Social Europe

• Simon Gronowski: 1943-2014 - experience from the "Train to Auschwitz"

  08.05.2014 | This year is the 71st commemoration of the attack by three young men of the train to Auschwitz between Brussels and Leuven which led to the escape of 231 Jews (the German journalist Marion Schreiber wrote about it in her book "Silent Rebels"). The then eleven year old boy Simon Gronowski was one of those who could escape. He is now - in 2014 - the last person still living. To facilitate the organisation, please register via email: juergen.klute@europarl.europa.eu.

• Basic bank accounts for all

  16.04.2014, European Parliament Press Service | Anyone legally residing in the EU would have the right to open a basic payment account, and no-one could be denied this right on grounds of nationality or place of residence, under a new law passed by Parliament on Tuesday. This law should also ensure that fees and rules for all payment accounts are transparent and comparable and make it easy to switch to another payment account that offers better terms.

• Parliament and Council agree on basic bank accounts for all

  20.03.2014, European Parliament | Anyone legally residing in the EU should have the right to open a basic payment account, and this right should not be denied on grounds of nationality or place of residence, Parliament's negotiators and the Council representatives agreed on Thursday. Fees and rules for all payment accounts should be transparent and comparable and it should be easy to switch to another payment account that offers better terms, under the agreed new rules.

• Finance Watch says there is no proven case for including financial services in TTIP

  19.03.2014, Finance Watch | There is no proven case for including financial services in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), said Finance Watch, the independent public interest group working to make finance serve society. It is difficult to see how the inclusion of financial services in the EU-US free trade agreement negotiations, and especially the parts on regulatory cooperation, will not lead to a ‘race to the bottom’ in financial services regulation.

• Joint Civil Society letter on the directive on basic payment accounts - Greek presidency must step up efforts!

  08.03.2014, 14 civil society organizations incl EUFFI, Solidar, AGE... | Today 6 March, 14 Civil Society Organisations working for the rights of vulnerable consumers across Europe, among them SOLIDAR, wrote a letter to the Greek Finance Minister who is currently holding the Presidency of the EU, demanding the prioritisation of the proposed Payment accounts directive to complete this dossier before the end of this legislative term of the European Parliament.

• 'Too big to fail' dogma still dominates Barnier's latest banking plans

  29.01.2014 | GUE/NGL MEP Jürgen Klute has criticised Commissioner Barnier's latest proposals on structural reform of the EU banking sector.

• Parliament approves German ECB board candidate

  16.01.2014, euractiv Germany | The European Parliament approved today (16 January) Sabine Lautenschlarger for the vacant seat on the European Central Bank's board. The German candidate has called for regulation on the planned pan-European bank wind-up agency would come into force earlier than 2018, EurActiv Germany reports.

• The EU, the troika inquiry and the big disconnect

  14.01.2014, Nick Malkoutzis, Macropolis | Certainly, the European Parliament’s troika inquiry is no panacea. It will not make today’s pressing problems disappear, nor will it heal the impact of any mistakes made in the past. Nevertheless, after almost four years of monumental decisions being taken behind closed doors, without consultation and outside the legal framework of the European Union, an investigation into how the eurozone bailouts have been constructed and implemented has been long overdue.

• Athens visit of MEPs investigating bailouts postponed, sparking criticism from SYRIZA

  06.01.2014, ekathimerini.com | The MEPs’ visit, during which they were due to meet with Greek officials, would have coincided with the official ceremony marking the moment Greece assumes the European Union’s rotating presidency. SYRIZA claimed this was what prompted the postponement. “It would have spoiled the fiestas the Greek government is preparing for the EU presidency,” said leftist MEP Nikos Chountis, who is on the ECON committee.

• Postponement of MEP visit to investigate the Troika in Greece represents disappointing and inadequate start to Presidency

  

  06.01.2014, Gabi Zimmer, Jürgen Klute | Following a last-minute decision from EP President Martin Schulz and Greek Prime Minister Samaras to postpone a delegation of Economic Affairs (ECON) committee MEPs to Greece, the GUE/NGL Group has condemned that this important visit has been pushed back. GUE/NGL MEP Jürgen Klute, who represents GUE/NGL in the enquiry team, commented: "By launching an enquiry into the work undertaken by the Troika, MEPs have assumed a crucial and delicate task. Since the start of the enquiry the European Council and the IMF have made it clear that they are not interested in democratic accountability and transparency. It is extremely unfortunate and disappointing for citizens that MEPs give in so quickly when faced with this type of blatant opposition to any form of investigation."

