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Centro Argentino de Estudios Internacionales / Entelequia. Revista Interdisciplinar
2: THE MYTH OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL
AND THE THREE MAJOR POVERTY GROUPS IN THE
EXPANDED EU-25: MUSLIMS IN THE WEST, AND
PEOPLE IN STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT
REGIONS AND THE ROMA COMMUNITIES IN THE
EAST
There is reason to believe – as we will explain below – that the growing signs of
crisis of the “European social model” cannot be any longer disconnected from the
social marginalization and the poverty of the 15 million or more Muslims, living in
the countries of the European Union. Thus we start our evidence with a very
thorough re-analysis of existing comparative poverty data in the framework of
the “Lisbon process”.
The official discourse on the “European social model” is characterized for years
by a jargon like this. Such recent texts might be encountered at random:
Source: European Parliament
Published Friday, 8 September, 2006 - 06:11
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/7511
The European Social Model "reflects a common set of values, based on the
preservation of peace, social justice, equality, solidarity, the promotion of
freedom and democracy and respect of human rights". According to MEPs, "in
the last 60 years this set of common values has allowed a growing EU to
successfully become an area of greater economic prosperity and social justice".
They underline that social policies, when appropriately designed "cannot be
regarded as a cost but, instead, as a positive factor in the EU's economic
growth". Although Member States have different social systems, and have
implemented these values in different ways, they commonly aim to attain a
balance between economic growth and social solidarity, and this is reflected in
the European Social Model as a unity of values with a diversity of systems,
members underline. (…) MEPs stress the necessity to preserve and enhance the
values associated with the European Social Model and the high social standards
already achieved. They are convinced that the economic and social systems
must be urgently reformed where they fail to meet the criteria of efficiency and
socially sustainable development, and where they are inadequate to tackle the
challenges of demographic change, globalisation and the IT revolution.. Also to
restore citizen's confidence in the EU project, which provides jobs, growth and
prosperity, the EU's commitment to a Social Europe needs to be renewed,
members stress.
Arno Tausch, Christian Bischof, Tomz Kastrun, Karl Mueller 15