Campaigners call for public services to be a priority in constitution

Date: 05/12/02

By Martin Banks

THE Convention on the future of the EU should make public services a priority when it draws up its constitutional treaty next Spring, according to 'social Europe' campaigners.

They fear the treaty will concentrate too much on distribution of powers rather than people's rights.

Delegates attending a conference in Brussels on Monday (2 December) issued a declaration calling on the Convention to:

• acknowledge the role of public services as a key element of economic and social cohesion;
• contribute to a better balance between competition rules and public services, and;
• incorporate the Charter of Fundamental Rights into the treaty.

Rainer Plassman, general secretary of one of the event's organisers, CEEP (the public service and enterprise employers association), said: 'Our fear is that there will be a serious imbalance in the final treaty at the expense of the social dimension.

'We are asking Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and his colleagues to ensure that social issues are seriously addressed between now and the end of their work.'

He said it was 'significant' the call was being made by a broad coalition of some of Europe's biggest employers' and employees' organisations.

Dirk Jarre, of Social Platform, a Brussels-based network of 36 social NGOs, said: 'We hope the Convention will help promote public services by setting up a separate article, or chapter in the treaty.'

Some delegates voiced concern about the initial failure to set up a working group on social affairs. The group, due to be launched tomorrow (6 December) in the wake of strong lobbying, will have only until mid-February to produce recommendations for the Convention.

Anna Salti, president of the European Federation of Public Service Unions, said: 'When you take into account the Christmas holidays it means they will have only six weeks to come up with their findings. It does nothing to dispel the widespread belief that the group has been established as a rather cynical attempt at transparency.'

The Convention on the future of the EU should make public services a priority when it draws up its constitutional treaty in 2003, according to 'social Europe' campaigners.