Party of European Socialists urges Barroso to keep his promises
Commission President José Manuel Barroso must back his words with concrete action for growth, jobs, and a social Europe, Party of European Socialists President Sergei Stanishev said at a meeting on 26 January with Barroso and members of major and democratic European political parties.
Stanishev said: “European citizens want clear, fair and immediate action on the economic crisis. The EU is at risk of being seen as part of the problem, imposing only pain through cuts and austerity. This is a breeding ground for populist anger.”
According to him, the proposed EU treaty fails to propose fast and stable measures to generate fair growth, to move past the unemployment problems, to minimalise social qualities and to restore a working path towards fiscal consolidation.
He added that the PES wants to reinvest unused EU funds into investment programmes for growth and jobs, thus establishing a youth guarantee to defeat unemployment and implement a Financial Transaction Tax without loopholes.
“This is what we mean when we call for growth and jobs – not more liberalisation and more austerity. This is a practical, immediate response. If the Commission is serious about listening to people’s concerns it will give its full support to our proposals,” Stanishev said.
The PES has identified €10 million of unused EU structural funds that could be used to handle the surge of youth unemployment.
Stanishev also drew attention to the attacks on democratic norms in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. He said: “We expect the EU and the various political families to clearly uphold these standards. The EU cannot lose credibility on its core values.”
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