s Prime Minister of one of the two most important issues for Sweden prior to EU membership. One of the highest priorities was equal-opportunities issues. What has happened, and does Sweden want to lead the way in the future on equal-opportunities issues? This question is part of the debate on the future. Without women Europe has no future."@en1
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