Published Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 12:42
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (235 views and 0 comments)
Yes, but… a revision
needs to be done. The social dimension of the Lisbon Agenda and
perspectives for post 2010 EU strategy were key issues on the
agenda of the seminar on the New Social Europe of the
PES Group
in the Committee of Regions on 7 April 2008. The seminar is
part of the group’s contribution to the PES manifesto
consultation.Published Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 10:44
by
noelhatch 
in New Social Europe (295 views and 3 comments)
Deborah Littman, Chair of London
Citizens Living Wage Network & UNISON
National Officer for Bargaining, at the New Social Europe debate in London, admitted she wholly agreed with many of
the proposals made in the New Social Europe discussion paper. But she
was concerned on how we get there, how we make social Europe a
concern for everyone.
Work has been made insecure, the social wage has been reduced and
there has been a steep decline in bargaining power from workers.
Communities have been dismantled, workers distanced from their
employers or contractors. There has been a very deliberate policy
to push back the gains of the workers, often by stealth.
Expectations have been constantly lowered to the extent that our
goal becomes not how we can make it better, but how can we
prevent it being that bad. How can you organise when you don’t
know who you’re actually working for? The trade unions struggle
with bargaining, sometimes too conservative in their approach.
The game has changed – we need to...
Published Friday, April 4, 2008 at 11:43
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (275 views and 0 comments)
What is the future
of social democracy in Estonia and Europe? This was the big
question posed at conference in Tallinn, Estonia Friday 28
March?. More than 200 people took the opportunity to discuss how
Europe’s social democrats should approach the future. Many
prominent guests were among the speakers: Toomas Hendrik Ilves,
President of the Republic of Estonia, Ivari Padar, leader of the
Estonian Social Democratic Party, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, PES
President and Zita Gurmai, President of PES Women.
During the speech of the PES President he invited all Estonian
social democrats to share their ideas for the PES manifesto – at
the conference as well as here on Yourspace. With only 1.4
million citizens this Baltic country is one of Europe’s smallest
nations, but there are certainly lots of visions and ideas to be
found in Estonia.
A much debated topic was the introduction of ‘flexicurity’ in
Estonia and the rest of Europe. Flexicurity is a combination of
flexibility and social security. Successfully combining
flexibility and high social benefits leads to both economic
growth and high employment – as in the case of Denmark where
flexicurity was introduced in the 1990s. Unfortunately,
conservatives often view flexicurity as an excuse just to
introduce more liberal labour laws....
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 16:33
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (289 views and 0 comments)
Here is the last of
four reports from the manifesto debate in Denmark:
The manifesto theme 'New Social Europe' was one of the topics of
discussion when PES activists from Denmark, Sweden and Norway met
in Jørlunde, Denmark on March 1st and 2nd 2008. Here are the
conclusions from this dedicated discussion group:
Ole Christensen, MEP, introduced the workshop by speaking about
labour market policy in a new social Europe. One of the main
focuses was the role of Court of Justice in connection to the
Vaxholm case regarding the labour market models in the Nordic
countries.
The case was seen in connection to the increased mobility, out
posting of labour and the terms offered the employees as well as
the competition between foreign and domestic labour in relation
to collective bargaining.
The focus was also on the Danish labour market model and
flexicurity, the role of the parties within the labour market,
the social dialogue, rights and duties.
These great social democratic challenges were highlighted during
the discussion:
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 15:04
by
ania_skrzypek
in New Social Europe (363 views and 3 comments)
Not a long time ago,
by November 2007, ECOSY celebrated its 15 years anniversary. For that
occasion we asked our members why they joined the movement. Among
many answers the leading one was undoubtedly: because I wanted to
make a difference, because I wanted to change… Naïve? I would not
say so – I’d rather claim ‘refreshing to remember’, inspiring!
Now “New” usually stands for something that is different from
everything we know, that can give a potential hope – which is why
the "New Social Europe" seem to be the hope to
re-boost the discussion on what is the absolutely unique project
of Socialists and Social Democrats for Europe.
We know that the world has changed – we read that in every paper,
together with acknowledgements of all the threats that not only
hide in every corner, but even enter our houses; like
globalization that we voluntarily participate in each day when
switching the TV on. Everything is unstable, insecure,
questionable – and Superman or Spiderman seem up to date enough
to save us.
I am convinced that instead of a bunch of Armageddon tricks, we
need a vision that appeals to people, that...
