Future Strategy for the European Union Cannot Repeat Mistakes of the Past
Future Strategy for the European Union Cannot Repeat Mistakes of the Past
The European Commission is destined to repeat the economic and social mistakes of the past decade by focusing solely on economic growth and ‘jobs at any cost’, according to Anna Visser, Director of the European Anti-Poverty Network. The ten year Lisbon Strategy, a common agenda for all EU member states came to an end at the start of 2010 and European Leaders will meet today in Brussels at an informal summit for Heads of State to discuss EU 2020, the roadmap for the next ten years.
“For the last decade, the European Commission has espoused a ‘growth before all else message’. In its analysis of the Lisbon Strategy, the Commission concluded that the plan would have been a huge success had it not been for the economic crisis. This is absurd for a number of reasons.”
“Firstly, European Commission policies and priorities had a direct – and in many cases negative – impact on the ability of Member States to cope with the economic crisis. The liberalisation and ‘growth above all else’ agenda weakened the social infrastructure of many member states. As a result, the economic crisis had a far more negative human impact than might otherwise have been the case.”
Ms. Visser continued
“Secondly, to pretend that everything was fine in the European Union before the economic crisis is nothing more than self-delusion. Even in 2007 there were 78 million people living in poverty in the European Union. One in five children born in the European Union faced poverty from the first day of their lives. Growth and jobs are important but not as important as sustainable growth and decent jobs.”
2010 is the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. EAPN Ireland is calling on EU leaders to ensure that the next ten year plan focuses on people and society as well as economic issues. On 19th February 2010, The European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland will host an International Conference “Building Social Europe: From Crisis to Opportunity” at Croke Park Dublin. For more information, visit www.eapn.ie
For More Information Contact:
Mark Byrne
Information and Awareness
European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland
22 Great Strand Street
Dublin 1
01-8745737 / 0877587922
Tags: EU 2020 strategy, EU's social focus, europe tackling poverty, European social crisis, future strategy of the EU, Social Europe
