Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-20-Speech-3-402"
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"en.20080220.17.3-402"2
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"It is true that there are demographic changes in the population of EU Member States which it is important to take into account but, in the analysis made, it is not sufficient to say that there is a falling birth rate and the population is ageing. The analysis needs to be taken further, seeking the causes and indicating measures which do not jeopardise mankind’s progress and all that civilization has achieved to date.
Thus we must not compromise the advances attained through applying scientific progress in order to improve people’s living conditions in terms of preventive medicine, better healthcare, nutrition and housing, reduced working hours, and support for mothers, fathers and children, which has resulted in constant and regular increases in life expectancy.
The existence of public policies in fundamental social areas, in particular universally accessible public services, especially in the areas of health and education, has made a decisive contribution. The fact that workers’ achievements as regards organisation and working time, improved health and safety conditions in the workplace and progress on work breaks and holidays, proper wages and secure jobs have been enshrined in law has also been very important.
However, increasingly neoliberal policies, whose essential instruments are the Lisbon Strategy, the Stability Pact and the guidelines of the European Central Bank, have led to the liberalisation and privatisation of public services and an increase in precarious employment, which particularly affects women. The rise in the retirement age is making it even more difficult for young people to find employment with rights, and universal access to public services and proper housing has also become more difficult.
These factors all tend to reduce the birth rate. That is why we need to change policy as a matter of urgency. That is why we need to replace the Lisbon Strategy with a European strategy for solidarity and sustainable development that opens new horizons for Europe, of decent jobs with rights, in particular for women and young people, reduced working hours with no reduction in pay, better salaries, an end to discrimination, particularly wage discrimination against women, greater economic and social cohesion, adequate protection, and public and universal social security, guaranteeing a better quality of life and greater social justice.
Hence the urgency of creating more, better and affordable facilities for childcare and for the care of dependent persons and of making public pre-school education generally available free of charge, so as to promote good working conditions which make it possible to reconcile work and family life. This in turn requires stable employment and working hours, and respect for the social role of mothers and fathers.
That is also why it is necessary to allocate greater budgetary resources to less developed countries and why all Member States urgently need to ratify and apply the UN Convention on family reunification for migrant workers."@en1
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