“I am confident that under your leadership, the Party of the Hungarian Coalition will soon regain its rightful place and role in the political spectrum of the Slovak Republic. The leader of the most influential political force in the European Parliament today congratulated József Berényi on his re-election as Chairman of the Party of the Hungarian Coalition.

“I am confident that under your leadership, the Party of the Hungarian Coalition will soon regain its rightful place and role in the political spectrum of the Slovak Republic.

Personally, I am happy to see valuable co-operation amongst Members of the Slovakian national delegation in the EPP Group where MEPs from your party Edit Bauer and Alajos Mészáros count amongst our most reliable partners”, said Joseph Daul.

“I am well aware from the past that your party has often shown solidarity with European core values, be it of political, economic, or fiscal nature”, concluded EPP Group Chairman Joseph Daul.

“We have already made considerable progress in promoting equal opportunities in the Commission, increasing five-fold the number of women senior managers since 1995 and doubling the number of female middle managers,” said Maroš Šefčovič, Commission Vice-President for Inter-institutional Relations and Administration. “We have also introduced new flexible working practices. But we can and we must do better. This strategy not only sets concrete goals, it will also encourage better use of flexible working practices and aim to make managers at all levels sensitive to the importance of equal opportunities for the whole workforce. Equal opportunities are in everyone’s interest, allowing the Commission to make the best use of the talent available and maximising productivity.”

Attracting, developing and keeping a balanced and motivated workforce

The strategy sets multiannual targets up to 2014. By then, 25 percent of senior management posts should be occupied by women (compared with 21 percent now), with a corresponding target to replace at least 30 percent of retiring senior managers with women. By 2014, 30 percent of middle managers should be women (23 percent now), with 50 percent of retiring middle managers to be replaced by women. For the first time, these goals will be set at the level of each individual Directorate-General. And 43 percent of non-management administrator (AD) posts should be occupied by women by 2014. These targets are based on modelling of the evolution of Commission staff until 2014 and an analysis of the available pool of candidates.

Promoting a more flexible, results-orientated workplace

Greater use will be made of flexible working methods, such as flexitime, telework and part-time working. This will require enhanced assistance, guidance and training for managers on equality policies.

Ensuring ownership at the highest level

Equal opportunities should be systematically integrated into the human resources policy of each DG. Communication efforts towards the staff should be reinforced and senior managers should be fully engaged in the policy. DGs and services will be invited regularly to monitor their performance up to 2014 in line with a common performance framework. DG HR will measure the performance of each DG on a quarterly basis and will follow-up with those that are not reaching their goals. The top performers will be awarded a performance label for a period of three years.

Speaking to journalists at the launch of the new poverty flagship initiative, László Andor, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion said “Combating poverty is both a moral duty and an economic necessity. With millions still living on the margins of society we are wasting our human resources. Children, young people, migrants, the elderly and other vulnerable groups need particular attention.” He added “I am confident that the Platform flagship initiative will contribute to meeting the EU level target by acting as a springboard for innovative and cost-effective solutions in the fight against social exclusion”.

As one of the seven flagship initiatives of the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy, the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion communication sets out actions to bolster work at all levels to reach the EU headline poverty reduction target. It is complementary and strongly linked to the other flagships which focus on raising employment and improving education and skills.

Today’s communication considers both the challenges Europe currently faces in combating poverty and social exclusion, as well as the changing nature of poverty. The communication also identifies the overall need to deliver anti-poverty actions across the entire policy spectrum such as: preventing the transmission of poverty through generations and tackling child poverty; using employment as a route out of poverty through active inclusion strategies; and stepping up efforts to integrate minority groups like the Roma people socially and economically.

Member States must take the lead in fighting against social exclusion and poverty. They will spell out their initiatives in the National Reform Programmes linked to the Europe 2020 strategy, as contributions to deliver growth and jobs. The Commission will evaluate these actions and set best practices.

Key actions in the Platform include:

• Promoting innovation in social policy. Encouraging innovation to find smart solutions in post-crisis Europe, especially in terms of more effective and efficient social support. This means promoting evidence-based innovation in social policy, where the use of evidence-based methods tests and assesses policy change. For example, testing different ways of distributing or managing existing benefits on specific groups.
• At EU level. Making the best use of all EU Funds, in particular the European Social Fund, to support social inclusion objectives and proposing social policy as a priority for future EU funding. The new Microfinance Facility will be up and running in early 2011 and aims to help vulnerable groups access loans to set up their own business.
• Making social protection and services more effective and responsive to new social needs. The Commission will publish a White Paper in 2011 to address the safety, adequacy and sustainability of pensions. Actions linked to the quality of social services, health inequalities and housing exclusion are also planned and 2012 will be the European Year of Active Ageing.
• Bringing on board a much wider range of partners to fight exclusion. The Commission will set out voluntary guidelines on stakeholders’ involvement in defining, shaping and carrying out poverty reduction actions to take on at national, regional and local level.

