European Union: definitions time
Decide what the EU decides, will remain an imperialist bloc at the service of capitalist profits.
ByRuben Tzanoff, SOL -Spanish state
The European Union worsened its crisis with the pandemic. You are currently in the middle of a lengthy discussion about the steps to take in the immediate future.. After expressing marked differences, he 23 of April they agreed to create a recovery fund, postponing the definition about: the amount to commit, its financing and the form of access.
They had announced that the 6 May they present a concrete plan, but it didn't happen. Meanwhile, doubts grew on the veracity of the promises of the president of the European Commission (THIS), Úrsula by del Leyen, about the aid of"As minimum" a trillion euros. Above, the German Constitutional Court questioned the Bundesbank's involvement in the European Central Bank's debt purchase program (ECB), shedding a cloak of uncertainty about the common European future.
Nevertheless, he 19 of May, there was a "twist": Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron in a joint appearance, announced an agreement to compromise 500.000 million euros to the recovery fund. In this relaunch of the deteriorating political relations between Germany and France, They also said that the contribution will be carried out in the form of budget transfers, prioritizing the regions most affected by the pandemic, more indebted and with a lower level of development and income. As a requirement, the obligation to implement "Sound economic policies and an ambitious reform program". It is impossible to avoid that, in the past, similar formulations resulted in cuts to health, reactionary labor reforms and loss of social conquests.
No false expectations should be placed on Franco-German proposals, of frugal countries, nor from the EC…
To be realized, it would be the first time that it is approved to finance own expenses of the member states with common EU debt, anchored in the community budget and bond financing. The movement is in tune with the aspirations of the EC to "Find a balance between loans and non-refundable investments", although it has warned that its final proposal will not be a "copy and paste" of the Franco-German plan. Countries like Italy and Spain took the news with pleasure. Not so Holland, Austria, Denmark and Sweden, who are preparing a counterproposal to present to the EC before the official plan sees the light. Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, clearly stated his objective: "If you make a request for help, you must make major reforms ”.
No false expectations should be placed on Franco-German proposals, of frugal countries, nor from the EC, all agree to set conditions of adjustment. What they debate is the degree and how it will be applied. The EC announced that it will not request adjustments until the end of the year, since in November it will evaluate whether to apply the "austerity", relaxed to allow States to increase spending in the face of the pandemic. Y, if you do not find conditions to adjust at that time, will do it in the spring of next year, when issuing new recommendations. And there will be more indebtedness of the States, that is to say, that the people will pay more and more, mainly in southern countries. Adjustment and debt, go hand in hand and worsen living conditions.
Already with little margin to continue "Making time" the EC reprogrammed the details for the 27 of May, day in which announced his plan: use 750 billion euros, 500 billion of which will be transfers and 250 one billion will be granted through credits. Spain would get a total of 140 billion euros, 77 billion in transfers. The formula chosen by the EC is to temporarily increase the spending ceiling of its budget until the 2% of the Gross National Income of 27 partners, that from the proposal will open the process of debate on it. Either way, the troika will be able to change the black suit that it wore in the Greek crisis, but it will not alter its essence: will try to make the crisis pay for the working people with more adjustment.
The only possibility to regain employment, wages and achieving decent living conditions will come hand in hand with mobilization…
With the political and economic mistakes, the Brexit missile and the lack of a common response to the pandemic, the image of the EU was on the floor and its unity was more in doubt than ever. Because, They will seek to mitigate the crisis and avoid division by conforming all its members, although they have dissimilar positions. A new misstep would leave the "Europeanist" who command it weakened before the "Eurosceptics" right wing that stalk the governments of each country.
When the funds and their channeling are determined, surely, a part will go to social palliative, due to the worsening of the living conditions of the great majority and another element; the powerful of Europe do not want to repeat and multiply what they saw with panic in France with the "Yellow jackets" and in other countries that staged rebellions, strikes and struggles against the consequences of capitalist exploitation. But most of the resources will go to saving Europe's ailing capitalist economy and bosses' profits.. Beforehand, the bourgeoisie are the ones who place the highest expectations on the package since its main recipients are known, they have the approval of the EU to recapitalize with public money the structure of the large companies affected.
In all variants, beyond promises, the maneuvers and the washing of face, the EU is an imperialist bloc at the service of a handful of the privileged and capitalism is an exploitative and unjust system. In this stage of capitalism, no aid is proposed that implies a real recovery of production since financial speculation dominates, which is why, one way or another, money will return to the circuit that causes cyclical crises. Do not have any expectation that there is something similar to a “Plan Marshall”, nor a sustained recovery. The only possibility to regain employment, wages and achieving decent living conditions will come hand in hand with mobilization, of the struggle and the construction of a political alternative that fights for a different model: socialism with democracy, as we propose from the International Socialist League.
