[fse-esf] "Is Social Europe fit for Globalisation?"

[frederic.viale at free.fr]

Dear friends,

Let us have a look on what the european Commission is thinking about social
rights in Europe : the folowing message from a friend ofCEO who attend to a
meeting hold the 18th of april on "Is Social Europe fit for Globalisation?".
This should interested evry one of us.
Frédéric Viale -Attac France

---- original message--------
"
 Wednesday the 18th of april, a large conference was organised in Brussels by
the European Commission on "Is Social Europe fit for Globalisation?".

The conference saw high level attendance of Commission officials, including
Commissioners, Directors Generals and Barroso himself and illustrated the kind
of direction that the Commission is taking and will take in relation to social
reforms in Europe. There are reasons to be very concerned...

The conference pivoted around the publication of this study from the London
School of Economics in partnership with the Centre for European Policy Studies
(see below) prepared for DG Employment: "Is Social Europe Fit for Globalisation?
A study of the social impact of globalisation in the European Union":

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/spsi/simglobe_en.htm

The study is seen very much as a basis for the EU's further work on social
reforms. The study concludes that the European Social Model necessitates careful
but deep reforms in order to survive in the 21st century. Globalisation is
causing profound changes and Europe must adapt.

The solution rests in a cocktail of national reforms based on labour market
policies, education and de-bureaucratization that will allow to adapt to
globalisation, population aging and technological change.

The most striking conclusion of the study for me was:

"A strong conclusion from this study is that many of the fears surrounding
globalisation are greatly exaggerated and, even where justified, they tend to
rest on an incomplete analysis of the process. Above all, there is no empirical
support for the proposition that globalisation is leading to a race to the
bottom in social policy. It follows that to view globalisation as an inexorable
force is simply unwarranted. Countries can, and do, adjust and there is no great
mystery about what is needed. This message has to be repeatedly articulated and
‘sold’ to citizens."


ABOUT THE STUDY

The study assumed that globalisation is unstoppable and the EU plays a passive
role in relation to it, that the only solution is to adapt, not to change. The
study does not take into consideration the EU agenda on trade (global Europe) or
on better regulation, for instance,  and how this type of agendas impact already
on the social model of Europe. It seems to be disconnected from the real
politick of European policies, for globalisation is seen as a foreign element to
EU policies, not a result of them.

A fascinating intervention that did link EU policies to globalisation however
was made by one of the panellists, Jorgen Ronnest, Director of Social Affairs of
BusinessEurope (former UNICE), the Confederation of EU industrialists. Ronnest
made the point that, the social agenda of Europe cannot be separated from its
global agenda. He stated, I quote: "the wealth we enjoy in Europe, and the
wealth we hope to develop in the coming years, is based on globalisation."
The key to wealth is Europe for BusinessEurope, said Ronnest, is to ensure a
greater competitiveness of EU TNCs and greater flexibility in labour markets, in
Europe and abroad. Europe must reform its policies on services markets
particularly and start tapping on new sources of competitive advantage, based on
investment and human capital: "Without these reforms the fitness of social
Europe will rapidly deteriorate."

(BusinessEurope produced a set of recommendations on these issues back in
October 2007 in relation to the Social Summit: “Key challenges facing European
labour Markets: a join analysis of European social partners".)

Take a look at the study’s executive summary (rather lengthy) but generally the
study read to me very similar, in terms of language, analysis and conclusions,
to the Policy Network 2006 analysis: “Social Europe, Global Europe”; edited by
Giddens, Diamond and Liddle.

Although it would need some research, the parallels are many and the references
that the study makes to the Policy Network are equally numerous. References to
the Policy Network analysis, as those it makes to Giddens (“The Third Way”) and
to Mandelson himself (honorary chair of the Policy Network) constitute a big
bulk of the study.

Giddens was the director of the London School of Economics (LSE) and the ties
between LSE and the Policy Network are strong (they often organise joint
conferences). The fact that such a prestigious university as LSE is lending
itself as a public front group for neo-liberal think-tanks (see below) as the
Centre for European Studies and the Policy Network is worrying, especially given
the influence that this study will have on Europe’s social policies.

This study might well represent the formal acceptance of the UK social model
(the “Third Way”) as a model for a new social Europe!


(...)
Kim Bizzarri
kim at corporateeurope.org
tel: +31-20-6127023
fax: +31-20-6869558
Corporate Europe Observatory
De Wittenstraat 25
1052 AK Amsterdam
Netherlands
www.corporateeurope.org
www.alter-eu.org