Europe, discussed of at last

Ninety minutes of hot debate opened Monday, April 28th, the series of meetings between the candidates in the running for the presidency of the European Commission. Jean-Claude Juncker (EPP), Martin Schulz (Socialists and Democrats), Guy Verhofstadt (Democrats and Liberals) and Ska Keller (Greens) met to discuss “a first for European politics”. The candidate of the radical left Alexis Tsipras, “declined the invitation”. The initiative will be replicated – after the radio debate on Euranet from the European Parliament held April 29 – on May 9 in Florence and May 15 in Brussels. The first confrontation, held at the University of Maastricht, broadcast on Euronews TV network with 700 young students and members of the European Youth Forum, addressed three key issues: the economy, Euroscepticism, Foreign Policy. The debate prompted many questions by young people in the audience and comments in social networks. The future of the economy and labour. Journalists asked the candidates to answer questions on unemployment, affecting millions of people under-30: “Why should young people believe that you will bring significant changes to their lives?” “I am campaigning for a serious, job-creating Europe that doesn’t squander money and that says no to all forms of extremism”, was the first reply by Jean-Claude Juncker. The basic condition for growth is to consolidate national budgets, said EPP representative, who is against social dumping and defends minimum wage in all EU countries. “Work, work and work is my priority for the next five years”, said Martin Schulz; “an entire generation is paying the dues of a crisis caused by irresponsible people. I want another Europe”: greater protection of privacy, said the leader of the Socialists and Democrats, and of civil liberties, along with a “Commission that guides and does not merely follow Europe” or the European Council (representing the governments of the EU countries), a point on which all candidates agreed. For Guy Verhofstadt “qualified growth” will be achieved only through “greater integration” (for example via banking Union). “Europe – said the Liberal-Democrat candidate – needs less internal market regulations and more common policies”, for example in the field of energy and telecommunications. The Greens candidate Ska Keller pointed a finger against “a flawed educational system”, which constitutes “a debt for the next generations”. We need to invest “in areas needed by society”; “to transform the economy and make it more green, invest in healthcare, create quality jobs”, but also “set common tax regulations”. How to respond to Euroscepticism? Schulz (Germany) launched an appeal to the democratic majority to go to the polls with the awareness that Eurosceptic and populist fringes “lack political proposals”. A determined closure was conveyed by Junker (Luxembourg): “I will never make a coalition with the extreme right. I rely on democratic values and I have nothing to share with these parties”. Verhofstadt (Belgium) reiterated: “Contemporary problems need European – not national – solutions”. But “people’s fears should be taken seriously and be met with concrete answers”. Verhofstadt mentioned a “European labour mobility scheme to step up common control” along with “policies for legal economic migration”, enabling migrants “to work and share tax and social burdens”. “More can be done”, said Ska Keller, also a German, referring to political refugees and those fleeing wars, as in the case of the Syrians. Junker replied: “We cannot welcome all world poverties” but those in need of help but be given hospitality “with improved organization of solidarity inside Europe along with repatriation plans”. For Martin Schulz “if I should be elected President of the next Commission one of the first initiatives will be a system to deal with illegal immigration with contributions from all 28 Member countries”. Foreign policy, Ukraine, defence. Europe’s answers to the Ukrainian crisis were “balanced” but “slow”, both in the case of sanctions, for Verhofstadt, and in the decision of economic support to Ukraine that could have taken place already past November. “To leave the door open to dialogue without getting involved in a Cold war dialectics” is the only possible path for Ska Keller, supported by Schulz, who deems it necessary to work with Russia on “common interests” that may keep Russia and the EU united. Europe’s “soft” reaction has prevented the outbreak of war, Junker said, but it is necessary “to decrease dependence on Russian gas”, “seeking other interlocutors”, or, Keller proposes, alternative energy and less harmful energy sources. We must work for common defence. From this perspective Guy Verhofstadt proposed “a European pillar of NATO”. For Ska Keller it means “aid to development” with a global outlook, to prevent the poor from growing poorer. Common defence, for Junker, “would solve a number of other problems, also in Europe”.