Authors Iain Begg | Gabriel GlÃ¶ckler | Anke Hassel ... - The Europaeum

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provisions for minority protection, a necessary step to ensure social cohesion in EU27. Practices of minority protection vary greatly among member states, but the EU has yet to adopt a comprehensive minority policy. This lack of EU standards has arguably undermined the promotion of minority rights in new member states during the accession process. The conclusion of the paper stresses the need for the EU to include minority groups within its approach to economic and social cohesion, and formulates recommendations for the adoption of EU instruments of minority protection. The frame of reference for “cohesion” in the EU An emphasis on regional cohesion… The main objective of the cohesion policy is to narrow the gaps in development between different regions, more precisely between lessfavoured regions and more prosperous ones, reducing structural disparities and promoting equal opportunities for all individuals. The 1957 Treaty of Rome mentioned regional disparities in its preamble, but it is only in the 1986 Single European Act (SEA) that an explicit reference to “economic and social cohesion” is made. 1 In practical terms, regional cohesion is achieved by means of a variety of financial instruments, but principally through the Structural Funds (SFs) and the Cohesion Fund. The four SFs are: 1) the European Social Fund (ESF) created to prevent and combat unemployment; 2) the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), a financing tool for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); 3) the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aimed at reducing imbalances between regions of the Community by financing development projects; 4) the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) which supports the adaptation and modernisation of the sector’s facilities. The 1988 reform 2 provided both a financial and a legal basis for the Cohesion Policy and allowed for the four SFs to act together in a coordinated fashion. Regulation (EEC) 2058/88 clearly established principles for the coordination of SF activities between themselves and with other existing financial instruments on the basis of the objectives of the policy. Since then three more reforms, in 1992, 1999 and 2005, have improved the legal framework of funding implementation and their objectives, along with constantly increasing their share of the EU budget to reach a level of € 308 billion for 2007/2013. 3 142 After the crisis: A new socio-economic settlement for the EU
So far, the Cohesion Policy’s original objective of “economic and social cohesion” seems to have had a strong economic element but a weak social dimension. Indeed, if we look at the measures implemented through the Cohesion Policy, the main “social” related intervention financed by the EU budget is the European Social Fund (ESF), which has always received a minor allocation of funding compared to the large share collected under the ERDF. 4 The latter was created in 1957 to promote employment and make Europe’s workforce and companies better equipped to face global challenges. It is only recently that a reference to minorities was incorporated in the ESF regulation, 5 but no specific actions on how to address the problem were mentioned. In fact, little has been done under the Cohesion Policy to ensure the economic and social inclusion of vulnerable minority groups. … at the expense of social cohesion The current frame of reference for EU cohesion focuses on the ongoing aim of reducing regional economic inequality and has largely neglected any social aspect related to diversity, i.e. social cohesion. The Council of Europe (CoE) in its Revised Strategy for Social Cohesion (2004) describes social cohesion as the capacity of a society to ensure the welfare of all its members, minimising disparities and avoiding polarisation. A cohesive society is one that has developed satisfactory ways of managing its internal diversity in a democratic manner. In practical terms, ensuring social cohesion means guaranteeing access to the same rights for all, respect for dignity of others, the right for all individuals to have the opportunity for personal development and participation in the democratic process. This conceptualisation therefore frames a wider understanding of cohesion than mere convergence in income or GDP per capita among regions. The latter is nevertheless the preferred criterion to measure the achievement of “cohesion” in the EU. If economic and social cohesion is to be achieved, social inequalities are just as important as regional disparities. Furthermore, poverty, long-term unemployment, segregation and marginalisation are issues which more harshly affect the most vulnerable groups in society, among which are minorities. The EU has recently redefined the scope of its Cohesion Policy with an emphasis on reducing inequality. At the European councils of Lisbon (2000), Nice (2000) and Stockholm (2001), member states made a commitment to reduce the risk of poverty and social exclusion. This is Chapter 10 – Simona Milio 143
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Authors Iain Begg | Gabriel Glöckl
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Published in 2009 by Policy Network
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4 After the crisis: A new socio-eco
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6 After the crisis: A new socio-eco
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Simona Milio is associate director
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Chapter 10 Simona Milio ...........
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Before the crash: the EU as a parti
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liberalisation. The City of London
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of the Financial Services Action Pl
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confidence and world trade, to whic
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following the ECJ’s controversial
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signals are in place to promote a n
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need to be constructed to create ac
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or indeed re-impose, what they rega
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Markets with rules The overall conc
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30 After the crisis: A new socio-ec
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Target financial stability The EMU
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Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemb
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mortgage banks and the insurance se
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financial market rules. The ESFS au
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prudential regulation - though only
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initiatives vis-à-vis ratings agen
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Even if membership in a monetary un
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emained relatively contained to spe
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The second channel of functional sp
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But even so, the depth and intensit
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governance in the EU and the euro a
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in the EU show, authorities at the
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factors will remain prevalent and b
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centralised decision-maker. Similar
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(GNI), the interests of the member
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terms only very slowly and as a per
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policy proposal asks itself what th
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ensure that a ceiling is put on the
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Reform of EU expenditure Spending 4
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The medium-term financial framework
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unanimity. The need to obtain the c
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therefore, was weakening the Europe
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for the signing of the strict and d
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Since then, member states have name
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in the world monetary system. It al
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a Treaty that not only ignores trad
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Firstly, they should include policy
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Page 126 and 127: (74), and road vehicles (78). On th
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Page 132 and 133: will be reinforced rather than cont
Page 134 and 135: Where do we come from? The EU agend
Page 136 and 137: However, so far the flexicurity app
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Page 158 and 159: Energy and carbon use depend on fou
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Page 162 and 163: esurgence of long-term unemployment
Page 166 and 167: 22 Financial Services Authority (FS
Page 168 and 169: 7 This idea is not new. The 1970 We
Page 170 and 171: 33 Arpaia, Alfonso, Declan Costello
Page 172 and 173: 9 See Garabiol-Furet, M.-D. (2006)
Page 174 and 175: Chapter 11 1 Victor, D.G. (2006)
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Authors Iain Begg | Gabriel GlÃ¶ckler | Anke Hassel ... - The Europaeum

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