European Economic
and Social Committee
EESC president Luca Jahier says we must make Europe safe again
We need, first and foremost, a broad and unprecedented strategy to make Europe safe again. Safety is becoming the primary real issue. This should include a plan for the EU to lead a new era of multilateralism so that the world is safe again. Europe has a dual responsibility: not only to face the pandemic and the unprecedented economic crisis but also to lead,he said.
We can rely on globalisation, because it has improved the world economy but we also need some sort of sufficient minimum strategy. We have to do it: Europe cannot depend on China or the USA for basic things, like materials for testing. We are on the eve of a change, we must have a European industrial policy, because we don't have one at the moment, we only have agreements but not a policy. If we do, we will make clear progress. We need to be active members of globalisation. Instead of Union of diversity, I prefer the definition of Union of minorities. We need a political balance within our Union, otherwise solidarity disappears. Politics is made of balance.
What Europe has to do depends on the vision Member States have. Globalisation is here to stay, so we can try to make it better. It has to be preserved and be more balanced but, luckily, it is not going to disappear, because no relevant issue can be dealt with on a national level. The world is changing, the business-as-usual approach is harder and harder to sustain. The recovery plan cannot be a shopping list, some choices have to be made. I just hope that the emotions that have been generated do not subside with the end of the pandemic, but pro-European people and leaders will have to fight strongly.
The crisis has shown us the weaknesses of our care system. We were convinced that it was sound, but we have discovered many weak points. We now have to try to put up a new coordinated strategy at EU level. Not only has the health system been put under stress, but also the welfare system. We need to reinforce our infrastructure, not only the material and technological one, but also our social infrastructure: this means a new way of organising services for people and preparing to respond to new needs that have emerged and will continue in the future.
If we want to work for the future, we need to be aware of the state of play. At the end of this pandemic, there will be more public and private debt, there may be social tensions, people will feel insecure. There will be a boomerang effect for Europe, unless we stay united. We need a strategy to face this change or there will be a division marking Europe forever. Together we can, together we will do it.