The need to pursue growth in Europe in the framework of efforts to address the financial crisis was highlighted during the last day of the 48th Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the EU Member States (COSAC), which wrapped up here Tuesday.
The Conference was organized by the House of Representatives, in the context of the parliamentary dimension of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Deputy Director General at the Internal Market and Services Directorate General of the European Commission Pierre Delseaux, in his speech during the session on “Single Market – Governance”, said that “if we want to overcome the crisis then we have to pursue growth of the European economies because this is the only way to create new jobs and citizens to continue to benefit from the social system.”
Delseau noted that the common joint market is not a magic solution that will bring growth overnight, pointing out that there is series of measures that have to be taken and will bring over growth gradually.
He elaborated on the measures proposed by the European Commission and stressed the need for them to be adopted and put into force the soonest possible as the crisis is already here.
New growth, he added, must be ecological and should not exclude anyone.
Chairwoman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of he European Parliament Pervenche Beres, in her speech during the session on “Europe 2020 Strategy – Recovery from the Economic Crisis”, said that if the EU comes out of the crisis by undermining its social model then it will not in fact overcome the crisis because the EU cannot have a social model in Europe that will be imported from aboard.
She said that the issue of Europe 2020 Strategy is very important, adding that this strategy must take into consideration the issues regarding the EU budget.
She said what is at stake with regard to the Europe 2020 Strategy is that funds must be found in the budget of each member state and the EU to contribute to the implementation and success of this strategy.
On his part, Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs Averof Neofytou, who chaired the conference, said that the conclusion that emerged from the discussions at the conference is that there is no dilemma between austerity and growth.
In statements on the sidelines of the conference, Neofytou noted that “growth requires consolidation and austerity policies will be abandoned once growth is achieved. Therefore these two are interlinked and we must bear this in mind in the current difficult phase for the people.”
Moreover in an intervention during the discussions, Neophytou expressed reservations about the repercussions that taxation on financial transactions at a European level alone would have, noting at the same time that he acknowledges the importance of this tax in the framework of the EU own resources.
Discussions at the Conference focused on the Priorities of the Cyprus Presidency, the State of the Union, as well as the topics of Energy – Security of Supply, Single Market – Governance, the Europe 2020 Strategy – Recovery from the Economic Crisis, as well as making “More Europe” a reality.
