Europese Reflectiegroep en EESC bespreken uitdagingen Europa (en)

PRESS RELEASE No 052/2009

29 April 2009

Felipe González and the EESCpoint the way forward for Europe

At a meeting held yesterday at the European Economic and Social Committee, Felipe González, chairman of the reflection group on the future of Europe and EESC members discussed the long-term challenges facing Europe in a globalised, changing world.

"Contradictions between economic growth and the environment need to be overcome", said EESC President Mario Sepi in his opening statement on the challenges that Europe and the world have to address. "Migratory flows and all social consequences of globalisation, which is far from being a purely economical phenomenon, must be efficiently managed. A globalised world requires a proper institutional framework". Mr Sepi pointed out that the concrete proposals on how to achieve progress on those challenges are set out in the EESC's recent "Programme For Europe: proposals of civil society", a long-term, strategic vision for future of Europe.

Felipe González stressed the need for a new, all-encompassing European pact that would make the EU more relevant to its citizens. "The pact needs to cover five major areas: combating the economic crisis, the technological and economic dimension of Europe, energy & climate change, social cohesion and migratory flows, and threats to security." Turning to recommendations, he underlined that the solutions need to be global ones. "Europe needs to act as a whole, in cooperation with the new American administration that has broken with its predecessor's unilateralism".

"European government accountable to European citizens should eventually emerge", said Professor Stefan Collignon (Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, Italy). "This government would give Europe a coherent economic strategy and enhance citizens' feeling of ownership of European 'public goods' such as the single market, common borders, the single currency". Maria Jepsen from the European Trade Union Institute stressed that the ultimate goal of Europe should be to create social justice. "Cooperation between Member States is preferable to competition between them".

EESC Group Presidents called for the European Union to be strengthened internally and on the global stage. "The yawning gap between Europe at the top and Europe at the bottom needs to be bridged. Substantial grass-roots effort is needed to achieve this" said Employers' Group President Henri Malosse. The President of the EESC's Various Interests' Group, Staffan Nilsson insisted on the need for good cooperation between different levels of power, the EU and Member States. Employees' Group President George Dassis echoed theidea of a reinforced dialogue with the US and called for the EU to speak with one voice. "By doing so, EU as a whole will secure greater respect than individual Member States. But for this to happen, adequate instruments need to be put in place", said Mr Dassis.