What Future for Social Europe?

Transcription

1 What Future for Social Europe? Conference, 21st November 2011, Edinburgh Report Background News headlines are currently dominated by the economic crisis leading to austerity measures that are hitting the poorest hardest. However, there is another side to the European Union (EU) that is supposed to ensure that all European citizens can live in dignity and free of poverty. In the current economic climate, however, this social dimension has struggled to remain on the agenda. The conference, organised by the Poverty alliance and the European Parliament Office in Scotland, provided an opportunity to look at the role Europe plays in the development of a more socially just Scotland, and at what the future holds for the European social Model following the current crisis. On 15 November, the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee presented a report on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (part of the 'Europe 2020' Strategy). The report called for an EU-wide minimum income guarantee and better reporting by Member States of statistics on poverty. Its author, Belgian Socialist MEP Frédéric Daerden, kicked off the debate by highlighting that, in 2010, 8% of Europeans were living in extreme material deprivation. He said that the Europe 2020 Strategy set a target of reducing the number of Europeans living in poverty by 20 million by He added that several categories of vulnerable people at risk of poverty - such as children, women, elderly, disabled, migrant or Roma - require an approach that is specific to them and each is treated separately in the report. A full version of the report is available on the European Parliament's website: &language=EN. 1

2 Panel Discussion Several expert speakers and the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, László Andor, addressed the question what 'social' has come to mean in Europe. As Peter Kelly of the Poverty Alliance said, the timing of this conference could not have been better or, depending on one's perspective, worse given the significant challenges that lie ahead for those seeking a more social Europe. In his video message to the conference, Commissioner Andor emphasised that the Europe 2020 Strategy aims to reflect the EU's social dimension and seeks to tackle issues such as social exclusion or youth unemployment. He said that the Commission Work Programme for 2012 also envisages a modernised approach to employment. He advocated an innovative outlook on social policy and economy by the European Union, a benchmarking system to identify and share best practice, and highlighted that while action on the EU level has a positive impact, it needs to be complemented on the member state level: national governments need to put through reforms and welcome a new partnership approach involving their state's civil society, national parliaments, social partners and people living in poverty. Professor Laura Cram from Strathclyde University examined the historical development and sketched out the dominant issues in Europe's social policy, including the key questions regarding who should be responsible and how (in)action is legitimised by the European institutions and the member states. She pointed to the limits of EU action due to its inability to effectively use redistributive policies through taxation, as these remain the domain of each Member State. Considering that austerity measures raise the demand for but also limits action against poverty, she identified various ways in which the crisis will proceed to influence social policy: on the one hand, it can result in retrenchment of EU action, or a retreat to less costly but not necessarily pro-active engagement in social issues; on the other hand, it presents the EU with an opportunity to expand its social dimension as, to put it in Prof Cram's words, "the crisis does not dictate the outcome". She presented public opinion statistics which identified the EU as important actor in the fight against poverty (75% of respondents). In her view, the social dimension in Europe has witnessed competing interests arising on the agenda leading to disconcerted action of EU institutions, member state governments and social partners. Representing the European Anti-Poverty Network, Katherine Duffy addressed the EU's policy approach at the macro-economic level and argued that the neo-liberal market ideology that was central to the Europe 2020 strategy was undermining the social dimension in Europe. In her opinion, Europe is closely entangled in a global crisis of redistribution, which had arisen before Europe's economic crisis aggravated, indicated by, for instance, rising commodity prices. Approaching the current crisis from a social perspective, she pointed out that (apart from a few) most countries in the world have a negative balance of trade, which has amongst other factors led to public deficits and therefore fuelled the sovereign debt crisis. She also criticised transnational corporations for adding to the crisis through tax evasion, the ongoing global tax and currency competition, and the persisting neo-liberal economic outlook in the Europe 2020 Strategy which, according to her, has become the most hard-line in the world. Katherine Duffy welcomed the poverty reduction target set by the Strategy as first step forward but criticised that targets such as the 20% poverty reduction target as lacking teeth, and therefore unlikely to have the intended impact. She called on participants to consider the positive outcomes of the crisis, including 2

