Jean Monnet used to say that “nothing is possible without men [nor women, of course], but nothing lasts without institutions”. This is why, today, we pay tribute to those whose impulses stirred political change; the pioneers of the European Community. 70 years ago, the assembly of the Coal and Steel Community brought together delegates from six national parliaments, and for the first time they formed transnational groups according to their values and political goals.
We, Social Democrats, can proudly say that we were the protagonists of this birth of trans-European democracy, together with Christian-Democrats and Liberals. Over the years, these groups have built trust among both themselves and citizens. This would not have been possible without the press. This year – 2023 – also marks the anniversary of Agence Europe, which has rigorously informed the public on each step of our integration over the years.
Remembering our history is also remembering the first half of the 20th century and its two world wars. With the goal of achieving lasting peace, the Social Democrats contributed to the foundation of what today is the European Union. Peace, the largest single market in the world, the freedom for our citizens to live, study or work anywhere in the European Union are just some of our achievements. But now in the 21st century, Europe and the world are facing the consequences of an illegal war. A war waged by an autocrat against a country that aspires to be sovereign and free to decide its future, a country that shares our values and our vision.
The pioneers in the 1950s wanted to rebuild Europe with peace and prosperity, with social protection, fair wages and opportunities for all. Yet, in today’s Union we see injustice and inequality increasing. Our citizens are losing purchasing power. They are struggling to find decent jobs, to buy homes or to provide good education for their children; while at the same time, the number of billionaires grows, and the profits of multinational companies keep increasing. This can only lead to mistrust in the institutions and in the capacity of democracy to bring justice and well-being to all. In the context of the war, inflation and the energy and food crises are the result of a conflict that threatens us all. For us Social Democrats, 70 years on, the protection of the working class remains our fundamental objective.
We want to mobilise all the financial and legal resources of the state to protect citizens and companies, by cutting the taxes of the most vulnerable, by providing direct aid to small and medium enterprises and households, and by reforming the electricity and housing markets. We can see how EU social policies are already helping to reduce inflation, but the EU should continue to expand its social agenda until the prospects for decent life become a reality.
Many things have changed since 1953, and we see history accelerating. All the major challenges of recent years deserve progressive responses; to ensure we maintain our European values in the new context. When the pandemic hit, we responded with a strong defence of public services and the NextGenerationEU recovery plan. In the middle of the climate crisis, we launched the Green Deal to make the ecological transition a reality without making the most vulnerable pay the price for it.
When the rule of law is attacked by far-right governments, it is essential to respond with strong mechanisms to preserve our values. It is also our duty to strengthen the Social Pillar with decent working conditions, to reduce poverty and to bring opportunities to the young. We still have a long way to go to ensure gender equality. In the face of the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, we propose the New Pact on Migration and Asylum to defend migration flows as part of the solution, not the problem.
This anniversary should be an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what unites us, and how we should move forward to deliver on our citizens’ needs. Regarding the European Parliament, it is now directly elected to represent almost 500 Europeans from 27 member states – a huge leap from the old assembly we commemorate now. There are also more political groups, and this pluralism is part of a healthy democracy.
However, the extreme right wants to go back in time and return to national solutions – trying to find an enemy in the neighbour or the foreigner, as if we had learned nothing from our history. As these forces grow in Europe, and as the traditional Christian-Democrats flirt with them and forget their roots, our common destiny is put at risk. Let’s not forget that it is our personal responsibility today that will determine the failure or the success of our institutions in the future.
Iratxe García Pérez is President of the S&D group in the European Parliament