Friday

29th Mar 2024

Berlin to push for European social model revival

Germany is to seek ways to breathe life into the European social model during its six month stint at the helm of the EU beginning in January.

According to an outline of the programme for its EU presidency, obtained by Reuters, Berlin will concentrate on creating more jobs, as this is one of the main concerns of citizens and will also try and make the bloc's social model more relevant.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

It plans to host a ministerial conference that makes clear that the economy, employment and social affairs do not contradict one another and wants to make sure that the social effects of European laws are taken more strongly into account.

The European social model, which has proved hard to pin down to a single coherent definition, has been a constantly recurring theme in EU debate over the last two years.

It was a dominant feature of discussions on the EU law on opening up the market in services, with its opponents claiming its aims of making it easier for service providers to set up in different member states would undermine the social model's fabric.

It has also cropped up in several other debates including the one leading up to the referendum on the constitution in France - which saw the charter rejected - and in issues such as protecting European shoe manufacturers from cheap Chinese shoe imports.

Berlin's stated intentions in its programme indicate it is going to have another stab at the problem of how to keep essential elements of the model such as social protection, with Europe facing an increasingly tougher struggle to keep itself competitive, against other rising economies such as China and India.

Legal certainty, energy and the constitution

Other points in the programme include pushing for more uniformity across a range of legal questions including issues to do with alimony, divorce and inheritance so that citizens have a clearer legal framework.

Energy is also set to focus strongly in the first six months of next year as Germany plans to make it a focus point at the EU leaders summit in March and push dialogue between oil-producing and receiving countries and transit countries.

With this, Berlin is giving a helping hand to the European Commission which has announced that it wants to revamp the bloc's energy policy in light of its dependency on Russia – a fact that was clearly highlighted during a Moscow-Kiev energy spat in January, which affected several member states.

On the internal market front, electricity and gas market liberalisation is supposed to be completed by 1 July.

Another point where Berlin is to try and make waves is with the European Constitution, with its presidency programme announcing that "the government will strive to see that the constitution goes into force at the latest in 2009."

It will kickstart the process by sounding out various compromise proposals which will then be put in a June report to be used to push the whole debate further.

Germany's move represents the first time an EU presidency has really attempted to revive the document which has been on political ice since it was rejected in two referendums mid-last year.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us