The leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament today sets out forceful demands for the Presidency of the European Commission in a letter welcoming his newly-elected Euro MPs to their first parliamentary session in Strasbourg.

 

Martin Schulz informs S&D Group members – the only European Parliament group to represent all 27 EU countries -- that he and his vice-presidents “believe that Europe needs a new impetus and a new direction.”

 

Calling on the Commission Presidency candidate to “enter immediately into a serious and intensive political dialogue with our Group”, Mr Schulz sets out 11 key issues that “correspond to the urgent expectations of our citizens towards the European Union”:

 

1. A new Recovery Plan for Europe, based on improved coordination of European macroeconomic policies and instruments and a new industrial policy, aimed at creating and safeguarding employment through coordinated and higher investments in jobs and green growth;

 

2. A European Employment Pact, to be based on an agreement by all Member States, the European Institutions and the social partners on common actions at European and national level, to safeguard employment, create new and better jobs, fight mass unemployment - especially youth unemployment - promote equal pay and improve workers’ rights and working conditions; this should include the revision of the Posting of Workers Directive.

 

3. A new Charter of Women’s Rights to promote gender equality and remove the barriers to a fuller participation of European women in all aspects of economic, social, cultural and political life;

 

4. A Social Progress Pact to make clear that neither economic freedoms, nor competition rules take priority over fundamental social rights, including the right to strike and the right of association, and to tackle the full social consequences of the crisis, preventing a rise in poverty, inequality and exclusion; this should go along with the introduction of a social progress clause in EU primary law.

 

5. Effective regulation and supervision of the financial markets, covering all financial actors and instruments;

 

6. Stronger and more effective European financial instruments, including a new initiative for Eurobonds.

 

7. New mutual solidarity across European Member States – a common European roadmap out of the crisis, which should safeguard sustainable social and pension systems in those Member States that are hardest hit by the crisis, and enable them to finance the full range of measures agreed in the framework of the European Recovery Programme and the Employment Pact;

 

8. A more comprehensive and coordinated European external action toward our partners in the world and notably the Unites States. This external action should promote an urgent, common European roadmap for a global new deal, to be agreed at the G20 meeting, based on coordinated action for new jobs worldwide, global regulation and supervision of financial markets, a global climate deal and aid to developing countries;

 

9. A coherent European economic strategy for after 2010, centred on the interdependence of economic, social and environmental progress, the pivotal goal of which is the transition to a fairer, more inclusive, eco-efficient knowledge economy, replacing both the Lisbon Strategy and the sustainable development strategy, and equipping the Union with adequate instruments of coordination, particularly as regards the social and environmental pillars;

 

10. A new legal framework to safeguard and clarify the legal status of public services throughout Europe.

 

11. A European budget commensurate with the challenges to be faced, which reflects accurately the priorities of the Union and its citizens.

 

 

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Associated media

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