Unemployment in Europe: ...Extinguishing a fire with a glass of water...

The European Socialist Party (PES) denounced Wednesday the action plan for employment presented by the European Commission, considering that ...it would look like extinguishing a fire with a glass of water....

•     “The Commission's proposals might be appropriate if the crisis was less deep, but the Commission does not seem to realize the importance of the problem we face,” said Wednesday the president of the PES, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, on the eve of the start of the European elections.
  
      “If your house is on fire, it is useless to try to extinguish the flames with a glass of water,” he said.
  
      In the guidelines presented Wednesday by President of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, Brussels proposes to reallocate 100 million euros from the EU budget “micro loans” to enable the creation of enterprises. These funds would be for the most disadvantaged groups of Europe, including young people.
  
      The European Union will also free up more quickly than expected in 2009 and 2010, some 19 billion euros (already programmed) of the European Social Fund (ESF), which helps training.
  
      For two years, States may exceptionally use this windfall without having to provide national co-financing usually obligatory.
  
      “Playing with the European Social Fund while the number of unemployed will rise to 27 million unemployed next year, is not the answer” and “micro-credit is unlikely to cause rapid macroeconomic performance” Rasmussen said, calling for a new economic recovery plan.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.