Editorial by Conny Reuter, SOLIDAR Secretary General

Free Movement?

23 January 2015

Mario Draghi’s “shock and awe” plan to buy 60bn euros of public and private sector debt every month has created another free movement: the one of capital. The announcement was warmly welcomed as it had “overcome the expectation of the markets” (Soros in Davos). The intention seems to be good: a desire to create a new climate of investment by promoting growth and employment. It is a stand against the Member State that has always claimed a more orthodox financial policy: Germany. But as this orthodoxy starts showing its limits by preventing investment in all kinds of infrastructure for the sake of the black zero, it is becoming clear that it has failed to meet the expectations of the southern Member States, and will in the long run also have an impact on the capacity for renewal in a country like Germany. The decision of the European Central Bank is also a sign of independence, strongly defended by Germany on the basis of its historical experience, but u sed in the opposite direction.

Although the European Commission has promised to make impact assessment the rule, in this case the rule of the game is speculation: speculation on a positive effect and speculation on the stock exchanges, as their reactions in the last 24 hours showed. Nonetheless there is no social risk assessment at all! Who will carry the burden when this initiative does not create the expected and promised growth and jobs? What about those middle class people who save money and who are told on the one hand that their savings are secured and on the other are invited to put their money in shares instead of savings under the pressure of zero or even negative interest rates.

The overall climate of the last month, with the repeated message about the risk of deflation, has prepared public opinion for the Draghi decision. There is no need to be either a banker or an economist to understand the logic and to see the risk. The financial crisis has been the result of uncontrolled markets and speculation on stocks and housing. The Draghi decision has again unleashed speculation: in stock markets and in housing. This is only logical if one has gone through – like many others – the Goldman Sachs classes.

A social impact assessment is needed and a first step should be the new initiative on FTT by France, Austria and Germany. With no surprise the banking sector has replied by addressing the 28 Finance Ministers, saying that the FTT would increase the cost of financial services, damage the internal market and undermine economic recovery, painting as usual the picture of the dark side.

The lack of regulation has provoked the crisis and put immense pressure in particular on the populations in the southern EU Member States. The expected electoral result in Greece is a consequence and expression of democracy and it is precisely democracy that is undermined by technocratic decisions and the rule of financial market logic and algorithms. Democracy is at stake.

And what has been the news of the week. Inequality is increasing – 1% owns 90% of the wealth. How could this happen? Read above! And Piketty!

Together for Social Europe

A fresh start for TTIP negotiations?

21 January

On 21st January, the European Parliament Trade Committee debated a working document prepared by its chair Bernd Lange MEP that seeks to give a fresh start to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. SOLIDAR welcomes this initiative of the Parliament to express its position and in particular to define proper parameters for trade to support sustainable economic growth and the creation of good and stable in the EU and beyond, as well as its recognition that TTIP is not a ‘magic wand’ to solve Europe’s economic problems.
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Improving the provision of Social Services Delivery in South Eastern Europe through the empowerment of national and regional CSO networks

22 January 2015

On 22 January the first meeting of second phase of the project “Improving the provision of Social Services Delivery in South Eastern Europe through the empowerment of national and regional CSO networks” took place in Brussels. The project, led by SOLIDAR member ASB South East Europe, is funded by the European Commission’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). One of the most relevant outcomes of the first phase of the project was the creation of the IRIS network, a regional network of CSOs from SEE working in social service delivery. IRIS brings together national networks of CSOs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. The main and the most important goal of IRIS is to improve social care for vulnerable people who do not have access to proper services provided by the local or the national government.
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Building Learning Societies

Latvian EU Presidency priorities in the field of Education and Training

23 January 2015

The Presidency is planning to continue working to enhance cooperation on vocational education and training amongst all stakeholders. SOLIDAR, which has been engaged in promoting the recognition and validation of learning outcomes of non-formal and informal learning (NFIL) www.buildinglearningsocieties.org welcomes in particular the Presidency’s ambition to work towards the overall goal of having national validation mechanisms in all countries by 2018 as stated in the 2012 Council Recommendation on Validation of NFIL.

It is important to set an ambitious yet inclusive and cohesive strategy for Europe, therefore we expect that the Latvian Presidency will emphasise the need for an inclusive and sustainable growth model, accompanied by an investment plan that focuses on social progress, access to decent jobs, and education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
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Organising International Solidarity

What can the ENP review do to promote a rights-based approach to migration?

22 January 2015

Migration policy aspects are a clear priority in the EU’s ENP policy, notably in the context of substantially rising migration flows into the EU via the Mediterranean Sea during 2014. While the EU sought to strengthen the external dimension of its immigration and asylum policy by launching “Dialogues for Migration, Mobility and Security”, so far only Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan have signed such agreements and many doubts are still pending regarding the real final beneficiary of such agreements. SOLIDAR believes that the ENP revision represents a renewed opportunity to put solidarity at the hearth of EU migration policy, by promoting a rights-based approach to migration in Southern Mediterranean Countries.
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How to integrate migration in the post 2015 agenda?

23 January 2015

To date, migrant labour rights and human development still receive too little space within national, regional and global development plans.

SOLIDAR believes that the post 2015 development agenda provides a unique opportunity to push the EU to adopt a rights-based approach to migration and development policies in line with the Civil Society Stockholm Agenda on migrants and migration, in order to promote human development and achieve social justice.

The focus should be on promoting decent working and social conditions for all migrants that conform to international labour standards; extending social protection for migrant women, men and children in countries of origin and destination; increasing migrant participation and contribution in public policy planning and implementation; and facilitating safe, orderly and regular migration, through enhanced international cooperation.

Within this context, SOLIDAR, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the trade unions CGIL (Italy) and UGTT (Tunisia), in cooperation with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), together with the Trade Union Network on Mediterranean and Sub Saharan Migrants* are organising a Round Table on “Rights-based approach to migration: the role of the Trade Union Network on Mediterranean and Sub Saharan Migrants” on 10 February. (Click here for more information on this event).