Sarkozy after meeting Merkel: EU Social Protection values need Strong +Right Decisions from Jan.2012

*Mulhouse/Angelo Marcopolo/- Symbolically speaking in one of the Historic places of Workers' Social Reform movement, as well as of Industry and Science at the European crossroads of Switzerland, France and Germany, just one Day after meeting with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin (See "EuroFora"s NewsReport from Berlin), French President Sarkozy presented a comparatively Solid Balance sheet on concrete Social policy Measures during his first 4 Years of term, and highlighted further needs and Future Objectives, starting by those Urgently needed in order to Safeguard France's and EU's Social Protection Model and basic Values of Human "Solidarity", as well as Economic Efficiency, in an ambitious but also realistic way in the middle of the Global Financial Crisis and the galoping, World-wide Competition, which will need Decisions, both at National and €uroArea or EU level, etc., starting as early as from the End of January 2012, close to the forthcoming EU/€uroarea Brussels' Summit.

 Rarely the most Tragic Human issues, as that of Life or Death, productive Health or sufferings by illness, Handicap, Age, Poverty, etc., came so close, in such a crystal-clear way, with Financial and Political, as well as Human Rights' Strategies, not only on a National but also European level, in the middle of a galoping Globalization, as Facts reveal in the case of French President Sarkozy's speech on "France's solidarity" mainly "to those who are more in need", i.e. People threatened by serious Health Problems and/or extreme Poverty.

Focusing from the outset to the "importance" it has, particularly, "in times of (Global) Crisis", to "give Time and Energy to serve those who are most in need", showing "particularly Humanity in front of Distress and Sufferings", Nicolas Sarkozy reviewed main developments and perspectives throughout a large Horizon made of "Social" issues, spreading from "Family policy", and care for the Poorest People, up to Health care and Workers' Social security funding, etc, stressing his "profound attachment to our Social Protection System", which "ensures Solidarity, contributes to Protect People against Crisis, and allows to those who are hit by Handicap, illness, or Exclusion, not to be rejected by the national Community".
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In this regard, among various concrete Promisses fulfilled, Sarkozy observed, f.ex. :

- "The Success in Family policy", with more "200.000 places for Young Children created in 5 Years", allowing to Mothers and Fathers to pursue their Professional Careers", since "in France, the percentage of working Women is among the Highest in Europe,", while the Country also reached, today, "the most dynamic  Fecondity percentage in Europe", with "an active Population augmenting by + 130.000 persons more each Year" ;

- "The Augmentation of Solidarity, in times of Global Crisis, to those who are most in Need, as, f.ex. Families in precarious situations, Homeless persons, the Poorest, etc", with + 116.000 covered places permanently opened, (an "augmentation of + 25.000 places in 4 Years : some + 30% more"), reaching an unprecedented level in the total Number of covered places, added to a recent "exceptional Plan to Humanize and reNovate" them. The Construction of 130.000 Social Housings each Year since 2007", ("i.e.  Building + 300 % more than 10 Years ago"), despite a Strange Augmentation of Houses' Prices in the private sector in France, regardless of the Crisis and contrary to other Countries, where Prices are lowering, on the contrary, as Sarkozy denounced. + "150.000 Persons were helped to get out of Extreme Poverty by giving them Complementary Revenues via the RSA, (where started to be locally  "experimented" a system of obligatory "Counterpart" in terms of "Remunerated Work of 7 Hours per Week", due to be Generalized this year (2012), "not as a punishment, but as an act of Respect, for the Dignity and the Re-Integration" of the persons concerned, as he said). The Monthly support to Handicaped Adults rose + 25%, i.e. for + 150 € more each Month per person, between 2007 and 2012, as well as "the Minimum for Old Age". The "number of Handicaped Children welcomed in Schools augmented up to unprecedented levels, reaching some 215.000", (i.e. "+ 60% more than back on 2005"). (etc).
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But the most impressive number revealed by the French President is obviously that of the Health Care Public Funds which grew, "each Year, since 2007, even during the recent (Global) Crisis, in average,  almost Twice More (X 200 %) than the Economic Growth !". F.ex. "even in the worst Recession of 2009, with a GDP droping down to -2,5% less, on the contrary, the Health Budget augmented up to +3%", as he noted. This represents an "Augmentation of some + 5 Billions € more, each Year, since 2007", the French President counted.

