“Social Europe is largely absent from the European campaign” | EUROtoday

Sbased on the most recent Eurobarometer from the European Commission [publié le 12 avril], 88% of EU residents say that social Europe is necessary to them. They remind Europe of its ambitions: in 1957, three presidents, two Majesties and a Royal Highness “decided to ensure through common action the economic and social progress of their countries by eliminating the barriers which divide Europe”And “assigning as the essential goal of their efforts the constant improvement of the living and employment conditions of their people”made this social function largely dominate within the first pages of the Treaty of Rome.

However, social Europe is essentially absent from this European marketing campaign. Of course, confronted with this reality, all of the candidates will protest. Because, social Europe being very plastic, everybody can all the time put ahead one or two social proposals. Despite all the pieces, we stay very removed from the founding precedence.

In a European building largely targeted on the free motion of products, companies, folks and capital, which has most popular enlargement to deepening, the social function has typically taken a again seat. So a lot in order that, by being recurrently caught up in structural difficulties (deindustrialization, getting older, and many others.) or cyclical difficulties (unemployment, monetary disaster, social inequalities, and many others.), heads of state have often been put in stays to reaffirm Europe's social ambition.

To demonstrate the strength of this commitment, the treaties have been peppered with numerous institutions and procedures for coordinating labor market and social policies. For the most part, these mechanisms hum in oiled silence, behind the economic battles.

Economic euphoria

The European Commission, occupying the space left vacant by the Council, is trying to bring to life the “European base of social rights”, a minimal social Europe where the successive priorities of the rotating presidencies are sedimented – like previously the questions of posted work or minimum wage. But the retrospective count of jobs created and the hope that they are of quality are not enough.

This new eclipse of social Europe certainly owes a lot to the economic euphoria which followed the health crisis, marked by numerous job creations and a sharp drop in unemployment. And the current way of staging “pacts” and “initiatives” of every kind with a view to publicize how a lot Europe is transferring ahead – on undeniably crucial topics – pushes social Europe into an ever darker distinction. It's not very glamorous, social Europe.

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