“Our aim is to give social Europe a specific profile”

© Ministere du Travail/DICOM/William Alix/SIPA PRESS

In view of the global economic crisis, the citizens of Europe expect a Union which offers protection. The European economy, in particular the euro area, needs to resume the path of sustainable growth. Unless German and French economic and social policy is harmonised more closely, this will hardly be possible to achieve. This is precisely the challenge facing the German-Franco Ministerial Council in Paris today, which we are attending in our capacity as the ministers responsible for labour and employment.

How are coordinated decisions regarding the reduction of public debt to be taken without addressing the issue of pensions? How can growth be stimulated without considering what can be done to boost employment? Interlinking economic and social affairs and involving social partners in the design and governance of social security as well as in the safeguarding of gainful employment are the factors which characterise the European social model. The current situation, however, calls for us to take measures which go beyond this.

Germany and France are united by a common project, namely the construction of a Europe where there is more employment and more solidarity. Underpinning this project is a regular and productive exchange of views and ideas which we have continued over the course of several years as part of our bilateral relations, but also at EU level and within an international framework under the G20 process. At EU level in particular, we are able to draw on a number of concrete experiences in the areas of employment and social policy which have already proven to be successful, such as vocational training for example.

These are the priorities in terms of social policy which were highlighted by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the German-Franco summit held on 9 January 2012. Further to this exchange of views, we would like to put forward three proposals.

1.    Measures for the employment of young people: This is the most urgent challenge. For a long time now, we have supported an exchange of experiences with regard to this priority in Germany and in France. In practice, it is evident that developing the dual system of vocational training is a key policy measure in enabling young people to access skilled jobs. Across all levels of qualification, more than eight out of ten young people who have participated in a dual system of vocational education and training find a job within less than a year. Our aim is to actively work in ensuring that the dual system of vocational education and training is promoted throughout the entire EU. 

2.    We want to restore social dialogue to a position as the focal point of economic governance. We will therefore draw up a proposal for staging an annual social forum together with social partners as a way of giving fresh impetus to social dialogue at EU level. This forum would provide the opportunity to carry out a thorough examination of current social issues, and to do so in a manner consistent with a programme defined jointly with the social partners. Plant agreements on competitiveness and employment could be a primary topic for consideration.

3.    Ultimately our aim is to give social Europe a specific profile. A social Europe offers protection, creates jobs and sets the course for greater competitiveness. In particular, this means cutting the tax and social contributions burden on employment while at the same time preserving the high level of social protection. It also means combating social dumping, since freedom of movement must not be at the expense of employees’ social protection. In a broader sense, it means putting the social dimension back at the centre of European regulations. The drawing up of a White Paper on social Europe could start a joint debate.

Acceptance of the European idea is contingent on the consolidation of social Europe. At the same time, this consolidation is a necessary condition if Europe’s citizens are to accept the unavoidable measures that are called for as a result of government austerity plans. Social policy issues were top of the European Council’s agenda when it met on 30 January and that will once again be the case when the Council reconvenes in the spring. This represents genuine progress. Our citizens do not want to be forced to choose between economic and financial growth on the one hand and social progress on the other. We are convinced that the notion of social Europe needs to be based on concrete measures. The onus is on us to put our respective experiences to use so that we can carry out the reforms required to stimulate growth, employment and competition both at EU level and at national level.