Such astonishing Facts (often seen during last Decades also in many other Countries, including USA, etc), particularly in the absence of any Major Medical Breakthrough or Discovery radically ameliorating People's Health recently (f.ex. against Cancer, Heart diseases, etc., which remain largely Stagnant), and contrary to the normal Productivity Gains by Innovations and/or Experience in any other organized activities, is a Strange, but real Question Mark almost Worldwide today...

Nevertheless, Cancer continues to be the No 1 Mortality threat, still affecting f.ex. more than 350.000 People each Year in France, so that, after a "2nd Plan Cancer, already launched back on 2009, will come also a 3rd Plan Cancer with some 2 Billions € more, to be invested in Research and in order to alleviate the adverse secondary effects of the treatments to patients, Sarkozy anounced.

Moreover, "Alzheimer" ilness affects Today some 800.000 People in France, where ("even if the word might not be precise in Medical terms") it is curiously spreading almost "like an Epidemics", as he warned, so that in order to fight against this Brain disease, which threatens even to "break up Families, (since "the person affected becomes as a Stranger, losing his Identity and erasing even the Memory of 30, 40 or 50 Years of common Family Life"), "Society must Find Remedies, for which Considerable Means are needed", according to Experts.
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In addition, even if, at the same time, "we never had so many Doctors of Medicine (f.ex. currently 210.000 in France), but, also, never before so many Regions anxious to ask if they will have enough Medical Doctors in their territory !", denounced Sarkozy as a modern Paradox, which reveals a deepening Territorial Inequality de facto.

Particularly to the detriment of certain "Regions or Poor Quarters contrary to the "Equaliy of Acces to Health" that Sarkozy's Draft Speech strongly defended, going even as far as to clearly underline the fact that "this is an issue of Fundamental Importance, in which I will be personally committed", as promissed an initial Draft, which was finally among many ommitted in the final speech, much Shorter, perhaps because of a longer than expected Delay provoked by earlier visits to Mulhouse's Hospital/University).

In consequence, those accepting to work in difficult regions or quarters will be better remunerated, as if they participated in a Public Service Mission, he stressed. In addition, some 230 "Health Houses" were created since 2007 in various regions, and about 500 more are currently demanded.

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    - Nevertheless, "since 1974", (i.e. for more than 37 Years), "we (France) present Budgets in Deficit". But, today, during the present (Global) Crisis, "we must reduce Public Spending", as we have just started to do, wiht "-4 Billions € of Deficit less" this year, (See Merkel and Sarkozy's meeting in Berlin, yesterday, with "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the spot), the French President reminded, (while several EU Countries are still under threat to have their borrowing capacity downgraded by the 3 main Anglo-American Rating Agencies).

    In this regard, there si a "Question raised today both in our Country and in most or all European Countries", according to the French President's initial Draft Speech notes for  the Mulhouse event, precisely at the point where he referred to "some very Important Decisions that we shall have to take towards the End of this Month", (January 2012), "including on the (Future) Funding of our Social Model" :

    >>> When, "for a Salary f.ex. of 2.500 €, the percentage of Employers' Contributions (to the various Social Security schemas) in France is DOUBLE (X 200%) of that which exists at Nearby Germany", as Sarkozy observed, then, "how can we continue to play a Leading Role in the Global Competition, instead of limiting, on the contrary, ourselves (EU Countries) into merely watch those Giants who emerge today, as China, India, Brazil etc. progressively take over our places in the group of Important Countries ?", he wondered, (according also to his Draft notes).

    => Obviously, by "enlarging the Fiscal Basis of our Social Protection system's Funding", as Sarkozy's initial Draft suggested, in a crystal-clear manner, various other Sources of Public Funds could be added to Employers' contributions, so that, according to the concrete way in which a Future, New Funding mecanism might be shaped, this could help both to find enough Money for Sustainability, and in order to combine differend sources allowing "Equality of Access to Health Care", according to the above mentioned Draft (comp. supra), i.e. real "Solidarity", according to the main flagship of Sarkozy's 2012 Mulhouse speech.

