Commission President tells Parliament “no limits to internal market”
Press Communication: Brussels
Tuesday 26 September (immediate release)
Commission President tells Parliament “no limits to internal market”
Refuses to set out timetable for clarification on public services
(Strasbourg, 26 September) The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, today refused to accept that there are limits to the internal market, even in the context of public services. Speaking at the European Parliament session on public services, the President stated that there should be no regulation of the market to favour public services. Questioned by Members of Parliament about the Commission’s plans for public services, he refused to give a detailed outline. Instead he stated only that a further communication on services of general interest would be published in December. This communication will be the fourth in the last two years on the issue, with still no concrete proposal for legislation on the table. Despite repeated calls to outline a timetable for concrete action, Barroso refused to be drawn even on the role that the European Parliament would be allowed to play.
“Where is your proposal on public services”? says EPSU General Secretary
The General Secretary of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), Ms. Carola Fischbach-Pyttel slammed the Presidents comments, stating that; “Europe’s citizens and public service workers have had enough of Mr. Barroso’s “stall and crawl” tactics. Today he was asked a direct question; ‘where is the proposal on public services?’ His point blank refusal to answer is an affront to those users and workers who must rely on public services".
The European Parliament is due to vote on the so-called RAPKAY report at midday tomorrow. The European Federation of Public service Unions (EPSU) is calling on MEPs to respect the report AS AGREED in the ECON committee.
EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC. 8 million public service workers from over 200 trade unions are members. They organise workers in the energy, water and waste sectors, health and social services and local and national administration.
For information please contact: EPSU, Brian Synnott, + 32 2 2501080, email: epsu@epsu.org
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