António Vitorino, President of the European think tank Notre Europe and former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, joined members of the CoR PES Group today for a debate on the future of the European Union.
PES Group President Catiuscia Marini emphasised the role of socialists and social democrats in confronting the difficulties of European integration: "We need to show a new path forward, while protecting our progressive values, in order to combat the climate of scepticism in the EU". She stressed the multifaceted nature of Euroscepticism, which has been buoyed by uncertainty around the UK referendum on European membership, the Eurozone's economic difficulties and the ongoing refugee crisis.
"In the past, the European Union emerged from crises reinforced", noted Mr Vitorino, "but this time we are facing difficulties on several fronts. We need to build confidence about what the EU can deliver for our citizens." Praising the response of local authorities to the recent arrivals of refugees, the former Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister underscored the local and regional dimension of asylum policy. "Integration is a micro-level issue, not a macro one. The role of cities and regions is extremely important here; if we want to secure the medium-term integration of refugees, we must invest in resources for local authorities."
CoR First Vice-President Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Parliament of the German-speaking community of Belgium, agreed, criticising the austerity policies which have left us with a Europe that is "strong in trade but weak in public services". He called for more own resources for the European Union, as a public budget of 1% of GDP is insufficient to tackle the issues of the 21st century.
Notre Europe was founded in 1996 by the former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors. It aims to produce analysis and propos
