Brussels, 18/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - European solidarity should be highlighted at the European Council in Brussels on 18 and 19 October, say socialist prime ministers meeting ahead of the summit, not wanting negotiations about banks and the currency to dominate the agenda to the exclusions of economic growth. The president of the European Party of Socialists (PES), Sergei Stanishev, said measures to encourage social recovery had to go hand-in-hand with economic recovery.
The socialists want the autumn summit to put European solidarity in pride of place, ensuring speedier application of the Compact for Growth and Jobs drawn up in June (see EUROPE 10645). French President François Hollande is particularly keen on this and Stanishev commented: “The citizens of Europe have made sacrifice upon sacrifice and it is essential that a strong signal is given at this summit that their interests are at the heart of the economic recovery strategy”. Stanishev added: “Thanks to the work of our PES family, the European Youth Guarantee is on the agenda. Thanks to the PES, the Financial Transactions Tax is now becoming a reality. The Single Supervisory Mechanism is also a step forward advocated by us”.
Upon his arrival at the summit, Hollande said the politicians would be talking about Banking Union, not Budget Union. Germany has suggested having an extra powerful European Commissioner for the Euro with the right to veto national budgets, but sources close to the French president say this is not on the agenda for France and agreement on it would amount to failure of the summit. (MD/transl.fl)