Alleen bezuinigingen zullen de eurocrisis niet oplossen (en)
Denmark wants a responsible, dynamic, green and safe Europe: that was the message sent by Nicolai Wammen, Danish Minister for European Affairs, at the plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee when it met today to discuss the priorities of Danish EU Presidency.
The debate was opened by Staffan Nilsson, EESC president, who said that the EESC would stand behind the Danish Presidency to help it respond to the needs of citizens. He praised Denmark's decision to run a no-frills presidency that would cut down on transport and representation costs. "Whatever the amount of money spent, we count on a presidency that is efficient and effective and aims to find the best solutions", he said.
"Because of the exceptional challenges facing Europe, the Presidency regards the Committee as a key partner in its efforts to get Europe out of the crisis", said Mr Wammen and added that the value of the Committee stemmed from its representing workers, employers and civil society groups, who all "keep the wheel of Europe turning".
"Denmark will act as an honest broker in our Presidency dealings", declared Mr Wammen. Representing a country from outside the eurozone, he underlined the importance of keeping the EU-27 together, ensuring that countries do not drift apart and stopping "clubs of 17 or 10" from surfacing.
The most immediate task was to tackle the unsustainable debt levels in some EU countries, he said. Yet cuts alone would not pull Europe out of "the worst economic crisis since World War II", he cautioned, calling for the right balance to be struck between belt-tightening and growth-boosting measures.
Turning to potential sources of growth, he pointed to the untapped potential of the single market and the vast opportunities offered by the greening of the European economy. In a bid to improve the business climate in the EU, the presidency aims to modernise accounting rules and improve access to venture capital. The growth that these measures would generate must, however, be decoupled from energy growth so that Europe can make a real move towards a low-carbon society, said Mr Wammen. Not only would this give Europe first-mover advantage, it would also create new knowledge-intensive jobs, he added.
In the ensuing debate, Henri Malosse (President of the Employers Group, France) vented his frustration at Europe not moving at the same pace as the rest of the world. "Our citizens will not forgive Europe for not using its strengths, especially the economies of scale which can be achieved by doing more at the European level to promote growth", he said. Commenting on treaty changes foreseeing automatic sanctions for countries running excessive deficits, Georgios Dassis (President of the Workers Group, Greece) said that these sanctions "will only aggravate the countries' economic woes". Referring to draft internal market regulations, he urged the Danish Presidency to strive for "legislation that would allow European courts faced with a conflict between fundamental social rights and economic freedoms to give precedence to the former". Luca Jahier (President of the Various Interests Group, Italy) supported the Danish drive for European unity and said that the new fiscal compact treaty, signed by 26 countries and currently under negotiation, would do more harm than good, by weakening the Community method and causing division in the EU.
Responding to the Danish presidency's requests for advice in a number of policy areas, the EESC will adopt four "exploratory opinions" that tally with the Presidency's priority areas. It will look at a digital single market, promotion of sustainable production and consumption in the EU, the 7th Environment Action Programme and the situation of young disabled people in Europe.
For further information please contact:
Karin Füssl
Head of the EESC Press Unit
Tel.:+32 2 546 8722