In the light of this evaluation, the Parliamentary Assembly
calls on the member States of the Council of Europe to:
10.1 prevent the undermining of existing
democratic standards when it comes to decisions linked to the “sovereign
debt crisis” and possible joint European action to be taken, by
preserving maximum possible discretion for national governments
and other national democratically legitimated institutions, in particular
parliaments;
10.2 reflect on how such processes could be made more democratic
in the future, also with regard to future economic policy making
at the European level, and, in the meantime, act with utmost transparency when
taking any far-reaching decisions which profoundly affect national
economies and people’s lives;
10.3 sign and ratify the revised European Social Charter and
the European Convention on Social Security (ETS No. 78), if this
has not yet been done, and consider supporting an update of the
latter in accordance with the needs of today’s work situations and
lifestyles, so as to improve the rights of member States’ citizens
to a level at least equal to the rights guaranteed by bilateral
agreements on social security;
10.4 where applicable, initiate a public debate on the social
consequences and the impact on democratic sovereignty if the European
Stability Mechanism and the European Fiscal Compact should come
into force;
10.5 consider measures aimed at modernising democratic structures
and processes by means of new forms of participation and consultation
of citizens, such as referenda, wherever the constitution or legislation
provide for such possibilities;
10.6 closely assess current austerity programmes from the point
of view of their short- and long-term impact on democratic decision-making
processes and social rights standards, social security systems and
social services, such as pension and health systems, family-oriented
services or assistance services to the most vulnerable groups (people
with disabilities, migrants, the unemployed, etc.);
10.7 design budget consolidation programmes not only based
on savings to be applied to government budgets at various levels
and social expenditure in particular, but also on higher income
to be generated, in particular through increased taxes on wealthier
income groups and large corporate profits, and a more resolute fight
against tax evasion, tax fraud, tax havens, corruption and the underground
economy;
10.8 wherever possible, supplement budget consolidation programmes
with measures fostering sustainable economic growth, including measures
aimed at creating new quality employment and the conditions and
economic environment for successful individual initiatives and entrepreneurship,
given that employment is a pre-condition for future tax revenues;
10.9 launch comprehensive economic recovery programmes aimed
at overcoming high rates of unemployment and their negative economic
and social consequences, including specific measures aimed at supporting
the young generation in the transitional period between education
and employment;
10.10 pursue and support efforts undertaken to increase the
regulation of the financial sector and of financial structures whose
size, systemic integration, complexity or interconnectedness may
jeopardise financial stability and the capacity of regulators to
resist their demands, including measures concerning the shadow banking
system, as requested by the European Parliament and as currently
initiated by the European Commission;
10.11 improve mutual information exchange, co-operation and
tax harmonisation, introduce joint measures geared to gradually
eliminating tax havens and fiscal grey areas and examine the possibilities for
introducing new taxes on certain types of financial transactions
across Europe.
