Campaign guidelines
EPSU campaign for a EU legal framework on public services to put the heart into Europe
Campaign guidelines
1. Introduction
It is worth recalling why EPSU needs this campaign: “Without specific EU laws protecting public services, the EU will continue to “open-up” public services to competition and, when this is done, to strictly limit the public service obligations of the private operators. A proactive strategy that leads to EU action to support solidarity-based public services is needed. However, this demands pressure from the “bottom up”, not least as it is often local and regional actors that determine the status and functioning of public services, e.g., awarding contracts, providing services, ensuring employment, promoting democratic participation.... These actors have to be convinced that EU action in this area will strengthen their freedoms.”
This quote is from the EPSU background paper(1) adopted by the Executive Committee at its meeting on 7 June setting out why action is needed to support public services in Europe.
The Executive Committee also agreed that the Secretariat should draw up a detailed campaign plan for submission to the autumn Executive Committee. A first version of a campaign plan was submitted to the Steering Committee of 20 September and the campaign was endorsed by the Executive Committee at its meeting on 29/30 November. There was strong support for a campaign in favour of public services, but the need for a clear focus was stressed, putting the emphasis on quality public services as part of an alternative agenda to deregulation and liberalisation.
The campaign is urgent as a number of important EU developments are anticipated during 2006, including:
- reports from the European Parliament on the SGI White Paper and on the Green Paper on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)
- Communication from the Commission on social services of general interest (and also a broader horizontal Communication)
- A new initiative by the European Socialist Party in favour of a legal framework (presentation on 7 February)
These developments provide a key opportunity for EPSU to work towards political recognition of public services in the construction of the EU and to define and promote an alternative policy to the current liberalisation and deregulation drive.
2. EPSU demands
An EU legal framework on public services is seen as the instrument through which it would be possible to define a set of primary objectives to be fulfilled, as established in the ‘five reasons why action is needed to promote quality public services in Europe’.
- Europe must mean more to citizens than a market.
- Quality public services are key to meeting citizen’s fundamental rights.
- Universality, continuity, affordability and democratic control are important principles for public services.
- EU competition must not undermine solidarity.
- A European framework law should safeguard the rights of national, regional and local authorities to meet citizen’s needs.
Faced with the exponential influence of internal market regulations and subsequent pressures, we have come to recognise that the incremental creep of market influence will continue at EU level unless a ‘protected space’ for public services is clearly identified.
In essence EPSU as an organisation has accepted that it is better to call for positive change collectively at the EU level rather than individually act defensively at national level.
EPSU’s existing policy says that a legal framework on public services (services of general interest in EU-speak) should establish:
- Common public service principles (see annex 1);
- Legal certainty regarding the prevalence of the general interest over competition rules including exemptions from the latter of social services, healthcare, water, education(2) ;
- The right for local and regional authorities to self-produce essential services without fears of further encroachment from the Commission or Court of Justice;
- An Observatory on public services with participation of trade unions to monitor and evaluate public services and the impact of liberalisation, to promote cooperation, improve standards, monitor changing needs of citizens etc.)
- Financing mechanisms for public services which take into account the need and positive aspects of risk-sharing
3. Outline of campaign and timetable
National activities
National campaigns will address the key developments affecting public services at national and local level and provide examples of how public services principles (e.g., universality, continuity, affordability and democratic control) are being affected by national and EU policies. The aim is to bring together a broad range of trade unions and civil society organisations in order to raise awareness and build support for our demands for a EU legal framework. National coordinators will manage the campaigns (see annex 2 for details of coordinators).
We underline that the aim of the national campaigns is not to provide a scientific overview of all the changes taking place. Rather, it is to stimulate discussion on public service issues at national (and European) level and illustrate how EU, (and national/local) legal frameworks are necessary to ensure that social cohesion and the general interest guide public sector reforms.
The national reports do not have to be identical; nor do they have to deal with the whole range of public services.
Questions for the national reports:
1. Are there major public service reforms taking place? If yes, in which areas? (e.g., healthcare, public utilities, public transport, education)?
2. What effects are they having on the financing, organisation, and quality of services?
3. Are any further reforms planned?
4. What are the key policy demands of organisations representing social partners, local government, NGOs, consumer organisations?
Please give one or two examples of positive and negative reforms, using the principles set our in Annex 1(3) as a benchmark for the “quality” of service.
The European dimension
The campaign’s timetable (see Annex 3) is intended to allow for an interactive dynamic between the national and EU levels.
The awareness-raising and mobilisation generated by the national campaigns will feed into a renewed European demand for a EU legal framework on public services (or some other form of EU instrument - e.g. an Action Plan). It will also help verify the basis and content of such an instrument.
We will in parallel to the national campaigns start preparatory work for this part of the campaign, e.g. checking out the potential “hooks” (e.g., the Charter of Fundamental Rights) that can support a EU legal instrument.
The campaign will be officially launched on 20/21 April in Vienna and will run until June 2007.
The EPSU Executive Committee will follow the campaign closely.
6.2.06
(1)5 reasons why action is needed now in support of public services in Europe available on the EPSU website here
(2) There is an explicit exemption for the manufacture and trade of arms
(3) See also the PSI quality public service campaign and the background presentation by Jane Pillinger on quality of public services, prepared for the SGI working group on 1 February.
Appendices:
Examples of public service principles and practices
Role and tasks of national coordinators
Campaign timetable
About us