Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-30-Speech-3-145-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20111130.16.3-145-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the EU 2020 objectives and the European semester should, in theory, help us make a tremendous step forward. Member States have committed themselves to specific goals: employment participation rates of 75% for both men and women, helping 20 million people out of poverty, tackling climate change, investment in innovation and, in addition, they will continue to allow the Commission to inspect their measures for the fulfilment of these objectives. So far, totally great.
However, in practice, this is not working, or is not working well enough. The Member States’ ambitions for jointly achieving the 2020 targets are far too low. Some reform programmes are really of ridiculously poor quality and social objectives are being systematically forgotten. Cuts seem like a great idea, even if that means that another 20 million people fall into poverty. The comments made by the Commission have been incoherent, to put it mildly.
Why is this not working at present? Actually, there is one simple answer: a complete lack of public interest in the European semester. At EU level, the European Parliament has too little say and, at national level, parliaments, social partners and NGOs have not been brought on board. No one knows anything about it, no one gets to have a say in it and, so, no one really cares. No minister is ever called to account by the public or the press if his work falls seriously below par. The chances of a government being punished at the next elections for failing to meet the objective of the European semester are nil.
If we are united in wanting this project to succeed, then we have to ensure public support. National parliaments, social partners and NGOs that will hold their governments to their own promises. A European Parliament that is allowed to participate fully. In her excellent report, Ms Berès mentions many specific measures to ensure this. We will very much vote in favour of the report, and we look forward to implementing it as quickly as possible.
In the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs we have already started implementing it, and I have the honour of being rapporteur for a European Parliament report on priorities for the coming year. I would invite the Commission and the Council to pay full attention to this, in the light of this report."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples