Brussels, 02/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 3 March, the S&D Group is due to adopt, in Brussels, its alternative to a Commission proposal on EU development strategy up to 2020. S&D members believe that EU 2020 strategy should ensure a strong and sustainable economic recovery and fine-tune a new and lasting socio-economic model for Europe. This model should be based on six priority objectives: (1) a deal for sustainability with 10 million jobs in the green economy by 2020; (2) full employment in quality jobs, with decent working conditions and social integration for men and women; (3) action to fight poverty, inequality and insecurity; (4) the development of a knowledge economy with high productivity; (5) solidarity between people and regions in Europe; and (6) ensuring that globalisation works in a way that is efficient and profitable for everyone.
S&D members also want concrete initiatives to guarantee employment. In this respect, as a press release points out, Stephen Hugues, the group vice-president, explains: “We need to tackle all forms of insecure employment, for example through a directive on part-time working, the introduction of guaranteed social rights, whatever the kind of employment contract concerned, and measures to fight such abuses in subcontracting as unpaid internships”.
To the backdrop of the financial crisis that has caused over 7 million job losses since March 2008 (currently there are 23 million men and women without work), the vice-president of the S&D Group responsible for drafting this document, Stephen Hugues of Britain, pointed out that the new strategy should “combine the macroeconomic policy agenda with structural policies in the economic, social and environmental fields”. He said the aim was to “create five million jobs in the green economy by 2015 and ten million by 2020”, adding: “The 2020 strategy is an opportunity to make Europe relevant to people, not just to markets, as long as it focuses on people and jobs”.
Adoption of this contribution will be followed by a seminar entitled “2020: Towards a Europe of solidarity and sustainability”, also organised by the S&D Group. The Belgian deputy prime minister and minister for social affairs, Laurette Onkelinx, the Spanish secretary of state, Diego López Garrido, and the commissioner for employment, social affairs and inclusion, László Andor, will attend the seminar. (G.B./transl.jl)