The European Social Forum in London
New World Newspaper Column

September 2004

With the European Social Forum meeting in London in November, the first question many, even pro-EU and pro-social, Europeans may ask is, what is its purpose?

This policy area represents, in many ways, one of the success stories of the European Union - making clear progress on rights at work, creating a funding model to invest in poor regions and redistribute wealth. This also includes forcingmember states to legislate in key areas they would often ignore, from anti-discrimination law to environmental priorities to begin facing up to the issue of dramatically ageing population.

Yet the word "progress" and the European Union are not often uttered in the same sentence. The Euro-sceptic right and a bulk of the British media denigrates the EU to a level unknown for any institution. On the left, the daily media denigration coupled with widespread ignorance of what the EU does has helped fuel the view that the EU's neo-liberal economic dimension and business lobbying is the enemy of the pro-trade union agenda.

My message for those who care about social progress and ensuring there is a progressive agenda in Europe on globalisation, fair international trade and reducing global poverty as well as improving social rights and inequality in the EU-25, is to understand and embrace the left of centre agenda in the EU.

What does the progressive agenda actually mean in practice? In my first term as an MEP, I saw many examples of how collective EU strength could make a difference. When Bush imposed tariffs on EU steel imports he threatened the survival of the UK's remaining steel industry. Alone the UK could not have hoped to retaliate. EU retaliation saw Bush retreating. I saw in my first year as an MEP in rapid succession Europe-wide legislation on race equality, religion, age and disability. All areas which had been resisted by many member states. It was the same in those areas where working people in Europe need new rights to deal with the dramatic changes in the labour market - hence new EU-wide laws on agency workers, temporary workers and working time. This 'Acquis Communautaire" affects citizens in the 15 new member states.

As for Britain and the EU's response to the issues of globalisation, there is a mountain to climb but two directions. We can go a neo-liberal right-wing track or a progressive left of centre response. It is worth fighting for the latter in an EU which increasingly sets the Social Agenda.

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