In post-modern times it has become a standard procedure to present public apologies for political mistakes: the CEO of the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant expressed his apologies after the Fukushima catastrophe. Resulting in some nice pictures, but without any concrete consequences for the CEO nor any nuclear policy change in Japan. Political leaders also refer more and more to such procedures when the damage of their decisions becomes visible and cannot be denied any longer. There seems to be a notable exception to those leaders of the BREXIT campaign who just desert the public space and their responsibility, leaving the UK and the EU in a politically and economically dangerous situation. Some in the UK woke up as the demonstration last weekend showed, but it was just too little, too late.

As if the consequences of the UK referendum were not dramatic enough, another interpleading news item reaches us from the other side of the channel: the Chilcot report on the UK engagement alongside the US in the Iraq invasion in 2003. The report states that there was no imminent threat from Saddam, that a strategy of containment could have been adopted and continued for some time, that the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was exaggerated and that the consequences of the invasion were underestimated. Still the report does not conclude how that could have happened and why parliamentary control and media could not have prevented it from happening. The report concluded that “The UK’s relationship with the US has proved strong enough over time to bear the weight of honest disagreement. It does not require unconditional support where our interest or judgments differ.” If you replace the UK by France and Germany, it resembles the position of these two countries expressed at the time by the German Chancellor Schröder and French President Chirac. They made the difference, but their countries still have to assume the consequences of the wrong decisions of other leaders.

Some serious interrogations remain necessary and apologies are not enough! Prussian general Clausewitz taught us that a war should never be started without knowing how to end it. On Iraq we can only state the failed state, as we can in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere. Even the recent killing of more than 250 people in a bomb attack in Baghdad underlines the cruelty of a political mistake. Sadly it was just considered another news item by way too many people. The Iraq war has not only produced DAESH, it cost hundred thousands of lives, most of them civilians. The post-conflict chaos is one of the main reasons for people to leave their country, only to find the borders of the countries responsible for the disaster closed.

For a long time, trade union movements and civil society engaged in and in favour of the peace movement. The social question and the question of peace were understood as being interlinked. Through the massive migration and refugee flows, it makes a return on our agenda as a social question. Therefore, our movements shall not only be focused on social progress but also on the defense of peace. SOLIDAR members stand strong in this tradition. The long awaited Global Europe Strategy was presented this week by High Representative Federica Mogherini. The time of standing still has come to an end, we urgently need to mobilise again. Therefore, trade union movements and civil society organisations from Italy, other parts of Europe and abroad will come together on 9th October in Perugia, Italy to participate in the popular Peace March from Perugia to Assisi! We call for peaceful conflict resolution and for solidarity. Or as the singer Edwin Starr puts it: “War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” See you at the march #Perugiassisi!

The Europe we want, the Europe we need!
Statement by G. Dassis, President of the EESC, and C. Reuter, Co-Chairman of the Liaison Group.
Published on 4th July by the EESC.

Europe has not changed over the past week, but the challenges have become clearer. A majority of the British people has expressed the wish to leave the European Union, a decision which we respect, but regret because of its negative consequences for the British people and for Europe.

Ever since the United Kingdom joined the European Union, a series of unfortunate compromises have been made, finally culminating in “Brexit”. For too long, the Union has been blackmailed and has given way on too many issues. All of which has brought us to where we are now. The vote represents a historic break with the notion that European integration is a project that will help overcome the divisions among states and peoples and ensure that everyone enjoys prosperity, well-being and peace.

You can read the full version of the statement here.

Together for Social Europe
Social and employment situation in the EU: Employment rate increasing but still huge disparities between Member States in household financial distress
05 July 2016

The recently published EU Employment and Social Situation – Quarterly Review – Summer 2016 confirms an increase of the overall employment rate, for both the EU and the euro area – an increase representing 3 million more employed people in the EU than one year before. The overall long-term unemployment rate, at the other hand, decreased by 0.6 pp compared to a year before and stands now at 4.3% of the labour force.

