The Europact – and indeed the business community – claim to respect the autonomy of collective bargaining, but closer inspection reveals that this is only superficial. Corporate Europe Observatory has looked at the details and fears that an attack on wages is in the making at the negotiations on new rules on “economic governance”. Progress is expected at the ECOFIN Council meeting in Budapest this week.
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New rules that could mean cuts to social expenditure, wages and workers' rights are currently being debated in the EU. If the proposals go ahead, decisions about such cuts could be made without public debate or discussion. Cuts would simply be imposed by EU technocrats. Such a decision undermines the very principles of democracy and threatens workers' rights and the welfare state.
This has to be stopped!
Using the pretext of the “euro crisis”, the European Commission and the Council have put forward proposals to give the EU new powers to deal with core welfare issues, including social benefits and wages, under a new technocratic procedure. There is an urgent need for a democratic debate throughout the EU, in particular on alternatives to the austere neoliberal model of ‘economic governance’ that is now being pushed by the Commission and the Council. And it will require a broad-based social struggle to make the alternatives a reality.
Today, 28 September 2011, the European Parliament votes on six legislative acts on "economic governance", also known as the "six-pack on economic governance". Corporate Europe Observatory, together with other European public interest organisations and trade unions calls on MEPs to reject the six proposals, and to join forces with social movements in our attempt to set Europe on a new course, a course of democracy, welfare and social rights.
Brussels, 19 January 2011 -- EU member state parliaments look set to lose important powers to control economic and social policy as a result of the EU’s response to the economic crisis according to a new article from Corporate Europe Observatory which analyses the proposals, likely to come into force in 2011, and warns that they will lead to a reduction in democratic accountability and public influence.
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and their lobby groups in EU policy making.
