Brussels, 04/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - The discussion day on 'The place of general interest services in the EU' organised on 31 January in Brussels by the Green/ALE group in the EP (see EUROPE of 31 January, p.17) aimed to 'mobilise the convention members and the associated forces to guarantee the constitutionalisation of general interest services,' indicated the European parliamentarian Hélène Flautre to the press. According to her, 'the debates showed the need for constitutionalisation and for a guarantee of access to these services for all citizens, in the framework of social insertion.' The European parliamentarian and convention member Marie Nagy (co-author, with the Austrian Johannes Voggenhuber, of a contribution to the Convention on general interest services) noted that 'these services have not been identified as a point to be debated in the Convention, not even in the working group on social Europe.' The European MP Pierre Jonckheer noted that the reticence on this issue comes 'not only from the United Kingdom, but also from Denmark and Sweden, whose position on the matter tends towards the status quo, and that of Spain and Ireland who show prudence (…). It is the general tone of the Convention session on 6 February which will provide an indication on the levels of support for the issue.' For Marie Nagy, the 'social Europe' group has worked a great deal. She raised certain advances (inclusion of social justice in the Treaty, among the 'values' of the EU, and, among the 'aims, sustainable development, full employment, protection of children'). Mrs Nagy also underlined that: - a transverse clause expressly indicating the need for equilibrium between the economic and social aims of the EU received wide ranging support within the working group; - Giorgios Katiforis intends to call for the inclusion among the EU's objectives of guaranteed access to such services, without this being subordinate to the internal market.
Carola Fishbach-Pyttel, Secretary General of the European Federation of Public Services (EPSU, member of the European Trade Union Confederation/ETUC), underlined 'we want a coordinated and targeted action. We want general interest services to be included among the political objectives in the Treaty, without subordination to the internal market.' Adding: 'we are in the process of building a European territory and it not only needs rules for competition and the market, but also solidarity. There are geographic and interrelational solidarities with competition regulations.' For the European Liaison Committee on Services of General Interest (CELSIG), Jean-Claude Boual indicated that 'to have a high quality general interest service, it requires a democratic service. It requires a framework Directive,' taking into account 'all the participating parties, that is to say companies, employees, users, state authorities and leaders.' What we are trying to promote, summarised Pierre Bauby, from the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation (CEEP), are objectives and aims for three things: 1) guarantee the universal right of access to GIS, health, housing, etc.; 2) ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion and solidarity at each level and at the EU level; 3) promote sustainable economic, social and environmental development. He concluded: 'general interest services and their future in the future Constitution will reveal what will be the Europe of tomorrow.'