MEPs seek ways to safeguard quality of EU social services

MEPs will vote next week (12 March) on ways of safeguarding the quality of social services across the EU. The Socialist group’s attempts to push for harmonised EU rules on social services, however, have fallen through.

The vote comes in ­res­ponse to a European Commission commun­ica­tion on social services published last April. The communication applied to social security schemes covering risks such as inval­idity and unemploy­ment. Health services were excluded.

The communication was a follow up to the Commission’s 2004 white paper on public services, known in the EU context as ‘services of general interest’. Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír S?pidla thought it necessary to highlight the role of social services within the public services debate. But his efforts were widely criticised by organisations such as the Social Platform for their lack of ambition.

Portuguese Socialist MEP Joel Hasse Ferreira, who is drafting the European Parliament’s opinion on the matter, initially proposed measures that would safeguard the legal position of social services through harmonised EU rules. But objections from centre-right EPP-ED members and Liberal MEPs led to a watering down of his report.

"We want to clarify the position of social services throughout Europe, to guarantee the quality of services provided. We also want to strengthen links between regional and local authorities, member states and the Commission," said Ferreira.

"Maybe with a more moderate report, we will have more support from member states and support from the Commission. There is now room for autonomy for all member states and social organisations, but we need some kind of general legal clarification."

Italian centre-right MEP Iles Braghetto, who reported on the matter for the EPP-ED group in the Parliament, said that "social services at European level must respect the subsidiarity principle", referring to the notion that decisions must be taken as close as possible to the citizens. Braghetto added that social services must also ensure equal "rights and duties, equal access, social justice…quality and respect for human dignity".

MEPs will vote next week (12 March) on ways of safeguarding the quality of social services across the EU. The Socialist group’s attempts to push for harmonised EU rules on social services, however, have fallen through.