Promoting and protecting public services in Europe
EPSU wants to see a European Union that recognizes and supports the role of public services in contributing to sustainable development and quality of life. In an increasingly integrated Europe it is important to tackle issues such as tax dumping and cut-throat competition, which put pressure on public services and concentrate increasing amounts of wealth in fewer and fewer hands. Fair and progressive taxation, good governance and effective regulation are needed to guarantee quality public services for all.
EPSU representatives participated at the conference "Employment challenges and opportunities in the social care sector: the case of long-term care" organized by Eurodiaconia in cooperation with Social Services Europe.
As recovery from the pandemic is taking place several finance ministers have started to argue we have to go back to balanced budgets and reduce state debts. EPSU and many other unions argued at the ETUC mid term conference that we can not go back to austerity.
For countries to become zero Co2 emitters they have to address the emissions from the public services. Unison, one of the UK public service unions, researched what this would mean for the UK. A new report published on the occasion of COP26 in Glasgow.
EPSU joined Amnesty, Corporate Europe Observatory, European Youth Forum, Transparency International and many other organisations demanding changes to the European Commission’s flagship proposal the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The pandemic only proves the urgency of this moment to build public services as part of a just and equitable recovery and a transition to a more sustainable and resilient economy and society. Privatised and underfunded public health and social services struggled to save lives and to protect their workers.
