EU leaders too far removed from the concerns of citizens, say Left MEPs

European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, presented the report on the economic governance of Europe, a document that was largely bypassed by the position of Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel at the Franco-German summit of Monday, October 18, 2010, where they expressed their own visions of economic governance.

Van Rompuy's 'Task Force' advocates that economic sanctions be strengthened and made automatic for those member states that do not respect the Stability Pact's 3%. Axccording to the United Europeaan Left (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament, “this shows that European leaders are far removed from the concerns of EU citizens who are already suffering from the effects of the austerity measures imposed by their governments.”

The GUE/NGL issued this statement in response to these developments:

“German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have got what they wanted: on the second day of the EU summit, the 27 EU leaders have already agreed on tougher budget discipline rules. This requires an unacceptable Treaty change which will lead to the restriction of the democratic guarantees of the Member States via the suspension of the right to vote.

We, as members of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left, reiterate our call for a binding Social Progress Clause to be included in the EU Treaties.

The proposed sanctions are unacceptable because they aggravate the budgetary problems that they seek, in theory, to resolve. And the fact that they are automatic flies in the face of the root causes of the deficits and the increase in sovereign debt.

We, as members of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left, believe that economic sanctions will only aggravate the crisis created by financial capital and by austerity policies. On the contrary, what the demonstrations and strike actions are saying in France, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Romania as well as the huge demonstration on 29 September in Brussels is that wages and social protection must be improved and there must be employment-friendly taxation, a taxation on financial transactions, the defense of public services if we wish to re-launch our economies with employment creation and social justice.”