By Martin Banks - 20th February 2007
European social NGOs have joined forces to demand that political leaders put social concerns at the “heart” of the EU summit on 8 March.
Ahead of the summit and the Berlin declaration on 25 March, several organisations have drawn up a “wish list” of policies.
They say the EU’s upcoming 50th anniversary and next month’s Brussels summit, which is expected to focus on energy issues and the Lisbon Agenda, give civil society groups a chance to press their claims for a more ‘social Europe’.
Social Platform, which represents 40 European social NGOs, has proposed a three-point action plan, including a social policy "scoreboard" to assess how member states are implementing EU social laws.
In an open letter to all EU leaders, the Brussels-based group said precedence should be given to social goals when they are in conflict with competition objectives.
Anne-Sophie Parent, of Social Platform, said, “Too many people see a future full of threats and have lost faith in the ability of politicians to make things change for the better."
"What is urgently needed is an ambitious social programme for the EU,” she added.
Her comments are echoed by the European Older People’s Platform (AGE), a European network of organisations of people aged over 50.
AGE will put forward several proposals to the summit, including a demand that more is done to achieve “solidarity” between the generations.
“Most of us remember when this ambitious EU project was launched in 1957 and have engaged with its development over the years, ” a spokesman said.
The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) will urge leaders to put poverty and social exclusion at the heart of the Lisbon strategy.
“Six years after Lisbon, the level and intensity of poverty and inequality has increased in most countries,” said its director Fintan Farrell.
Meanwhile, the Party of European Socialists will next week unveil a major new report calling for a more "social" Europe.
The report will be launched in Brussels by former commission president Jacques Delors and PES president Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, an MEP and former Danish premier, on 28 February.
“We can combine social justice and security will full employment, growth and competitiveness," said Rasmussen.
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