The European Union’s proposed new economic and employment strategy to lead Europe into recovery and growth over the next 10 years has provoked criticism from trade unions and European socialists.
Following a four-month consultation, the European Commission last week unveiled a revised plan with five priorities, including raising the employment rate to 75 per cent, lifting 20 million people out of poverty and cutting the number of early school-leavers.
The “Europe 2020” plan will replace the 10-year Lisbon strategy, which failed to meet its ambitious objectives partly due to the economic crisis. As latest EU figures revealed a further fall in employment across Europe, Labour MEP Stephen Hughes dismissed the Commission’s proposals as “not strong enough on jobs and social policy”.
Instead Socialist and Democrat MEPs have drawn up their own priorities for the next decade, including 10 million new jobs in the green economy. “It can be boiled down to two words: solidarity and sustainability”, said Mr Hughes. “We don’t think cutting poverty by 20 million is enough – it should be at least one-third. That would be a real challenge for all member states.”
They are also demanding tighter monitoring of national policies. “Member states have to accept proper governance of the strategy. They have to deliver, and they didn’t under Lisbon. We want regular review to ensure they are meeting their targets”, insisted Mr Hughes.
John Monks, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, branded the proposal as “flawed and disappointing”. He said: “There is a desperate need for the EU and the rest of the world to digest what caused the crisis and how we can avoid a repeat.”
