Werkprogramma Europese Commissie krijgt groen licht Europees Parlement (en)

EUOBSERVER / STRASBOURG - The Commission's strategic work programme for this year is expected to garner a majority among MEPs. The centre-right have joined forces with the liberals, while the socialists remain opposed towards what they see as a "neo-liberal" agenda.

The European Parliament is to vote on the Commission's work plans on Thursday (24 February), after a lively debate in January and in this week's session in Strasbourg.

The European People's Party (EPP-ED) and the Liberal group (ALDE) welcomed the agenda presented by the Commission President José Manuel Barroso i, mainly for its focus on competitiveness and jobs, but the Socialists (PSE) criticised it for what they view as poor attention to social policy.

"Citizens will not support Europe if they see that its agenda undermines Europe's social security standards", PSE leader Martin Schultz told journalists in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

While all the main parties in general supported the Commission's aim to help create more jobs and growth in Europe, their ideas about how to achieve it differ.

Apart from general requests from the left-oriented groups for more social cohesion and solidarity in the EU agenda, MEPs also clashed on the issues involving the controversial services directive, which aims to open up the market in services as well as the reform of the EU Stability pact.

Clashing over services directive

The compromise resolution, backed by the centre-right, liberals and right-wing Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN), points to the crucial importance of liberalisation of the EU market in services, and supports the early adoption of the controversial services directive.

While stressing that changes should be made on the proposed legislation to take the needs in certain special sectors into consideration, it hints that "the EU cannot afford a failure on the services directive".

According to the EPP-ED officials, unike the Socialists, the biggest group is against a total withdrawal of the directive, as it would "waste an enormous amount of effort and energy already put into it."

Stability Pact re-visited

The Stability Pact - the economic rules for countries with euro, was also the subject of debate among MEPs.

While the centre-right called on the Commission to safeguard "the essential structure" of the pact in any proposed reform, the socialists suggested that there should be "greater heed (paid) to differences in economic and social circumstances".

"We absolutely oppose the socialists idea of creating a list of special rules for sensitive sectors in different countries, as it would limit the effect of the legislation and would be almost impossible to work out for 25 Member states", an EPP-ED official told the EUobserver.

The European Parliament was promised that it would be allowed to give its opinion on the Commission's legislative programme after a vote on Mr Barroso's team in November.