Further information

The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion’ Communication:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=6393&langId=en

‘The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion’: Citizens’ summary:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=6394&langId=en

Eurobarometer survey “Poverty and Social Exclusion”

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_359_340_en.htm#355

It is really worrying, that despite all our efforts, levels of public debts and unemployment rates are increasing in all member states of the Eurozone.

Unfortunately, my home country Slovakia, is neither an exception. The unemployment rate nowadays exceeds 13%. Slovakia has joint the Eurozone as the last member state on 1. January 2009, which has undoubtly had a positive impact on the national economy, as well as on political and social climate. Vast majority of the citizens still holds the positive view concerning the evaulation of adoption of Euro. This is the reason why we consider it to be essential, that  the power and prestige of the common European currency do not decline.

European parliament is obliged to support all the efforts of the  Commission and the European Central Bank, aimed at empowerment of the European currency, in order to avoid fiasco in the field of monetary policy. This requires further reinforcement of integration of the economic policy and its sustainable development. However, this is already a strategic question, in which the European Council has to be active and has to play a decisive role.

His recommendation was followed by some criticism, especially the reaction of the Slovak Prime minister, Róbert Fico, was inadequate, who apparently did not understand the point.

From my own experience, I would like to emphasize that everybody can have only one mother tongue. All other languages, regardless to its state language or other status, needs special approach to training – different from that one of used in mother tongue education.

We can accept it preferably in this case – being Hungarian one of the 23 EU official languages.

- demonstrating a unified and efficient approach to climate change treatment,

as well as in:

- strenghtening its leading political position in this agenda.

I consider, therefore, taking this resolution an act of utmost importance in order to demonstrate the unbroken spirit and determination of the EU as the leading force of the world in climate change combating. We have to enhance and promote further activities aimed at climate change treatment.

By adoption od the Lisbon Treaty, our member states have accepted a lot of new commitments. One of these is the new, integrated and unified approach in foreign and neighbourhood policy.

Kosovo, as an independent country, has been recognized so far by 65 countries of the world, including 24 out of 28 NATO countries and 22 out of 27 EU countries. This is the right time to encourage Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain to put aside their concerns in this matter and join the majority in Kosovo recognition as soon as possible. This would be and important demonstration of the increasing unity and integration of the EU.

along with the approaching Winter season, a threat of  the possible new gas crisis is emerging from the East. Few weeks ago, prime minister Putin made clear for us that Russia may violate again the long term gas supply contract with EU member states. To avoid this, he has called EU to lend as much as 1 billion EUR to Ukraine in order to make it able to fulfil its gas transit commitments. So we can expect another round of strange political play directed by our Russian partner. This is unacceptable.

Although  particular member-states are concerned by this on different level, the EU will have to take  unified measures and assertive standpoint on this crucial issue, on solidarity principle. Moreover, this has been a signal to speed up the implementation of our new projects concerning diversification of long term EU energy supply such that the Russian influence should be minimal.

According to some people, this process is too quick, but the majority – myself included – feel, that the road to an effective and uniform European Union is difficult and full of conflicts. The Irish Yes can make us optimistic, but the final acceptance of the Lisbon Contract is more complicated. All eyes are looking to Poland and the Czech Republic now, because their Head of States of these countries did not ratify the found treaty. We are waiting for the Polish Head of State keep up his resolution, and after the Irish step he will indorse it.

The situation is more complicated in the Czech Republic, where a group of ODS representatives in the Senate have applied to the Constitutional Court for the Lisbon Contract’s conflicting parts with the Constitution of Czech Republic.

We are seeing with regret, that Václav Klaus, head of the Czech Republic – the big reform politician of the ’90s – in the last few years is acting like an ‘antireformist’ and is against the EU strengthening. He wants to enforce the Czech national interest at the expense of the European Union’s laws. We rely on the promise of the President of the Czech Constitutional Court, and we hope, that the situation will change soon in the Czech Republic.

However, the road won’t be unswerving after these things as there is an additional problem, the evolved political mood in Great Britain. The conservatives government is agreeing with – in case they win next year – and are planning a newer referendum connected with the Lisbon Contract.

Seeing the hesitation we can ask the question: why the Lisbon Contract divided the Member States? Between them are the countries of the Middle Eastern European area, with the two member states of the V4 are supporting, whilst the other two are using eurosceptic voices. Not everything is about, that like at the time of the EU-enlargement, perhaps these countries want to achieve a privileged position for themselves?

Maybe, with a little cunning we could also obtain some benefits?

If that is the case, I can not accept this behavior, neither ethically or politically. I approve that in the given question Slovakia and Hungary behaved fairly.

It is interesting to think about the permissiveness of the European Union in the given situation, which can be also qualified as its weakness. Among other things, the role of the Lisbon Contract is to stop this kind of blackmail. I augment the number of those representatives who can see the future of Europe as a strong and unified union. In a kind of ‘state formation’, which would be a suitable partner for the world influencing great power systems, which would also observe the democracy and human equality’ principles uniformly and efficiently. On the other hand also tidying up in its ‘own house’ and doesn’t sweep under the carpet the problems between the member states (as did it often until now), for example the minority question and the use of the mother tongue.

 Alajos Mészáros, Member of EP