Europe @ the Crossroads : Health and Education : A Business Opportunity?

international | eu | news report Tuesday December 09, 2003 20:05 by John Meehan

Democracy and Public Services in Europe (DAPSE) Seminar :
Chairperson :
Ailbhe Smyth, Women’s Education Research and Resource Centre, University College Dublin

Speakers :
Franz-Josef Stummann, Executive Secretary, Assembly of European Regions
Barry Finnegan (ATTAC Ireland, interim convenor of the Irish Social Forum)
Bernadine O’Sullivan (former president, Association of Secondary Teachers’ in Ireland (ASTI)

This is a personal report by John Meehan. Other people who attended the event are welcome to add comments clarifications and corrections.

Democracy and Public Services in Europe (DAPSE) Seminar :

Europe @ the Crossroads : Health and Education : A Business Opportunity?

Saturday December 6 2003, Teachers’ Club, 36 Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

Chairperson :
Ailbhe Smyth, Women’s Education Research and Resource Centre, University College Dublin

Speakers :
Franz-Josef Stummann, Executive Secretary, Assembly of European Regions
Barry Finnegan (ATTAC Ireland, interim convenor of the Irish Social Forum)
Bernadine O’Sullivan (former president, Association of Secondary Teachers’ in Ireland (ASTI)

This is a personal report by John Meehan. Other people who attended the event are welcome to add comments clarifications and corrections.

Franz-Josef Stummann pointed out that regional governments in the different member states of the European Union do not all have the same powers. While some local governments are only arms of the state, others have extensive powers, including the ability to make laws or raise local taxes.

Historically most regions have been in favour of the “European Project”. Faced with an over-centralised state apparatus, the European Union appeared to be a way around the problem – the regions could achieve greater autonomy by strengthening the powers of the European Union institutions at the expense of the national state.

Why then is the Assembly of the European Regions so critical of the draft European Union Constitution?

The Assembly of the European Regions sought the total exemption of the Health Education and Culture/Audio-Visual sectors from the General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) provisions of the constitution. To date, they have failed.

The draft European Union Constitution is sending the public sector “into exile”. In the past big business was not interested in large parts of the public sector – it cost money. Things like museums were a drain on profits – now they are a chance to make money.

In the Nice Treaty, the Health Education and Culture/Audio-Visual sectors “appeared in a completely new context”. Under the famous Article 133 – dealing with “the competence of member states” – commercial policy becomes an exclusive power of the European Union.

The transfer of decision-making powers to undemocratic institutions is discouraging people from voting, and elected politicians are facilitating this process.

The heart of the European Union is that member states can “opt out”. When anti-General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) activists raised their concerns with the EU Commissioner Pascal Lamy, they came away from the meeting convinced that they had secured exemptions – Franz-Josef Stummann was personally suspicious about this news. When the text was published, it was clear these suspicions were well-founded.

The draft constitution contains major threats to cultural diversity. The Health Education and Culture/Audio-Visual sectors will come into the umbrella of commercial policy – big business will be able to buy Pompeii of the Hill of Tara.
European Union commercial policy will be determined by Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), which is weighted towards the large European Union states – Germany, Britain, France and Italy. Once the decision is made, you are left with very limited ability to oppose the decision. You can go to the European Court – but that is hugely expensive and it can take up to twelve years.

The harmonisation laws are “no protection at all”.

These provisions will also be driven by European Union directives – the Dáil has six weeks to reply – but anyone familiar with these mechanisms knows this just does not work. It is impossible to keep up with the volume of directives coming from the European Union institutions.

Some areas are still under discussion with the draft constitution so “the debater is still open”.

Until now, Ireland has benefited from the cohesion funds of the European Union – that will start to change from next year.

The draft European Union Constitution is a “founding document of a new state”. It is not designed to protect the rights of the citizen – it is designed to protect the free market.

The preamble containing various principles and aspirations has no meaning or impact.

Barry Finnegan was involved with a campaigning group that highlighted Article 133 of the Nice Treaty. The constitution continues the “progressive liberalisation” of the European Union – it is an onslaught presented as if it was a natural force like the wind or a flood. The political philosophy behind it has its roots in “pre French Revolution Conservatism”.

During the Nice Treaty debate critics of the process from the Green Party, the Socialist Party and Sinn Féin raised these issues – the Government politicians either did not understand the issues, or pretended that there was nothing to worry about. They are either bare faced liars, or they just incompetent.

The best way to defeat GATS is to give it the Dracula strategy – let it see the light of day!

Bernadine O’Sullivan congratulated DAPSE for raising these issues – and praised the group for getting good coverage in the Irish Times alongside news reports of a pro Government jamboree in the Dublin Castle attended by Bertie Ahern and others.

She argued that these issues were at the centre of the debates raised by the ASTI in recent years. ASTI activists knew the long term implications of the GATS provisions : in her view, the Health Education and Culture/Audio-Visual sectors are a right of citizens – they should not be a commodity.

The ASTI were “whistle blowers” – the performance related pay provisions of national pay agreements were about paying some teachers more than others.

The hostile media coverage focused on the ASTI did not happen because journalists were unaware of these facts. But if you stick to telling the truth, the consequences will be huge.

We are now learning that “Hibernia”, a private college, is to be allowed to train primary teachers. This is called “healthy competition”. Why has the teachers’ union not led protests against this? The students have made a big fuss.

The benchmarking provisions of the national pay agreements are all about introducing private sector conditions into the public sector. It is about making profits.

Regrettably, there was very little time available for a general discussion.

The following points were aired :

• The subject can appear very dense and boring.
• Many important public services – for example health and hospital care – are already extensively privatised – this is resented, but people must do what they can on a personal level – taking out private insurance with the VHI and so on
• Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) needs to be explained – people need to know how undemocratic it is
• We must draw attention to USA companies exporting their products and practices in the education sector – for example the Coca Cola corporation has a major presence in American educational establishments – to such an extent that school pupils have the right to leave a class at any time to buy coca cola from a vending machine
• The “protection clauses” in the European Union Constitution are in practice worthless
• Ambulance services – for example – will be treated as a “commercial service” because they could be provided by a sub-contractor

DAPSE will continue to highlight the threat posed to the Health Education and Culture/Audio-Visual sectors in the European Union Constitution.

DAPSE was formed after a workshop on the GATS at the Irish Social Forum in October 2003. It is an open campaign group that welcomes participation. For copies of briefing papers or details of meetings, please contact:

DAPSE, c/o IPSC, PO Box 9124, Dublin 1. Email: dapse@eircom.net


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