Friday

29th Mar 2024

London warns against 'endless debate' at social summit

Europe should do less talking and more action to boost its economy and protect social values, suggested the UK deputy prime minister John Prescott.

"One thing is clear. People of Europe do not want endless debates about social models. They want jobs and healthy economy", Mr Prescott said at a Brussels conference on Thursday (29 September).

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The conference - attended by delegates from national and European employers' and trade unions' bodies - was used as a preview forum to a London-hosted summit in late October.

This summit will be the first opportunity for Europe's leaders to discuss economy-related issues, after their failure in June to agree how the bloc's money should be spent in the future.

Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has also indicated the top meeting should shed light on controversial issues saying "we are getting closer to a new consensus on more modernisation in Europe".

"We will not have a debate for the sake of debate. We should ask directly: do we want financial perspective with some new modern priorities - yes or no? Do we want services directive - yes or no? If we get some operational conclusions in these areas, the debate can be very useful", said Mr Barroso.

Ernest Antoine Seillere, the president of UNICE, a lobby for large industry, said that for Europe's businesses, a common signal from the leaders in favour of EU reform would be important in itself.

"It would lead to more pressure on national governments to carry out reforms, before any concrete political and economic solutions get on the way," he pointed out.

However, several speakers at the conference suggested many of the previous EU economic projects have failed because of the slow action at national level despite agreements in Brussels.

On the other hand, Mr Prescott said there are limits to what Europe can achieve in terms of future economic and social policies.

"[The] EU model should recognize what it can achieve and not go too far - the constitution was a classical example of this. It is still easier to agree on some issues in Brussels, but much harder to get a consensus at home", he pointed out.

The tough debates at national capitals then also influence the discussion about controversial issues such as the laws proposed to liberalise the services sector, or working time directive among the member states and keep them from a long-awaited compromise, said Mr Prescott.

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