The Parliament (Link) - Martin Banks (March 31, 2011)
A hearing in parliament has called for “popular participation” in the economic reforms being proposed by the EU, including a possible financial tax.
The conference on Thursday heard that the sweeping shake-up of Europe’s “economic governance” constitutes a ‘silent revolution imposed from above.’
But one of the keynote speakers, Kenneth Haar, said that many of the fiscal reforms and cuts to national budgets being proposed in response to the global economic downturn are “hard, if not impossible, to track.”
Haar, of Corporate Europe Observatory, said, “Despite the issues at stake, this ‘silent revolution’ has so far received too little attention from a wider audience.”
The hearing, “Crisis and EU governance,” was organised by the left-wing GUE/NGL group in parliament.
It featured John Monks, secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation, several MEPs and former German finance minister Oskar Lafontaine.
Speaking in a session on an analysis of EU economic policies, Haar said, “2011 may mark a watershed in the history of the EU. Using the pretext of the ‘euro crisis,’ the commission and member states have put forward plans to give the EU new powers to deal with core welfare issues, including social benefits and wages.
“Under a new technocratic procedure, however, these proposals are hard to track, let alone be influenced by those who stand to lose out.”
He added, “The proposals embody a corporate social and economic agenda which, if enacted, will constitute a ‘silent revolution’ imposed from above, with no real democratic debate or popular participation.”
He said there was an “urgent need” for a “democratic debate” throughout the EU, in particular on alternatives to the “austere model” of economic governance that is being pushed through by the commission and member states.
“This will require a broad-based social struggle to make the realities a reality,” he warned.
His call was echoed by another speaker, Henry Sterdyniack, of the French-based Economistes Atterres Network.
He said, “Europe has been built for 30 years on a technocratic basis which has excluded populations from economic policy debates.
“This doctrine, which rests on the now indefensible assumption of the efficiency of financial markets, should now be abandoned.”
He put forward a position paper which recommends the introduction of either a carbon tax or ‘tax on profits’ which he says will help facilitate equal access to public and social services in each member state. †
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