Published Friday, May 30, 2008 at 14:36
by
lewismsyp
(366 views and 0 comments)
(I'm Lewis Miller,
16 year old, a member of various organisations involving young
people politically in Scotland such as the Scottish Youth
Parliament and I enjoy trying to enthuse young peple in politics)
As a very politically aware young person in Scotland it seems to me like the our society losing sight of what it means to be a person and what it means to be a human being.
I think, and many others amoungst me think, that our society needs to uphold the values we were tought at a young age, we need to look at achieving goals that sound simple and yet are very rewarding. What a lot of young people (particualrly on the left) want is a society where people are cared for, we want to see Europe become a place where countires can support each other and where the poorest people can be helped. When we are only bairns we are told to share our food, we are told to look after each otehr, and so many of us forget that this is what society expects of us, and I think that the older politicians ought to remember seeing the world this way and never forget what society really stands for.
"But what should be our priorities for 2009-14?" Was the first question asked by the website. I think we should have a simple goal, to work towards creating a more... » read more ...
Tags: elderly, public services, youth
Published Friday, May 30, 2008 at 10:05
by
jose reis santos 
(460 views and 1 comments)
I would like to
share with you some of the ideas that Manuela Augusto, leader of
the Socialist Women Department of the Portuguese Socialist Party,
presented during a conference in Faro on the “New Social Europe”
theme (check the videos here: part
1 and part 2). She kindly accepted my invitation to
write a few lines on the issue which you can read here:
Contributions for the manifesto2009
Bring together personal and professional life affects both men and women. Nevertheless, women are strongly penalized, sometimes even more than men.
This situation results in a higher female unemployment rate, carer progress difficulties and lower incomes, just to mention a few examples.
Let’s look, for instance, at one of the EU reports dating back of 2007. Women account for only 24% of the total number of deputies in the 27 national parliaments. At national government level, 76% of all the... » read more ...
Tags: blogger of the week, equality, women
Published Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 13:45
by
jose reis santos
(438 views and 0 comments)
Today I would like to focus my attention on two women committed to the “New Social Europe” and representing different levels of participation - PES at the EP (European Parliament) and PS (Socialist Party) Portugal. I am talking about Zita Gurmai and Edite Estrela.
I propose you to watch Zita Gurmai’s interview during our Faro session on the «New Social Europe» theme (you can see Zita’s intervention here – part 1, part 2 and part 3).
» read more ...Tags: blogger of the week, health, manifesto, PES
Published Friday, May 23, 2008 at 15:35
by
Editor
(502 views and 2 comments)
Harlem Désir, Member of the European Parliament (France) and Vice-President of the Socialist Group, has his say in the PES manifesto consultation. He speaks about the European social model and why it’s very important that we defend social rights and public services.
Read the report ‘Inclusive Europe’ from the Socialist
Group in the European Parliament.
Tags: European Parliament, justice, public services, welfare
Published Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 09:31
by
Editor
(565 views and 0 comments)
As a Hungarian it is
quite interesting to observe the differences in life expectancy
between European countries: In average men from Scandinavian
countries live six years longer than men from Hungary. In this
respect the Scandinavians offer a role model; it is easier to
reconciliate work and private life for both women and men. If
Hungarian men worked less and had the opportunity to take a fairer
share of the family responsibility they would live longer.Published Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 14:13
by
Zita_Gurmai
(526 views and 1 comments)
Thanks to PES
activist Martina Preuss for her interesting post about Equal
Pay Day in Germany. I am very glad to know that German colleagues
also have a day of action for equal pay.
The Treaty of Rome from 1957 clearly states equal pay for equal
work. 50 years later we still have the problem: there is 15
percent difference in the wages of European women and men. It is
a very huge gap; it means that women have to work 54 days extra
to earn the same wage as a male colleague.
2007 was the European Year of Equal Opportunities and to bring
attention to the problem of wage inequality PES Women took action
on 22 February: the day where women will have worked 54 days
extra and earned the same salary as men. We launched a campaign,
‘Gender Pay Gap – Shut It!’, and called for
Commissioner Vladimir Spidla (together me in the photo) and
Social Affair ministers across Europe to take action and close
the wage gap.
In my opinion fighting inequality should rank high in the PES
manifesto – not only taking action against discrimination of
women, but also of disabled people and minority... » read more ...
Published Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 10:20
by
jan.kreutz
(445 views and 0 comments)
Dear
comrades,Tags: employment, fundamental rights, poverty, social dialogue, treaty, wages
Published Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:31
by
corinnebord
(418 views and 0 comments)
L'Europe a développer des programmes et des actions fortes en direction de la jeunnesse. Le programme ERASMUS est un axe for de cette politique.
Au coeur de l'enjeu,
la mobilité... pour se rencontrer, pour découvrir cultures et
références européennes pour faire vivre notre diversité qui est
une richesse.
Le Service volontaire européen (SVE) est un comlément important de ce travail. Il contribue à la découverte de l'Europe, la réelle afformation d'un sentiment d'appartenance, la volonté de construire un destin commun.
Mais ces dispositif restent encore réservés à une certaines élite, scolarisée et qui socialement et économiquement a les moyens de financer ses engagements.
La reconnaissance comme membre d'une même communauté ne doit pas être subordée aux moyens financiers des familles ! L'universalité de ces dispositifs doit être renforcée par des aides comlémentaires en fonction des revenus des familles, par de réelles campagnes d'incitation dans les écoles.
Pourquoi ne... » read more ...
Tags: blogger of the week, citizens, youth
Published Friday, May 16, 2008 at 18:11
by
jose reis santos
(720 views and 1 comments)
Last Saturday, the
10th of May, PES Activists Portugal held their first public
initiative regarding the Manifesto 2009 consultation in Algarve.
