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THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
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2. Fighting inequality and revitalizing the Welfare State
– European employment conditions should be established with re-
spect to: minimum salary, taking into account the level of prices in
each country, and minimum standards in other employment and
social conditions, particularly health, education and pensions, in-
cluding complementary European unemployment insurance.
– We need a policy to promote a rise in the purchasing power of
workers (and thus of demand) in line with increases in productivity.
– Social integration can no longer be achieved solely through high
salaries and full employment, and we therefore need the sustained
redistribution of income through a progressive direct tax system (cor-
porate, income and wealth tax), harmonized at the European level.
3. Energy Union and the fight against climate change
– The 20-20-20 targets for 2020 have set the tone for the first decade
of a transformation of energy and climate change policy. However,
we need to review these policies to analyse both the successes and
the failures in detail, with a view to the next decade.
– Given the confused nature of public policy in this area, the Energy
Union represents a real challenge for the EU, one that is yet to be
addressed.
– Without a clear pro-European perspective in the 28 member states,
any common approach will be hampered by rising tension and
greater obstacles in the coming years.
4. Development of the Digital Single Market
– Consolidate a regulatory framework at the European level and
make progress towards the unification of different national frame-
works for an open internet with unrestricted access. We need to
avoid users being blocked and restrictions placed on their demands,
and to establish mechanisms to ensure greater transparency on the
part of telecommunications providers. EU regulation should also
apply to the mobile internet.
– Make progress in consolidating a balanced fiscal framework with
respect to economic transactions within the European market,
starting with a single VAT rate for e-commerce.
– Strengthen Europe’s position in the internet economy, facilitating
the support of the European Commission and member states for
the creation of a ‘digital Airbus’ international consortium, with pub-
lic and private backing, to generate a European search engine able
to compete both at the European and the global level with the
major content and information providers.