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Verbatim report of proceedings
Wednesday, 11 July 2007 - Strasbourg OJ edition

Eurozone (2007) - European Central Bank (2006) (continuation of debate)
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  Andrea Losco, on behalf of the ALDE Group. (IT) Mr President, Commissioner, President Trichet, President Juncker, ladies and gentlemen, the European Parliament can state with satisfaction that the Eurozone is a fundamental factor for stability within the global economy.

As has already been brilliantly explained by the rapporteurs, Mr Rosati and Mr Mitchell, in this second report, Parliament can compare the unquestionable improvement in the economy in 2006, which led to a positive change in terms of economic growth and particularly employment, with the creation of two million new jobs, as has already been pointed out. This is a positive trend that the Member States of the Eurozone have been able to achieve thanks to a healthy and cautious fiscal policy and to the efforts made to carry out the requisite structural reforms, which are also the fruit of a greater degree of interdependence required of the Member States by the Eurozone.

Nonetheless, we need to ask some questions, the main one having already been raised in the report by Commissioner Almunia: how do Europeans perceive this favourable economic situation? What are the benefits for individual citizens? Unfortunately, over and above the official data, the tangible effects have still not really been recognised by the public. We must note that the repeated requests for wage moderation, under certain conditions that have a solid basis from an economic point of view, are in fact far from the daily lives of individual citizens, and it is therefore clear that, at the moment, some Member States, including Italy, which is experiencing severe social tensions, are having real difficulties in channelling all additional revenue towards debt reduction.

I therefore believe that, while fulfilling the commitments made in the medium term, we must respond to a challenge: how can we make the rigid rules of the economy compatible with the demands of social justice?

 
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