This session was dedicated to the New Social
Europe theme and had as Keynote Speaker Fernando Medina
(Secretary of State of Work); Maria João Rodrigues (Special
Adviser to the European Commission), Zita Gurmai (PES Women
Leader and MEP, PES), Jamila Madeira (MEP, PES), Manuela Augusto
(PS Women Portugal Leader), and Esmeralda Ramires (MP, PS).
The session was presided by the leader of PS Algarve, Miguel Freitasand there were presented some proposals by PES activists.The session was well attended, as all the invited speakers delivered high quality speeches regarding the future of the welfare state model in Europe. In particular, the questions of women in the workforce, the characteristics of the new labor relations, and the sustainability of the European social welfare model were some of the main topics focused. The idea that only the left could maintain and spread these social conquests was very strong, and from this argument came the concern of delivering a good political programme in 2009 and the importance that the 2009 European elections could have... » read more ...
Published Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 16:22
by
corinnebord
(444 views and 0 comments)
Aujourd’hui, journée de conférences à Bruxelles. Une sur le dialogue civil, une sur l’économie sociale organisée par le PSE.
La militante associative que je suis, aime lorsque à Bruxelles les discours valorisent les associations, reconnaissent leur poids économique, leur rôle dans la société et notamment celle d’un état prévoyant comme on dit…
Le secteur de l’économie sociale représente 10% du PIB en Espagne
et en France, 3,9% en Belgique, et bon nombre d’emplois, non
délocalisables et pourtant…
Pourtant effectivement lorsque les discussions se portent sur la
directive service, sur l’organisation du marché intérieur
notamment, on oubli le poids et l’intérêt de ce secteur.
Published Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 15:32
by
Editor
(473 views and 0 comments)
A New Social
Europe calls for solidarity between citizens of all ages.Published Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:20
by
amandinecrespy
(393 views and 0 comments)
Les « travailleurs
pauvres » ne sont pas des gens qui gagnent un petit salaire. Les «
travailleurs pauvres » sont des gens qui ne peuvent pas vivre de
leur travail, c’est-à-dire qu’ils ne peuvent pas se nourrir, payer
la cantine scolaire de leurs enfants, ou se loger décemment. Les
signes d’une forte poussée de la pauvreté dans la plupart des pays
européens sont alarmants. De plus en plus de gens qui travaillent
habitent dans des caravanes ou même des bidonvilles nouvelle
génération en périphérie des grandes villes, vont faire la queue
aux distributions de vivre par des organisations de charité, ou
cumulent – de manière illégale – deux jobs et travaillent bien plus
de quarante heures semaine pour pouvoir joindre les deux bouts.
Dans de nombreux pays européens, le niveau des salaires n’est pas
connecté à la réalité du coût de la vie. Il n’est pas tolérable que
des gens qui travaillent et payent des impôts soient relégués au
rang d’indigents parce que, sous les conditions du capitalisme
global d’aujourd’hui, la pression est mise... » read more ...
Published Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 16:39
by
alias77
(506 views and 0 comments)
On the occasion of Europe Day (9 May 2008), over 100 Romanian PES activists,
academics, Romanian MEPs and the President of PSD, Mircea Geoana
took part in a debate in Brasov, Romania. The Secretary General
of PES, Philip Cordery engaged in discussion on the PES manifesto
consultation.
The main conclusion was that the European left should come with
an alternative solution to the right’s proposals that only split
up the society. The left should counter it or adopt a mediating
strategy. The activists showed great interest in getting involved
in concrete actions to reshape the left and bring it in the
forefront of the political stage. The left should better
communicate its goals, thus by leaving out the too politically
correct speeches and the 'wooden language'. The commitments and
actions need to be expressed better, in order to reach the common
people. The common language must be recaptured and allow the left
to better connect to its electorate.
The full article is available only in Romanian here!
» read more ...
Tags: activists, political parties
Published Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 10:36
by
Editor
(499 views and 1 comments)
Last Wednesday
evening around 18h30. In the renovated Brigittines chapel in
Brussels Sp.a co-workers are getting nervous. This
evening we present our input for the PES manifesto. We have
worked hard to provide for an interesting program (attached), but
can it compete with the beautiful spring evening?
At 7 o’clock our fears prove to be unfounded. Sp.a International
Secretary Saïd
El Khadraoui can introduce the evening before approximately
80 people. We kick off with a debate about New Social
Europe. Europe has done pioneering work on certain domains,
but it turns out that a lot more can be gained at European level.
For example, the health services directive that we are still
waiting for. There is no discussion about the need for a more
social approach of the Lisbon objectives. But ambitious and
enforceable European objectives concerning social themes are a
logical next step. The conclusions run parallel: Europe has a lot
of instruments at his disposal, but lacks ambition and
decisiveness when it comes to social themes. Political action
pays off, that becomes... » read more ...
Tags: democracy, energy, environment, health, political parties, transparency, treaty, welfare
File:
manifesto_spa_FR.pdf,
flyer_spa.pdf
Published Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 14:34
by
uno.aldegren
(542 views and 0 comments)
Without improving the
position of women in the labour market, it is hard to create a
socially coherent Europe. A fundamental step in this direction is
the inclusion of women in the labour market. Today the employment
level of women differs across the Union, but the level is in
general lower than it is for men. That is why an increased
inclusion of women in the labour market must be an important
principle in the PES manifesto for the 2009 European elections. The
goal should be the elimination of differences in employment level
between women and men. During the last decades women in general
have gained a stronger economic position, but they have not
received the same economic independence as men. The social
environment in our society influences the economic equality between
women and men; this is in particular true when it comes to the
conditions in the labour market and in the educational system. The
design of the transfer system and the allocation of unpaid work (at
home) are other important influences.Tags: women
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