(6 October 2009, Brussels) After the Yes vote in Ireland, the Lisbon Treaty looks to be finally about to come into force – save for some Czech maneuverings. The provisions in the Treaty explicitly call for legislative action to define public services around the principles of a high level of quality, safety and affordability, equal treatment and the promotion of universal access and of user rights. Our aim is make sure that these principles are given concrete legal personality, and that adherence to these principles can be practically assessed. This will provide a major challenge for us in the current political climate.
This is a climate where, unfortunately, “cuts” to essential services is being offered to a worried public as a panacea for all their ills. The challenge for EPSU is to prove why cuts to public services are not the answer. Happily we have the facts, and soon, thanks to the Lisbon Treaty, law, on our side.
But before we start the process of outlining the type of legislative initiative that the Lisbon Treaty obliges us to take, we must first challenge public perception.
Somehow, just at the time of crisis, when the numbers of vulnerable people in our society has massively increased, those same people are being told that the solution is to take away the very services that can keep them protected, and eventually help return them to a more secure position.
Somehow, with all the disastrous consequences of the ‘light-touch’ regulation in the financial markets, the lack of accountability, and the mismanagement of ordinary peoples’ money, the focus has been turned onto public services, whose budgets are dwarfed by the sums squandered in the financial bubble.
Over the summer period many financial markets reported bullish trends, yet the call for public service cuts goes on. It is time for the financial sector which was lavishly supported to pay back. Redistribution of wealth and reducing income inequalities need to top the political agenda to bring us out of the crisis. And more then ever a sustainable European economy build on solid foundations needs high quality public services.
Happily, the Lisbon Treaty provisions on public services – Article 14, the Public Service Protocol, and the Charter for Fundamental Rights – provide a realistic route to turn principle into practice.
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