Published Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 11:03
by
phoenix999
in New Social Europe (431 views and 12 comments)
Hello,
A few months ago I had to change my cell phone and I purchased a Nokia phone. After that, I learned that Nokia was leaving Germany with the money of the Germans, leaving Germany for Romania because salaries and wages there were, in euros, FOUR times lower. "What a social Europe !" I said to myself then. If I had known that piece of news earlier, I would have joined the Germans in the Nokia boycott. Anyway I signed the German petition FOR the boycott. But things are changing and Europe is not just a huge market place, not yet : the Romanian automobile workers have decided to go on strike because their wages were too LOW whereas the auto company was making a huge profit with their low standard cars. There, we have two choices left, yes WE, us, Europeans, have one alternative:
- Either we choose to follow the media and think : Let's keep these poor fellas underpaid, because there will be a big competition with Morocco or India or whatever, and there, they pay even lower salaries (when and where, in the World, does it end ?);
- Or, we decide to make a political DECISION : We agree on a decent minimum wage across the whole European Union and we, Europeans, TAX importations from the poor countries where they pay their salaried slaves literally nothing and exploit women and small children. This is our last chance if we want a social Europe and there, as an exception to the rule, I'll quote George W Bush : ' Our living standards are...
read morePublished Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 14:20
by
Poul_Nyrup_Rasmussen
in New Social Europe (372 views and 1 comments)
I agree with
our PES activist when he writes that we need a
strong PES to counterweight global capitalism.
Last summer I presented, together with my colleague Ieke van den
Burg from the Socialist Group in the European Parliament,
a report on private equity and hedge funds.
In the last four years the financial market has grown 30 to 50
percent a year. Today it is no longer the real economy that
controls the financial market – it is the other way around! The
real economy is governed by nation states and the EU – but who
decides on the financial market? The answer is, unfortunately,
only a very few people behind closed doors. We in Europe made our
democratic political choice in 2000 – with the so-called Lisbon
goals – to safeguard the future of our welfare states with more
and better jobs and social cohesion. This democratic political
choice – made in the European Council – must be respected by all
– including the big guys dominating the financial markets.
We need to make the market behave, the same way we have made our
markets behave in our nation states and at the European...
Published Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 16:50
by
Poul_Nyrup_Rasmussen
in Save our planet (395 views and 5 comments)
The suggestion to
focus more on environmental issues is certainly a good one. I
usually refer to it as a new strategy for ‘smart green growth’, but
‘New Sustainable Europe’ and ‘New Social Europe is also Green’ are
also catchy headlines. Thanks to our PES activist for his
ideas!Published Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 14:22
by
Editor
in In the spotlight (349 views and 0 comments)
The Swedish social
democrats discussed the future of EU when the Swedish Social
Democratic Party met in the Swedish Parliament on March 7th. The
keynote speakers were Mona Sahlin, party leader and chair of the
PES group Save our planet, Margot Wallström, Vice-president of
the EU Commission, Jan Eliasson, former Minister for foreign
affairs, and Wanja Lundby-Wedin, President of the Swedish LO and ETUC. Around 250 persons
attended the conference.Published Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 10:00
by
carl0s
in New Social Europe (476 views and 3 comments)
In the Labour Party
we have always thought of full employment as a desirable goal. This
reflects the influence of those such as Keynes and Galbraith on our
thinking (despite Keynes being a Liberal). It also reflects the
localized depressions of the 1930s, 1980s and 1990s where classical
and neo-classical economics failed so many people. Simple fact:
markets are prone to failure. We should not let any prior
commitments prevent us from offering clear, humane alternatives
should this failure happen again. Around Europe, most people will
look to socialist parties to help them.Published Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 17:29
by
helmar
in New Social Europe (429 views and 2 comments)
I have translated a comment written for the Swedish Social Democratic newspaper Aktuellt i Politiken. It deals with how important it is that we Social Democrats don't give up the idea of a New Social Europe just because it takes time to achieve our goals. We cannot avoid addressing important policy areas, such as labour market and health care, on an EU level if we really want to make a change. I would be happy to discuss it with you.
It takes time for a new Europe to develop
A Catalan, an Estonian, a Welshman and me. No, this is not the start of a joke about national characters; it is a normal dinner in Brussels and no stranger than when I spend time with friends from all over Sweden when I am in Stockholm. It would be absurd if I told my friend from the South of Sweden that I think we should not have national labour market policies, since we have both higher salaries and lower unemployment in Stockholm. I would probably be punched if I said to my friend from Gothenburg that Stockholm hospitals cannot accept patients from other regions since they have different bacteria and viruses in their hospitals. And I would definitely get into an argument with my friend from the North of Sweden if he said that he does not care if we have congestion charges in Stockholm or not, since they have no problem with pollution or congestion in the North. It is obvious that our visions reach over the regional borders, but is it as self-evident that this...
read morePublished Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 11:56
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (687 views and 3 comments)
“New Beginning” is what the
Labour Party of Malta (MLP) is offering voters
as it prepares for general elections expected in March or April
this year. New investment and new jobs top the Labour Party’s
programme, alongside better education and health services.Published Monday, December 3, 2007 at 09:45
by
Sortir de l'Impasse
in New Social Europe (658 views and 2 comments)
There are currently 23 millions small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe, representing 99 percent of European companies and account for around two thirds of European jobs.