3 an increased awareness of corruption and emerging debates about socially-viable alternatives to neo-liberal measures, and demanded a rethinking and revaluating of the EU's economic and social policy. Mike Allen from the 'Poor Can't Pay' campaign in Ireland shed light on the situation in his member state as one of the countries hit hardest by the economic and financial crisis. He traced how the crisis unfolded in Ireland, highlighting what he described as the misconduct of investors and political parties, and discussed the Irish Government's response to the EU's bail-out package and how the Irish public and stakeholders reacted to events. He touched upon the short-term effects of the crisis, such as rising unemployment and mass emigration, and their long-term impact on the Irish economy caused by, for instance, a diminished high-skilled, young workforce. Mike Allen further reflected on the future of the minimum wage, social benefits and the "humiliated nationalist" response in Ireland. Asking himself whether the EU has lost legitimacy and support in Ireland, he concluded that the EU needs to emerge as part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Electronic copies of the lecture slides will soon be available at: Workshops In the afternoon, participants discussed which priorities the EU should set in order to secure its social dimension and improve the situation of its poorest and most vulnerable citizens in workshops on Employment, the European Structural Fund and Equalities. It was generally agreed that the EU needs to continue its commitment to social inclusion, invest in education and skilled employment to generate growth and further promote equality among its citizens regardless of their social and religious background. A set of priorities has emerged from the workshops (see Box below). Equalities In the Equalities workshop, it was generally acknowledged that national equalities legislation, necessitated by EU legislation had led to important improvements and an overall 'levelling up', but it was also stressed that cultural change takes much longer than legislative change. There was also concern that the momentum the equality agenda at EU level and nationally had stalled in recent years and that renewed political will was required both to ensure enforcement of existing legislation and the bringing forward of new legislation where it had become clear that gaps exist. There was also concern that neither the Scottish Government nor the Westminster Government is engaging in a satisfactory way with these issues through their National Reform Programmes. Other suggestions were that the EU should consider giving a higher profile to issues around religious diversity and for new ways to engage younger people in particular with these issues. Employment In the first part, this workshop provided an overview of the EU's legislative action, including directives dating back to the 1970s, and its 'soft law' approach to employment relating to the European Employment Strategy and the Lisbon Strategy which are both predecessors of Europe A more detailed discussion of the latest 3

4 strategy, its employment target of 20% across Europe, and its potential impact on the UK labour market followed. In the second part, participants in the workshop voiced concerns about whether the UK's investment in employment prospects, including early education and training for skilled workers, is sufficient. They also addressed the impact that the single market has on labour markets of other member states and on the global economy. It was widely agreed that factors such as housing, transport, child care and health need to be taken into consideration, which should be reflected to a certain extent in the EU's approach to employment. European Structural Funds In the European Structural Funds workshop, which particularly looked at the European Social Fund, there was general agreement with the notion that these funds should be more closely aligned to the strategic Europe 2020 priorities and support for the emphasis on the low-carbon economy that is likely to be placed on EU funding post However, it was felt that this must be closely linked to skills, jobs and growth promotion. Priorities for the Social Future of the European Union Implementation of the Structural Funds in the UK should be targeted at the Europe 2020 Strategy and its targets The UK Government needs to show that it is serious about the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy and commit to an overall poverty reduction target A balance needs to maintained between the drivers of employability and the need for social inclusion The Scottish Government and the UK Government shall involve social partners, and civil society organisations, representing the target groups in the drawing up of National Reform Programmes Incentives for young people shall be created to engage them more in the social dimension A strategic approach to employment must ensure that key groups at risk of exclusion in the labour market, such as migrants, young people, disabled people are targeted by policies and programmes It is vital that despite the current crisis, important gains in the field of equalities are not reversed, particularly as women, disabled people and BME groups appear to be particularly hard hit by the current austerity measures It is important that civil society plans an active part in developing the solutions to Europe s current problems, ensuring that there is a social as well as economic answer to the problems facing the EU 4

5 Participant List Name Organization Rob Kay Carers Scotland Committee Member Councillor Laurie Bidwell Dundee City Council John Dalton East Ayrshire Council Kofi Tordzro East Renfrewshire Council Valerie Egdell Edinburgh Napier University Vanesa Fuertes Edinburgh Napier University Mary Wheeler Edinburgh Tennents Federation Elizabeth Gore Energy Action Scotland Caroline Winchester European Commission Neil Mitchison European Commission Rachel Fraser European Commission (Intern) Martin Graham Great Little Libraries Christine Quigg Individual Damian Killeen OBE Individual Scott Sinclair Individual Jim Kane Individual Don Lester Individual Isla Winchester Individual Ian Sneddon Individual Lukas McGregor-Paas Individual Paul Kinghorn International Voluntary Service Samantha Evans International Voluntary Service Donald Lamont International Voluntary Service Satwat Rehman One Parent Families Scotland Keith White Regular Forces Employment Association Paul Spicker Robert Gordon University Jimmy Cook RNIB Marie-Amelie Viatte Scottish Government Catriona McKay Scottish Government Tony Giugliano Scottish Parliament John Mulvey Scottish Pensioners Association Elinor McKenzie Scottish Pensioner s Forum Julia Greuich Scottish Refugee Council Hanne Liv Osttveit SCVO Adrian Sinfield University of Edinburgh Morag Treanor University of Edinburgh Daniel Clegg University of Edinburgh Mike Danson University of the West of Scotland Workshop Leaders/Facilitators Muriel Mackenzie European Structural Fund Programmes Fiona McHardy The Poverty Alliance Sarah Isal Runnymede Trust Sarah Welford The Poverty Alliance Speakers Katherine Duffy EAPN England Mike Allen The Poor Can t Pay, Ireland 5

6 Laura Cram University of Strathclyde Organisers April Spallin European Parliament's Office in Edinburgh James Temple-Smithson European Parliament's Office in Edinburgh Kaloyan Halachev The Poverty Alliance Kathryn Collins The Poverty Alliance Leonie Hertel European Parliament's Office in Edinburgh Martina Haase The Poverty Alliance Peter Kelly The Poverty Alliance Poe McHugh The Poverty Alliance 6