ETUCE opinion on European Parliament reports on implementation
The European Parliament is fully back to work. Its Committees have been formed anew. One of the first topics they addressed, is the fundamental issue of the European Semester for economic policy coordination: the implementation of 2014 priorities. In August, the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) issued a Draft Report on the implementation of the European Semester and the Employment Committee of the European Parliament (EMPL) commented on it.
Both Committees of the European Parliament welcomed the recommendations of the European Commission to the countries in the framework of the European Semester to priorities and preserve growth-enhancing expenditure in education, which is in line with a recent ETUCE Position on the 2014-2015 Country Specific Recommendations(CSR). However, ETUCE Position has also denounced the severe under-financing of education in many Member States, demanding that any recommendation targeting education and training should go hand in hand with appropriate sustainable public funding, with a stronger focus on quality of education.
The Draft Report of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the European Parliament clearly recognise that structural reforms needed to deliver growth and jobs must be complemented by longer-term investment in education and skills, research and development, and resource efficiency. However, the Report of the Committee stresses that in all these fields private investment is more beneficial to growth than public investment.
On the other side, the Draft Opinion issued by the Employment Committee of the European Parliament clearly denounces that more than 20 Member States have reduced education expenditure as a percentage of GDP, thereby jeopardizing their growth potential. It also criticises the fact that not all the Member States have involved their national social partners in the European Semester process.
In July, with regards to the same hot topics, the ETUCE member organisations have addressed the new European Parliament, the new Commission of the European Union, the future General Affairs and Education Councils and Italian Presidency with a message on Investing on Education. ETUCE has asked European leaders to prioritise investments in education as the sole way to increase potential economic growth in Europe and to reduce social inequalities. The message has been issued at a time when EU institutions are designing their future strategic priorities, and received positive feedbacks by both the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in the person of the Italian Minister of Education, and by the European Commission.
Following this message, ETUCE member organisations activated to lobby their national governments to consider education as one of the main growth-enhancing investments, and to be involved into the various steps of the European Semester.
ETUCE member organisations will continue to discuss these topics in their meetings during Autumn.
