Socialist leader calls for EU member states to act on Brussels' 'inaction'

Parliament’s Socialist leader has heavily criticised José Manuel Barroso ahead of next week’s EU summit.

In an open letter written this week to EU heads of state and government, Martin Schulz said that the commission president has had his “head in the sand”.

“While 78 million Europeans live at the risk of poverty and our union faces the challenges of unemployment, social exclusion, climate change and financial market instability, the president of the European commission continues to brush aside parliamentary calls for targeted action,” he said.

“It therefore falls to the European council to show our citizens that the EU is dealing with their concerns, including the problems of the real economy and the uncertainties of their daily lives.”

Schulz has demanded that the European council tackles improved social inclusion, binding minimum social standards, a greater focus on public services, co-ordinated investment in research and full transparency in the financial markets.

“Citizens…want stricter supervision of financial markets,” he said.

“They are concerned about failure to meet research investment targets and they seek the benefits that will result from the spread of knowledge as a fifth "freedom" in Europe.

“The Socialist Group finds Mr Barroso's inaction unacceptable and believes that the time has come for the council to take its responsibilities.”

Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Barroso claimed that "despite the decade long defeatism of the cynics - Lisbon is working".

The European council, which convenes on Thursday 13th March, will assess the progress of the Lisbon agenda.

Leaders are also likely to discuss the ongoing ratification of the Lisbon treaty.

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