Brussels, 04/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a speech delivered at the Commission for Social Development of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on Wednesday 3 February, Spanish Social Affairs Minister Trinidad Jimenez said that “the EU would like to reiterate its commitment to the promotion of social integration and social cohesion policies through a multilateral system by which we recognise that all relevant stakeholders are needed, including social partners, civil society, non-profit entities and the private sector in order to move forward along this path”. Jimenez also underlined the key role the Decent Work Agenda had to play if there was to be a “global and fair sustainable economy”. Employment, equality, social protection and inclusion should be the pillars of the European commitment and the commitment of all international organisations, she added. “We have learnt that a crisis in the 21st century does not respect borders, that Europe is not an island. Therefore, we want to share experiences and best practices with our nearest and fairest neighbours, to encourage the international community to assist wherever necessary and to recognise that social inclusion, participation and protection is an overarching goal,” she said.
She told the meeting that the EU was very aware of the danger that a number of citizens, currently under the threat of losing their jobs because of the economic crisis, might never again be part of the labour market. For that reason, she said, inclusion, participation and social protection are overriding objectives for all the states. It was therefore essential that, as economies recover, “we ensure that economic growth is accompanied by an increase in employment,” she said.
Noting that the challenge for our social economy was to “become stronger and more sustainable”, Jimenez said that that meant “an inclusive economy, more intelligent and more environmentally-friendly which requires increasing coordination”. Thus, it would be necessary, she said, “to integrate and strengthen political instruments by linking institutional reforms, improvement of regulations, new initiatives and public investment, and the recent proposal of the Commission for the consultation of EU member states has been structured based on the following pillars: (1) Making use of the single market; (2) Introducing the EU2020 strategy in a global context; (3) Supporting growth by making full use of the Stability and Growth Pact; (4) Taking into account policy priorities in public budgeting; (5) Founding transparent governance with a view to implementing the new strategy”. It was for these reasons that revision and adaptation of the Lisbon Strategy for the post-2012 period had to be “one of the most important areas of activity in the coming months coinciding with the Spanish Presidency of the EU”. This, she said, “should respond to the EU diversity with the cohesion of territorial areas, increased protection of disadvantaged social groups with a long-term approach reflecting the interdependence between economic, employment, social and environmental policies”. (G.B./transl.rt)