Gothenburg, Sweden. Host of this year's EU Social Summit. Wikimedia. CC.The implementation of neoliberal austerity policies has weakened the welfare state and damaged social and regional cohesion in the EU. In this context, the EU leaders that will be gathering at the Social Summit in Gothenburg this Friday, need to adopt concrete solutions and reach specific targets regarding the European Pillar of Social Rights. Any ‘wish list’ or big words will serve absolutely nothing.
Since 2000, the European Commission and the European Council have been pushing for the adoption of an economic model that deepens social and income inequalities and de-regulates the labour market, thus causing high levels of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. In this framework, a large part of the European labourforce is compelled to accept insecure jobs with zero-hour contracts and low wages. At the same time, divergence between the European South and North is widening via shortage of EU funding and over-concentration of capital.
The steps that have to be adopted are very specific, although it takes a progressive political majority in the European Parliament and the European Council to bring them about, as well as a political leadership in the European Commission committed to push for pro-social policy guidelines.