• Basic bank accounts for all

  12.12.2013, European Parliament Press Service | Anyone legally residing in the EU should have the right to open a basic payment account, and this right should not be denied on grounds of nationality or place of residence, said MEPs voting on draft EU legislation to this end on Thursday. Fees and rules for these accounts should be transparent and comparable, and it should be easy to switch to another basic account offering better terms, adds the text, which will now be fine-tuned with EU member states.

• El PE reclama que todos los ciudadanos puedan abrir cuentas bancarias en UE

  12.12.2013, El Diario | "En el mundo actual, tanto los consumidores como el sector minorista depende del acceso a los servicios de pago modernos. Los servicios de pago electrónico no son muy costosos y pueden facilitar la vida de los consumidores", destacó en el debate previo al voto la eurodiputada comunista alemana Jürgen Klute.

• Parliament's shameful suppression of women's rights

  

  12.12.2013, Mikael Gustafsson (Video), European Parliament | Parliament on Tuesday passed a non-binding resolution on sexual and reproductive health and rights tabled by the EPP and ECR groups which states that: "The formulation and implementation of policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights and on sex education in schools is a competence of the member states." The resolution was adopted by 334 votes to 327, with 35 abstentions.

• MEPs endorse uniform rules on access to bank accounts for all

  12.12.2013, Jürgen Klute | The European Parliament has given the green light to a report that calls for an end to the vicious cycle of social exclusion resulting from not having access to a bank account. The report sets out improvements to the Commission's original proposal by stipulating that all payment service providers be obliged to offer affordable or free basic accounts to citizens who have no account, contrary to the Commission's draft which stated that only one bank per member state should do this job.

• Parliament's shameful suppression of women's rights

  

  11.12.2013, Mikael Gustafsson (Video), European Parliament | Parliament on Tuesday passed a non-binding resolution on sexual and reproductive health and rights tabled by the EPP and ECR groups which states that: "The formulation and implementation of policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights and on sex education in schools is a competence of the member states." The resolution was adopted by 334 votes to 327, with 35 abstentions.

• Right to basic bank account for all backed by Economic Affairs Committee MEPs

  19.11.2013, European Parliament | Everyone legally residing in the EU must have the right to open a basic payment account, and this right should not be denied on grounds of nationality or place of residence, said the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee amending a draft law to this end on Monday evening. Moreover fees and rules for these accounts should be transparent and comparable, it adds. The text, approved by a large majority, will be put to a plenary vote in December before being fine-tuned with EU member states.

• Why should Goldman's boy lead ECB ?

  

  17.06.2011, Jürgen Klute (GFS News) | By June, 23rd, a vast majority of MEPs will have made two important and contradictory decisions. Parliament will adopt a reform of the Stability and Growth Pact that will ensure that Member States that do not comply with EU goals for public debt reduction or structural reforms will face fines of around 0.1 % of GDP. Member States delivering misleading fiscal data will also be hit with heavy fines.

• MEPs back Christine Lagarde's candidacy as IMF head

  08.06.2011, BBC | Some MEPs criticised the method by which the new managing director of the IMF will be chosen, with Belgian green MEP Philippe Lamberts describing the process as "half-baked". Meanwhile German MEP Jürgen Klute from the far-left GUE group accused Europe and the United States of "carving up" important economic positions between them.

• Economic Governance in the European Union

  03.05.2011 | Considering the difficulties Europe is facing today, ranging from the ongoing crisis in the periphery economies to a rapidly evolving structure of economic governance at the European level, the transform! network recently organized a seminar to facilitate discussion between various viewpoints emerging from the contemporary Left ...

• Long live Europe, but which one?

  13.02.2011, Nick Malkoutzis | Europe is dead. Long live Europe. The demise of the political and economic union, as we knew it, became evident at the recent meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels. What is less apparent is which Europe will replace it. A rapidly changing world has forced the once-untroubled Europeans to think again about where their continent is heading and how it will get there. The decisions taken over the next few weeks and months will determine whether a brave new world lies ahead or whether we will be left clutching the remnants of a flawed past.