In the latest Eurobarometer report dedicated to SMEs published in May 2007 (16,339 SMEs interviewed in 27 country members), we are told that European SMEs believe that “competition in their markets has increased over the past two years. Six out of 10 managers stated that competition has recently intensified. The perception of increased competition is even more widespread among LSEs.”
According to this survey, 12 percent of the SMEs' turnover comes from their “new or significantly improved products.” France has one of the lowest rates with 7 percent only, whilst Slovenia equals 24 percent, Romania 21 percent, Germany 11 percent, and Italy 12 percent. Actually, one of the ways to resist this increasing competition is to invest in research and development in order to be able to launch new products.
The right wing parties often claim that labour costs are too high for the SMEs. This Eurobarometer pointed out that “labour costs” are regarded a constraint for...
read morePublished Friday, November 23, 2007 at 16:54
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (632 views and 0 comments)
Published Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 14:27
by
anqa
in New Social Europe (616 views and 0 comments)
Another visit to the office of Marek Siwiec, Vice-President of the European Parliament and member of SLD in Poland. Among other things he raises the question of how we can make the vision of New Social Europe a reality in all EU countries.
How do you think we can assure high social standards in both new and old member states?
read morePublished Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 20:49
by
jonathanbishop
in New Social Europe (646 views and 1 comments)
Increasingly large
companies are saying that manufacturing plants are not making
enough profit and are inefficient. They give these as reasons to
close plants and relocate the jobs. This is affecting large
numbers of workers who are working their hardest for these profit
greedy enterprises who have disregard for social responsibility.
This is not sustainable, as the drive for greater integration means that workers will have a decent standard of living across the EU and these moves by large companies are causing instability in the common market.
The Acquired Rights Directive has given workers rights to have their contracts transferred when the company they are working for has been bought by another. The same legal base could be used to give workers who are going to lose their jobs because of a company closing the plant they work in the right to take over the plant by acquiring all the machinery and other equipment in a worker buyout to form for example a workers' co-operative.
read morePublished Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 12:20
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (485 views and 0 comments)
Here is another interview from last week's conference about Decent Work. This time we have talked to Josep Borrell, former president of the European Parliament and president of the Global Progressive Forum.
What do you think socialists and social democrats should do to ensure decent working conditions - both for people in Europe and in the rest of the world?
Find more interviews from the conference at our YouTube channel, among others we have talked to Guy Ryder from the International Trade Union Confederation and Maria João Rodrigues, adviser for the Portuguese EU Presidency.
read morePublished Monday, November 5, 2007 at 11:29
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (707 views and 1 comments)
Thanks to Labour MEPs Richard
Corbett and Linda McAvan for dedicating an hour of their
Yorkshire Regional Policy Forum to a discussion on the PES
manifesto.
Workers rights, a stronger commitment to a fair living wage, and
equality in the workplace were among the issues raised by the
audience alongside many questions about how the PES manifesto2009
consultation would work.
The consultation was welcomed by former MEP David Bowe who
suggested that the consultation should have add a new theme of
‘making Europe work’ (i.e. implementing all EU rules properly in
all countries). Rounding off the discussion was MP and former
Europe Minister Dennis McShane who told the meeting that Europe
was a ‘wedge’ issue between Labour and the increasingly
isolationist conservatives.
The meeting, which took place on November 3rd in Sheffield, also
featured a workshop on ‘An Environmental Union: the EU and
climate change’.
Published Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 22:41
by
estherbcn326
in New Social Europe (842 views and 0 comments)
The debate on the economic and social model that Catalonia needs cannot be held without taking into account the political strategy of the European Union in this field. In fact, since some years ago, the globalized world in which we live has made necessary for the Catalan economy to add its weight to the total weight of the European countries that conforms the Union, so as to reinforce its participation in the world market.
For much of its recent history, the European Union has been a
driving force of social and economic progress crucial for our
development. Until 2000, Directives such as the Equal Pay
Directive for men and women (1975), the Directive on the
protection of workers' health and safety at the workplace (1989),
the Directive protecting the rights of workers posted in another
Member State (1996) and the antidiscrimination Directives for
racial and employment equality (2000), brought big advances in
cohesion and in the quality of life for Europe's citizens.
However, from 2002 on, Europe has seen few significant social
policy initiatives, and this passivity –both from the European
Commission and the Members States- has concurred with an increase
of the socioeconomic tensions caused by the impact of
globalization in the labour market, with the massive introduction
of new technology penetrating every part of our economies,...
