Major parties appear to back the ex-Italian premier’s plans to boost sluggish EU growth.
ADVERTISEMENTMario Draghi appears to have impressed key MEPs with his plans to boost sluggish EU economic growth – but not everyone is convinced.
Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank and ex-Prime Minister of Italy, is likely to publish his report on European competitiveness next week, potentially as early as Monday, but briefed MEPs on his findings yesterday (4 September).
“The great message that competitiveness is the number one issue ... as the business party of Europe, we welcome this very much,” Manfred Weber, leader of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), told reporters after the meeting.
"The last five years were the Green Deal years ... based on this [report], we open the next chapter,” he added.
Weber, who represents the European Parliament’s largest political grouping, cited the need for Airbus-style European flagship projects, and the need to ensure that environmental technologies like heat pumps and electric cars are produced in Europe rather than in the US or China.
Draghi's report, originally due in June, was requested by Commissioner President Ursula von der Leyen, also from the EPP, last year – and follows hot on the heels from a report by fellow ex-Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
In April, Letta said he’d sounded a “big, red alarm” about a growing economic gap with the US, urging reforms to market rules on energy, telecoms and financial services.
Cautious welcome
Draghi’s findings – which are said to include specific recommendations for ten key economic sectors, perhaps on similar lines to Letta – gained a more cautious welcome from others in the Parliament.
“What I very much like ... is that he indeed stands very clearly with European values” such as public services and climate change, said Bas Eickhout, co-leader of the Parliament's Green group. “He’s sounding the alarm bell very clearly.”
“You will not see in the report anything mentioning of labour costs, because he said that's not the problem,” Eickhout added – attempting to address a criticism that the report will be used to justify cutting workers’ wages.
Instead the report will examine Europe’s “complacency” in the wake of high energy and costs and low productivity in important high-tech sectors, he added.
Support is rather more nuanced among left-leaning MEPs.
In a statement, socialist group leader Iratxe García said any economic relaunch needed to be "built on quality jobs and affordable energy”, including a “Buy Green and European Act”.
Others, such as Manon Aubry of the Parliament's Left group, were impressed neither by Draghi’s conclusions, nor his candour.
"It was a presentation paying lip service which didn’t say much,” Aubry told reporters after the meeting, adding that MEPs had been “left in the dark”.
ADVERTISEMENT“I’d like us to talk about competitiveness, but then we’d have to call into question the European trade policy that’s sold off our industry ... there’s at minimum a hypocrisy, if not a fundamental contradiction,” she said.
“What is Mario Draghi’s democratic legitimacy to write such a report ... did you, or anyone at all, elect him?” Aubry asked.