{Europe's greatest political challenge is to reconnect with European citizens, to show that the European Union has something to offer in terms of a better quality of life. Good public services, available to all, are a crucial part of the European way of life. But the EU has at best a mixed record on this.
The lack of a clear European legal framework for public services paradoxically puts public services, run at national or local level, at risk of interference from the European Court of Justice or European Commission. That is why the Commission must be persuaded, as the ETUC petition demands, to bring forward European legislation to guarantee legal security for public services.
The Socialist Group itself produced a draft framework directive on public services last year, designed to protect local autonomy, create legal security and guarantee consumer rights. With the help of a broad coalition of service providers, users groups, trade unionists, local and regional authority organisations, we were able to show the Commission how such a directive could achieve these objectives. The ETUC petition is an important further step in this broad-based campaign} to ensure the future of Europe's public services.
7 March 2007, European Parliament