15/04/2009
PES challenges liberals in health, post, rail and energy
On the day the European Liberals launch their European election campaign, the Party of European Socialists challenged the ELDR to make an unambiguous commitment to protect public services.
What prompted the challenge is the Liberals’ election manifesto demand “The single market should be reinforced and extended in energy, postal services, railways and health care” without any reference to protecting the public service element of these essential services.
In an article published in Belgian newspaper Le Soir PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, writing with Belgian Socialist Party Leaders Elio Di Rupo and Caroline Gennez, asks the European Liberals “how do you propose to use the single market to ensure these services remain high-quality, affordable and accessible to all?”
The article points out that Liberal MEPs voted against excluding health and other public services from the controversial Services Directive, and in recent debates on cross-border health care “Liberal MEPs have been arguing for an open market for health care without regard for the implications, we Socialists have been working hard to make sure that a privilege for a few does not undermine health care for the many.”
They write “It sounds nice for a patient from Belgium to travel, let’s say, to Austria for treatment, but how much will it cost and where does the money come from ultimately - from local health services or is it the patient who will pay the difference?” For the PES the key is not the single market but the fact that “Health care is a public service. Our priority must be to ensure that everyone has access to good quality health care where they live, regardless of ability to pay. This is a fundamental principle: market forces must never be the master of health services.”
On postal services Rasmussen, Di Rupo and Gennez write “Postal services have already been exposed to the single market, involving substantial job losses, but no evident benefit for the consumer. What is the advantage of another extension of the single market in postal services?”
On energy they point out “greater challenges than more liberalization lie ahead. Has the single market improved security of energy supplies, helped the transition to renewable energy or improved energy efficiency? First and foremost we need a better functioning single market before anything else.”
On railways they underline “ultimately the function of railways is not to generate profits for private companies: good, affordable transport is a social and economic necessity.”
The Socialist Leaders conclude their article “The manifesto of the Party of European Socialists leaves no room for doubt, making our commitment to maintaining the integrity of public services clear ‘so that European competition and business rules do not run counter to citizens’ rights’. The Liberal manifesto for the European elections makes no such commitment. That’s why we are worried.”
Read the letter to European Liberal parties (in French only)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Julian Scola, Communications Advisor - Media & Campaigns
Party of European Socialists, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels
Mobile +32 486 117 394
julian.scola@pes.org
