The participants of the PES High Level Working Group took stock of recent developments in follow-up to the Five Presidents’ Report on Completing the EMU. They confirmed the need for deeper economic policy coordination for a stronger recovery, and welcomed recent improvements in the Union’s fiscal performance. They also stressed the need for a stronger social pillar of the EMU and called for more ambitious targets of economic and social convergence.
The PES has been calling for the development of a Union that aims to achieve sustainable economic growth, ensures financial stability and safeguards the European Social Model. The PES calls for the Union to represent and cater to the needs of society and not just the market. This must be the final aim of the Economic and Monetary Union.
Maria João Rodrigues, chair of the High Level Working Group and Vice President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, stated:
“Our political family has been leading the debate on the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union since 2012. We have been able to introduce greater flexibility with regards to fiscal consolidation, we have successfully argued that economic growth requires ambitious investments, but a lot more remains to be done to strengthen the EMU and improve its functioning. We want the Economic and Monetary Union to deal effectively with social challenges, we want it to develop mechanisms that can bridge economic and social inequalities via greater convergence, and we want it to pursue an ambitious investment policy that can create new and good jobs. Europe is facing many challenges that we can overcome if we are coordinated, these are common challenges that need united solutions.”
She added: “This High Level Working Group will present ambitious proposals for better integrating the economies of the European Union’s Member States in a just and fair way”.
The High-Level Working Group will present its report to PES Heads of State and Government and party leaders as well as European and national parliamentarians. Participants to today’s meeting, among others, were:
|
Maria Joao Rodrigues |
Chair of the PES High Level Working Group on the deepening of the EMU Vice President of the S&D Group |
European Parliament |
|
Pierre Moscovici |
Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs |
European Commission |
|
Jean Paul Buffat |
Diplomatic Advisor to the Leader of the Party |
PS, Belgium |
|
Henrik Sass Larsen |
Member of Parliament |
SD, Denmark |
|
Marco Piantini |
European Advisor to the Prime Minister |
PD, Italy |
|
Rimantas Šadžius |
Finance Minister Chair of the PES ECOFIN Ministers network |
LSDP, Lithuania |
|
Henk Nijboer |
Member of Parliament, Financial Specialist |
PvdA, the Netherlands |
|
Michal Polak |
Adiser to the State secretary of the Ministry of Finance Ivan Lessay |
SMER, Slovakia |
|
Manuel de la Rocha
|
Economy Secretary of PSOE Executive Federal Board |
PSOE, Spain |
|
Charlotte Svensson |
State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance |
SAP, Sweden |
|
Pervenche Berès
|
MEP, Member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs Chair of the PES Social Europe Network |
European Parliament |
|
Udo Bullmann |
MEP, Head of the German SPD delegation |
S&D Group in the European Parliament |
|
Jacob von Weizsäcker |
MEP, S&D Group member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs |
S&D Group in the European Parliament |