    On the contrary, a system exclusively based only on Employers' contributions, would be both opposed to Competitiveness, and exposed to obvious risks of Individualistic Egoism, incompatible with the Official main aim of "Solidarity" in a "Universal" Social Protection system, as that of most EU and particularly France's tradition and values, particularly vis a vis Health care, (which, by the way, is also the only really compatible with the Medical Deontology Historically expressed, until today, Worldwide, by the famous "Hippocrates' Oath", that all Medical practitioners are due to respect and apply)...

    But a new, differend system, could include, among Social Protection's Funding, f.ex., also part or even all the product of the famous "Financial Transactions' Tax", that Sarkozy has repeatedly promissed to establish, according also to a recent EU Commission's proposal which has just been tabled at EU Parliament for January 2012, receiving, already, a crystal-clear support also from German Chancellor Merkel,  yesterday in Berlin. Questioned by Journalists precisely on the destination of these Funds, Sarkozy had exceptionaly preferred to elude any concrete reply, except by pointing at his "End of January" meeting with "Social Partners" in Paris, where he reportedly will discuss the overall Social Protection funding.  ( Comp.  "EuroFora"s NewsReports from Berlin).               

    Significantly, Today, in his Mulhouse's speech on Social Protection, Sarkozy even added, at the conclusion, a last minute reference to "France's will to Tax Financial Transactions", timely reminding   also, the German Chancellor "Mrs Merkel's support", as he said.

    Merkel has pleaded, yesterday in Berlin after her meeting with Sarkozy,  in favor of : - "facing the same Challenges, raised by Globalisation : I.e., from one side, (EU) States need Revenues in order to fullfil their Tasks, provide the necessary services, etc.". But, "from anOther side, we must also be Competitive on Labour Costs, in order to avoid, precisely, Outsourcings", went on to agree also German Chancellor Angie Merkel.

- "It's a Challenge that we (EU) all face, and that's why, during the Next (EU/€uroarea) Summit, (Jan. 30, in Brussels), we want, precisely, to speak about all that, examine the Lessons that we can take from that, and that's why I expect with Interest, a great Interest, the Decisions that France is going to take. As for us, in Germany,  naturally, we take Care so that Indirect Labour Costs remain as Reasonable as possible, in order to avoid, precisely, these OutSourcings and Job losses", Merkel clarified, (according to yesterday's "EuroFora" NewsReport from Berlin).

 

    + All this obviously meets also Sarkozy's New Years' eve message (See relevant "EuroFora"s previous NewsReport, including Statements that have us one of his experienced Counsillors), where he anounced the intention to start establishing legitimateFinancial Sanctions against "Social Dumping" or "Unfair Competition" by Imports from some Foreign Countries which commit Gross Violations of even Elementary Human and/or Social Rights, contray even to the recent G20 SUmmit at Cannes (November 2011), which explicitly called all Countries involved to respect at least some Basic ILO's Rules, (See "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the "G20" Summit and on its aftermath).

    => In other words, a move apparently inspired by a Healthy will to create a Rock-Solid, real-politics' Alliance in practice between Fair Trade and Balanced Budgets' concerns, from the one side, and Social/Human Rights' values, particularly in the crucial Human Health care and Social Protection fields, from the other side.

    Or, in other words, at last, a hope to start putting in real practice from 2012 a good idea that Sarkozy launched as early as since 2009, at nearby Urmatt, (about defending modern and ecologic EU Industry against Environmental and Social Dumping/Unfair competition by some ruthless countries grossly violating even elementary Environmental and/or Social Rules that European businesses are obliged to respect, here).

    But, in fact, it all boils down also to the French President's crystal-clear Electoral Promisses for a Europe with a Cultural and Social Identity, having real Democratic  and Human Rights Values, in a Political dimension close to the People, which were highlighted in his landmark, Historic speeches on Europe, in February and July 2007 in Strasbourg, both before and after the Winning 2007 Elections, (comp. also "EuroFora"s co-founder's question-reply with Sarkozy and relevant Publications we made then).