European Economic and Social Committee
The recent economic and political developments in Europe are a wake-up call for our leaders to take swifter action in order to strengthen the foundations of our Union, including the fragile political and institutional architecture underpinning the euro, thus ensuring lasting stability and prosperity for the people of Europe.
Taxation within the EU must be competitive and encourage domestic and cross-border business activities, job creation, investment, entrepreneurship and economic growth. A tax system must be predictable and provide certainty for taxpayers. Consequently, taxation rules need to be clear and simple in order to avoid divergent interpretations leading to costly disputes and double taxation.
At the EESC, we believe that the prospects for employment growth depend on the EU’s capacity to generate economic growth. Ambitious industrial and innovation policies should be set up. And they should be complemented with a job-rich recovery employment policy.
The social dimension of the EU economy is a fact, not something that needs to be created. The nature of the single market is social; many of the benefits it creates are par excellence part of the social dimension.Improving Europe’s competitiveness and stimulating greater growth are just two essential conditions needed to further develop the social dimension of the EU. A strong economy resolves the problem of high unemployment much faster than new funds or administrative measures could.
The EU enjoys the status of a global trade powerhouse. It is thereby uniquely positioned to shape the development of a rules-based global trading system and influence its external growth.
