When power blurs our vision

Even though I am past the age of being lured into false expectations, I am always the first to applaud when I see in others efforts to reconnect their actions with greater social justice. This is why I felt encouraged last week when the Ministers of Employment and Social Affairs said that they want a “better coordination and balance between economic and fiscal policies so as to achieve sufficient growth, jobs and social cohesion”. They were actually asking for a rebalancing of powers between economic and social objectives in order to gear them towards social cohesion. This request leads us to a far greater challenge: how are we going to channel existing powers to serving a vision of greater social cohesion?

The vision towards more social justice already exists – the Europe 2020 Strategy and its poverty, employment and education targets work towards this, as well as the social clause of the EU Treaty. However, this vision alone is powerless, and this is why social justice has still not been achieved despite commitments at the highest level in June 2010.

Instead of empowering the vision, power has been invested in an instrument: namely the European Semester for greater budgetary and economic coordination. Power has also been built up: economic and financial legislation – such as the ‘two-pack’ and ‘six-packs’ – has been introduced. And power has been enforced; in the coming weeks the EU will render opinions on the viability of national budgets, and will have the power to sanction defaulting states.

This is how we get disoriented. We expect instruments to be at the service of a common agreed vision and strategy, but more often than not they are disconnected. When it comes to the Europe 2020 target to reduce poverty, we are told the EU is powerless. However, when we witness the use of EU muscle in countries with economic difficulties, or strong intervention in national budgets, the power exercised by the EU actually serves to damage social cohesion.

We want a Europe that dedicates its power to serving a shared vision and implementing an inclusive strategy for greater social cohesion. The realisation of the vision of greater social cohesion – requires powerful instruments such as social standards (minimum income and minimum wages) and investment in our social infrastructures to rebalance powers that help, rather than hinder, our shared visions.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director