Forming part of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee has undoubtedly presented me with some of the major challenges during my second stint at the European Parliament. This hands-on committee is an example of cross-party cooperation and through its work and initiatives strives to improve the standard of living of the millions of citizens of the European Union. Its targets are vast and wide and its work is not restricted to any one social group.
The ultimate goal of the EU is to make Europe a better place to live in. This might be easier said than done and even though huge advances were made in terms of equality and equal chances, for every one the road is still long and there is still much room for improvement. We have to admit that there are still huge gaps in the social strata and that there is still a large chunk of the European population that lives below the poverty line. It would be unfair to say that the situation is not being addressed but, unfortunately, there still remain social groups that, maybe due to lack of education and information, remain emarginated. Minority groups are still suffering and are still being discriminated against.
We must also remember that the economic and financial crisis in Europe and political unrest in the neighbouring countries has created a new kind of poverty. This has impacted negatively with migration constantly on the rise. We, as an island nation in the crossroads of the Mediterranean, have suffered directly and the consequences may be larger than we might think if both short- and long-term solutions are not found.
Migration problems, I believe, should be tackled in a holistic manner. Third countries migrants to the EU do not only come from North Africa. On the eastern side of Europe there exists a huge problem with an influx of people from the former Soviet countries.
We have learnt a great deal from the financial crisis but must remember that in order to fix our financial problems we must be careful not to tread on those who are more vulnerable. We must remain constantly socially focused so as not to create further poverty as a result of our efforts to fix the economic situation.
The Committee also gives special attention to a social group that is particularly vulnerable to hardship: the over 60s. In this ever-changing society it is easy to overlook this age group, however, in doing so we would be causing a dangerous imbalance in our society.
We must find ways and means to integrate our elderly in society and make them feel needed. We should concentrate more on not only giving them all the medical help they need but, maybe more importantly, full access to communication at a minimal cost. We must remember that these persons were the pillars of society until a few years back and the fruits we are now reaping are the result of their hard work.
As politicians we sometimes get too entangled in our duties and we forget to ask one simple question that answering it would make our work much easier: What do citizens want? We have to listen more and participate more actively in discussions with our voters. This is what the Employment and Social Affairs Committee tries to do as actively as possible with initiatives such as the Agora sessions that are aimed to gather as much information as possible on the needs of the Europeans and to listen to as many suggestions as possible to improve working and living conditions.
It is a link between the European Parliament and the European society where citizens can discuss the Committee’s agenda and make suggestions on how to improve our way of life. I have always said that it is important to have a Europe built on dialogue and not confrontation and this is one example where words are really put into action.
We have to learn from our people and not make the mistake of isolating ourselves in our office. Only in this way can we really be of service to our electors.
The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.