Brussels, 11/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament adopted three reports on Wednesday 11 March setting out its position on the European semester budgetary process, ahead of the spring European Council which constitutes an intermediate step in the definition of EU socio-economic policies.
MEPs broadly back the approach contained in the European Commission's Annual Growth Survey 2015 founded on: - encouraging investment - but without creating more debt - in the key sectors of infrastructure, education and research; - pursuing structural reform (labour market and pensions, flexibility of goods and services markets, and reform of public administrations); - maintaining budgetary responsibility (see EUROPE 11207).
In full agreement with these three priorities, rapporteur on this text Dariusz Rosati (EPP, Poland) said that economic austerity, in itself, was “not guilty” but rather was necessary to bring an end to the “irresponsible practices” of the financial sector. “Budgetary consolidation measures are bearing fruit”, he opined, citing the examples of Ireland and Portugal which, he said, had once again become “credible” after completing their three-year rescue plan. Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto (S&D, Spain), rapporteur on the social aspects of the European semester, delivered a social message, rebalancing the comments of the Parliament on economic governance in Europe. He said that social, as well as budgetary, responsibility had to be built into the language used. In reforming their economies, states must “take account of the impact on jobs” and on people's access to basic public services, he added. He highlighted that the gap between the highest earning 10% of the population and the lowest earning 10% had increase seven-fold.
Euro Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen repeated the Commission's commitment to according the social partners a greater role in the European semester (see EUROPE 11268). The country reports had been adopted three months earlier than in previous years to allow in-depth exchanges with the social partners at both European and national levels on the socio-economic policies to be pursued, Thyssen said.
The third Parliament report, by rapporteur Ildiko Gall-Pelcz (EPP, Hungary), assesses the governance of the single market. It calls for a qualitative study on how European legislation in the area is applied on the ground. It also advocates support measures for cross-border trade flows. The commissioner with responsibility in this area, Elzbieta Bienkowska indicated that the Commission's future strategy would be based on “zero tolerance” in the implementation of the services directive and would strengthen application of the mutual recognition principle in the trade in goods and services (see EUROPE 11265 and 11246). (Mathieu Bion)