Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant told the Parliamentary Group of Socialists & Democrats in Brussels that the effects of the latest election results in the United Kingdom were not an isolated outcome but can be reflected elsewhere in Europe. Socialists in Europe, Dr. Sant said, must focus on three main challenges. European socialists must find ways to meet the needs of the parties’ roots — workers, pensioners and those in need of social assistance, who constitute their core constituencies. They must project the aspirational needs of people, by encouraging private initiative and rewarding success, on the lines that had been advocated by previous Labour leader Tony Blair. And increasingly they need to balance the requirements of a united Europe with nationalist sentiments which are still strong in Europe. The Head of the Maltese Delegation at the S&D noted that European socialists have still as yet to counter effectively these three challenges.
At the same meeting, Dr. Sant also spoke on the eurozone during a debate on new proposals regarding its economic governance. He said that the biggest hurdle in the eurozone lies with the fact that sharp economic divergences are still growing between different countries and regions, while most of the zone’s economies have been stagnant. He said that if piecemeal deepening of the eurozone’s structures and rules is pursued, as is currently being proposed, the risk is that already existing divergences will further increase.
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Maltese Version
TLIET SFIDI EWLENIN GĦAS-SOĊJALISTI EWROPEW
ALFRED SANT
Alfred Sant qal lill-Grupp Parlamentari tas-Soċjalisti u Demokratiċi fi Brussell li dak li ġara waqt l-elezzjonijiet fir-Renju Unit japplika wkoll għas-soċjalisti fil-pajjiżi tal-Ewropa. Is-Soċjalisti fl-Ewropa, qal Dr. Sant, iridu jiffaċċjaw tliet sfidi ewlenin. Is-Soċjalisti Ewropew iridu jsibu metodi biex
isostnu lill-qalba tal-poplu li dejjem appoġġjathom fost il-ħaddiema, impjegati, pensjonanti u dawk li jeħtieġu l-għajnuna soċjali. Għandhom jipproġettaw il-bżonnijiet u l-aspirazzjonijiet tal-poplu, billi jinkoraġġixxu l-inizjattiva privati u jippremjaw is-suċċess kif kien jagħmel il-Mexxej Laburista Ingliż Tony Blair. Fuq kollox is-Soċjalisti Ewropew għandhom jibbilanċjaw il-ħtiġijiet tal-għaqda Ewropea mas-sentiment nazzjonalista li għadu qawwi fl-elettorat Ewropew. Dr. Sant qal li sa issa dawn l-isfidi ma ġewx iffaċċjati tajjeb biżżejjed.
Fl-istess grupp parlamentari Dr. Sant tkellem waqt dibattitu dwar iż-żona ewro. Fl-intervent tiegħu huwa wissa li l-problema kbira taż-żona ewro hi d-differenzi ekonomiċi kbar li nibtu fi ħdanha bejn pajjiżi u reġjuni differenti, waqt li l-ekonomiji staġnaw. Il-Kaptad-Delegazzjoni Maltija fl-S&D qal li jekk issa r-regoli tal-ewro isiru aktar profondi u mifruxa b’mod parzjali (biċċa biċċa), il-periklu se jkun li dawn id-diverġenzi jibqgħu jikbru mhux jonqsu.
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