|
|
Translated from the French
You aspire to become President of the European Commission. You told Le Figaro that "industrial strategy, infrastructure policy, the Single Market, security and immigration" would be your priorities. What role would you assign to Social Europe?
Social Europe is the basis of everything. I do not want it to be a separate chapter. Social competitive market economy is my political and economic credo since I engaged in public life. When I returned to the European Commission in 2010, I said so to the President of the Commission and those who have trusted me to contribute to the economic reorientation of Europe. I don’t rule out going even further to consolidate Europe’s social base and will express a number of ideas in the coming months. But for me, social competitive market economy is the backbone of the European political project.
What do you mean by "social competitive market economy"?
Economic freedom to create wealth and profit but with rules that allow some redistribution that prevent abuse and ensure fairness. For me, social market economy is freedom and fairness.
Is there a European consensus on the definition of "social economy" and "social innovation"?
Firstly, it is quite new that we are taking care of this sector of the economy in Brussels. I studied what was being done in this area and found that the subject had never been high on the agenda. With the support of my colleagues Antonio Tajani and Laszlo Andor, we did change that, especially with the strategy for social entrepreneurship in 2011. President Barroso has supported us. This collegiate effort with a global approach allowed us to come up with eleven proposals, which we are implementing.
How can we ensure that Europeans take an interest in these issues come the European elections?
Part of the distrust and the distance between citizens and Europe is due to the crisis. In a crisis, we want to know who is responsible. We need the return of growth and have seen encouraging signs. The key remains public debate, but that also requires political actors, wherever they are, who are available to discuss with citizens. I think people are smart. They are able to understand the efforts being asked, provided they are explained the meaning of these efforts.
Do political parties not also have their share of responsibility in not putting enough effort in before the elections, i.e. by validating the lists of candidates that late?
Yes, of course ... In all parties, the European issue is considered secondary. I have observed for a long time that the debate in France is focused only on the country itself. This is a weakness because many of our problems have a European dimension and a European solution. A much stronger solution to problems can be sought on a European level rather than at home.
Which theme do you think will be central in the election campaigns?
The priority now is growth. We must show that the sacrifices demanded of Europeans, which caused much suffering, have been useful and brought about results. For me, the top priority is the European industrial strategy. So that Europe once more can be a continent of production and manufacturing, meaning we do not abandon production to the Chinese, the Americans or the Japanese. Production is the goal. The tool is including different companies that are social enterprises.
Full interview (in French)