At the same time, household incomes in the EU benefit from a strengthened economic activity, with the growth in income resulting from higher income from work and improved social benefits. While this seems to be good news for Europe’s households, another indicator for the well-being and resilience of household looks more mixed: Financial distress. Defined as the need to draw on savings or to run into debt to cover current expenditures, it has gradually declined over the last two years and a half but nevertheless, about 10% of adults in low-income households run into debt and nearly a further 15% drew on savings to cover current expenditure in the first half of 2016. And huge disparities are persistent between member states when it comes to financial distress: The overall level of financial distress decreased or remained stable over the last year in most member states but at the same time it remains higher than in 2007 in the majority of the EU member states, in particular in Cyprus, France, Italy and Spain. It ranges from around 3.5% in Germany to more than 25% in Greece, France and Italy – showing the major divide within and between European societies.
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Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA) – finally a victory for democracy and civil society?
06 July 2016

After days of fierce opposition from civil society to President Juncker’s decision to consider the CETA trade agreement as an EU competence (i.e. without consulting national parliaments) there seems to have been a radical change in the Commission’s opinion. Juncker announced yesterday (5th July 2016) that the Commission will consider CETA as a so-called “mixed agreement” which means that national parliaments will be involved in the approval procedure.

What looks at first sight as a victory for democracy and civil society, has nevertheless some pitfalls as the Commission has announced in the meantime to provisionally apply CETA – once ratified by the European Parliament and Council – until all national parliaments have approved it. That means it comes into force although the 28 national parliaments have not agreed to it yet. Furthermore, CETA is also considered as a door opener for the contested TTIP as it comprises for example the controversial Investor-State-Dispute-Settlement (ISDS) mechanism which is not the only bone of contention in the ongoing TTIP negotiations.

SOLIDAR recommendations to the new Slovak Presidency
07 July 2016

Achieving an economically strong Europe, a modern single market, a sustainable migration and asylum policy and a globally engaged Europe are the four priorities on the programme of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union that kicked off on July 1st. Surely not an easy task, especially considering that this presidency comes at a time when the European Union finds itself in the unprecedented situation of discussing the practicalities and political consequences of one of its member states leaving the Union, after the results of the EU referendum in the UK last week.

Therefore SOLIDAR calls on the new presidency to make use of its position to foster a debate on what keeps us together and how we can revive the common believe in the EU project.
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Building Learning Societies
SOLIDAR and SOLIDAR Foundation members develop their intercultural competences
06 July 2016

This week 20 SOLIDAR and SOLIDAR Foundation members and partners are meeting at the ITC-ILO center in Turin to undergo a training academy on “Integration, intercultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence”. Aim of this activity is to provide a common space for members’ exchange, cooperation and support young staff members, volunteers and activists in addressing the challenges of working at the local level in the context of addressing integration challenges.
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Organising International Solidarity
Towards a sustainable Europe?
07 July 2016

Adopted on 25 September 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the ‘new’ global consensus on how to move towards more equal and inclusive societies that “leave no one behind” and a development model that serves people, promotes shared prosperity, puts at the center the respect and the protection of human rights and planetary boundaries, fosters peace and it is based on a spirit of global solidarity. The 2030 Agenda sets a series of 17 goals (SDGs) and 167 targets to be reached by 2030 and offers a new framework to shift away from the current (unsustainable) development model both in developed and developing countries.

As far as the EU is concerned, achieving the SDGs will be challenging for the European countries as well as for the EU as a whole. In order to contribute to the reflection on the “next steps for a sustainable European future”, this week (on July 7th), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will bring together a wide range of actors to present and share views and proposals for the (highly) expected European Commission’s initiative for an integrated implementation of SDGs in the EU.

SOLIDAR will attend the event to reiterate the demands of the SDG Watch Europe for

• An EU overarching strategy for the implementation of the whole 2030 Agenda – both internally and externally- which should guide the work of all the European Commission Directorates-General, as well as that of other EU institutions. According to SOLIDAR, this strategy should replace Europe2020 strategy which seems to be given up;
• The EU to consult fully with civil society in drawing up its implementation strategy, as recommended by the European Parliament in its resolution of 12 May on the follow-up to and review of the 2030 Agenda
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