Tags: education, employment, equality, welfare
File:
Catalonia in the New Social Europe301007.doc
Published Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 11:31
by
carl0s
in New Social Europe (641 views and 2 comments)
So much rhetoric
seems to be aimed at the aspirational middle class. Isn't there a
distinct danger that we alienate those who aren't especially
interested in academic pursuits? Or those who, because of
temperament or necessity, prefer not to work in offices?
When we hear our "leftist" politicians declare that the welfare state is dead, we should expect that stable, safe and well-paid employment should be available to all - or prepare for some dire consequences! Anyone with a conception of history knows what happens without a welfare state and how inequalities in health and life are entrenched.
Whilst graduates from top universities and schools may account for a large proportion of our parties' leadership, this does not represent the population as a whole, in the UK, or anywhere around the EU!
So we need checks on the casualisation of labour across the EU and tight regulation of the employment agencies which have become so profitable over the last few years. Full rights for temporary workers from day one, and the extension of the "ECDL" concept to cover trades and semi-skilled occupations.
Human nature being what it is, the era of protection at work, in health or in school... has not ended.
read morePublished Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 13:39
by
Mochinho
in New Social Europe (597 views and 0 comments)
In my opinion the forthcoming manifesto should contain positions on the problems of hedge funds. Using a biblical metaphor these funds have been nicknamed as locusts in the public discussion in Germany.
The problems regarding hedge funds are known. Especially for employees there is little or no certainty concerning their future. The manifesto should call for a more humane capitalism and emphasise the possible legal measures the EU can take in a globalized world.
read morePublished Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 12:12
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (678 views and 0 comments)
“Flexicurity” has become a buzzword. This labour market concept, combining high levels of flexibility and security, is generally linked to northern European countries like Denmark and Sweden, but has also proved successful elsewhere, e.g. in the Netherlands. In this model, relations between employers and workers are much more flexible, but the state also invests a lot of money to bring the unemployed back to work more quickly. Unemployed people receive benefit payments, but in turn, they must also accept re-training and qualification measures. It is an approach based on rights and duties.
Instead of job security, the idea of flexicurity is to create employment security; the security of always having work, but not necessarily a job for a life-time.
True, such “Active Labour Market Policies” cost money, but the results are impressive. Denmark’s unemployment rate, for example, has dropped from 13 percent to 3.9 percent in the years of the labour market reforms.
So could this be a model for all European countries?
Recently the European Commission has issued a communication aimed at setting common principles of flexicurity in Europe. However, it is always pointed out, that each country will have to find its own version of the flexicurity concept, because there are great differences in the economy, the degree of social...
read morePublished Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at 10:33
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (775 views and 4 comments)
Should Europe offer a special ‘blue card’ to skilled immigrants? Recently EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini announced that he is planning a proposal for a European version of the US’ green card.
The proposal is motivated by the fact that only five percent of the migrants that come to Europe are skilled. In contrast 55 percent of the migrants in the US are skilled.
“We have to reverse these figures with a new vision,” says Mr. Frattini to euobserver.com.
To deal with ‘brain drain’, particularly challenging for parts of Africa and the Caribbean, the commissioner explains his proposal will promote “ethical recruitment standards” to limit recruitment in particularly vulnerable countries.
Inger Segelström is a Swedish social democrat and a member of the European Parliament. In her opinion immigration should not be limited to skilled workers, but their families should be allowed as well to ensure integration into society:
“It is important to allow immigrant families, partners and children to come together with...
read moreTags: employment, globalization, immigration, PES
File:
test1_9.pdf,
test_6.doc
Published Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 12:47
by giselaoliveira in New Social Europe ( comments)
PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen had a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth. “Gordon Brown committed to be an active participant in PES work” said Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. “He is very switched on about Europe and wants the PES to work in a sharp and focussed way. I completely agree with him – his temperament is not for long bureaucratic meetings and nor is mine.”
Published Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 03:01
by rikke in New Social Europe ( comments)
Despite a world economic boom, half of the world's workforce still earn less than 2 US dollars a day. 200 million children under the age of 15 work instead of going to school. To mobilise your government, sign the call to action for Decent Work.
The call to action has a strong support in the progressive community - among the supporting organizations are PES Global Progressive Forum, several trade unions and Solidar, a European network of NGOs working in development and humanitarian aid, social policy, social service provision and lifelong learning.
http://www.decentwork.org//index.php...om_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=29
Published Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 03:12
by rikke in New Social Europe ( comments)
More than 2,000 people have already showed their support for the Decent Work - Decent Life call for action on Facebook! Sign up for the cause using this link!
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/19050?fb_page_id=9725810627&
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