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Verbatim report of proceedings
Thursday, 22 April 2004 - Strasbourg OJ edition

Vote (continuation)
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  Bordes, Cauquil and Laguiller (GUE/NGL), in writing. (FR) The title of the explanatory statement of this report, ‘Employment: a European Ambition’, sounds like a sad joke when we know that there are 16 million unemployed in the European Union, and 5 million more if we take account of the new Member States. Europe is, however, one of the richest regions on the planet. The fact that old industrial nations such as Great Britain, Germany or France, which have further enriched themselves by pillaging the whole planet, are incapable of providing regular work and an adequate income for each member of society is a sign of ailing social organisation.

What the European Parliament proposes administering to the patient are the same snake-oil remedies, couched in mainly empty words, as are applied by the national States, ranging from the promise of training to proposed subsidies for certain sectors.

In this economic system, production and employment are the monopolies of a minority of capital holders who would have to be compelled to create jobs, but neither the Member States nor the European institutions are considering any such compulsion, any more than they are doing so where public services are concerned.

We voted against these so-called ‘employment policies’, which are at best indecisive declarations and really just an excuse to give employers additional subsidies.

 
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