EPSU urges drive for www.petitionpublicservices.eu at PASYDY Congress
18 March, 2007, Nicosia
Dear friends, I am delighted to be able to speak to you on this occasion of your congress. I would like to thank Glafkos for his invitation to your congress, and for his many years of contribution to EPSU work.
I would like to talk to you about developments in the European Union. I speak to you at a time when there are serious question marks about the EU’s commitment to social Europe, and in particular to Public Services.
Even if we take only this month, there have been hugely significant developments, which illustrate what is at stake. Only last week the European Commission’s Communication on social services of general interest was adopted by the European Parliament, and this week, on Wednesday (21 March), the Commission is set to publish its latest communication on public services. This document is entitled ‘A new European Commitment’. But we must ask to what are we committing?
Today I want to highlight this document and to highlight the EPSU response - what we are doing through our campaign ‘Quality Public Services - Quality of Life’ and through our petition www.petitionpublicservice.eu, which calls for a framework law for public services.
Before we get to the contents of the Commissions upcoming proposal, I want to spend a little time, reminding you that the Commission’s attitude to public services is not a new one. For ten years now, it has been debating the definition of public services, or ‘services of general interest’, at EU level.
This debate has been largely driven by the publication of various consultation papers, or communications. These documents, such as the Green and White Papers on services of general interest, served only to outline possible options, and to propose further discussion.
However at the same time as this debate on the definition on public services was being conducted, the Commission was busy proposing and implementing sectoral initiatives, which had the effect of radically influencing some public services. In the gas, electricity, post and telecommunication, and transport sectors, far reaching directives were launched and implemented.
This two-headed approach meant that, over the last 10 years, while the Commission has been conducting a debate on public services, it has, ‘at the same time, been implementing a radical sectoral programme, which introduces the internal market into core public service areas.
One could legitimate ask whether the ‘debate’ to define public services was genuine, or whether it was simply a cynical exercise, designed to occupy peoples minds while the sectoral initiatives were implemented.
This view was given real weight two years ago when the Commission proposed the directive on services in the internal market, the so called Bolkestein directive, and last year, when the Green Paper on public-private partnerships was published. These initiatives lead us, EPSU, to believe that on public services, the Commission is pursing a stall and crawl approach on the positive definition of public services. For 10 years it has produced position papers and provoked discussion without ever proposing concrete action.
On Wednesday, I fear that the latest Communication from the Commission will not provide much solace. It would seem that the Commission have not learned any lessons from the Bolkestein directive, and continue to push, without listening to other European actors. It is expected that the Commission will set out some principles for public services, and will call for a declaration from EU institutions. However no legal foundation for public services is given.
Faced with this Commission, which tackles the question of public services on a sectoral basis, and essentially with a view to liberalising, the trade union movement must focus its efforts by calling for a framework directive on public services.
The framework directive must be based on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and must identify services that are beyond the reach of competition. It must allow the general interest to prevail over the market. It must give weight to the core values of universality, continuity, affordability, and democratic control. And it must safeguard the role of national, regional and local authorities to meet citizens’ needs.
Since April of last year, EPSU has been conducting a campaign towards this aim. Our campaign is called ‘Quality Public Services - Quality of Life’. Glafkos is our national coordinator here in Cyprus.
Our allies, in this call are many and varied and include the Party of the European Socialists, the Public Service Employers, the European Cities organisation, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the Left party (GUE-NGL), and the European Green Party.
The ETUC have launched www.petitionpublicservice.eu, which calls for signatures from ordinary trade union members, in support of a framework law. We hope, at the upcoming ETUC congress, in Seville in May, to well on our way to a million signatures collected.
But the success of this campaign will be based on action taken in the member states. So far we have had over 40 separate events throughout the EU shining national attention on our demands. I urge you to make sure that the response from the Cypriot trade union movement is heard in the corridors in Brussels. Please organise and inform your members.
EPSU is fully confident that, with our collective strength, we can persuade the EU to take our issues seriously. I thank you again for this invitation to speak and I congratulate you for the role that you are playing in promoting our shared agenda of quality public services - quality of life.
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