Written declaration No. 538 | Doc. 13116 | 25 January 2013

Relocation, economic efficiency and social responsibility

Signatories: Mr Antonio GUTIÉRREZ, Spain, SOC ; Mr Pedro AGRAMUNT, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Viorel Riceard BADEA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Christian BATAILLE, France, SOC ; Mr José María BENEYTO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Delia BLANCO, Spain, SOC ; Ms Sílvia Eloïsa BONET PEROT, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Traian Constantin IGAŞ, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Ramón JÁUREGUI, Spain, SOC ; Mr François LONCLE, France, SOC ; Mr Dirk Van der MAELEN, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr José MENDES BOTA, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Patrick MORIAU, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Alejandro MUÑOZ-ALONSO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Eva PARERA, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Ángel PINTADO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Foteini PIPILI, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Gabino PUCHE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Carmen QUINTANILLA, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Jim SHERIDAN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Yanaki STOILOV, Bulgaria, SOC ; Mr Ionuţ-Marian STROE, Romania, ALDE ; Mr Vilmos SZABÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Konstantinos TRIANTAFYLLOS, Greece, SOC ; Ms Theodora TZAKRI, Greece, SOC

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

A few days ago, industrial production data for the Eurozone was published. The figures were disappointing and reflected a year-on-year decline which amounts to 3.7%, figures which contrast with the strength of the United States, where a growth rate of 2.5% was registered in 2012.

This decline may be partly due to the crisis. But all in all, the greatest contributor to our industrial decline has been the inability to react to industrial relocation phenomena.

More and more companies are taking decisions in this line. As a society, we have the right to be informed of the reasons, the benefits they expect to obtain and the cost that the breakdown of our industrial fabric entails. We must compel companies to undertake a transparency policy on the one hand, and publish detailed accounts on the other. The former demands knowledge of the calculations on which the company has based its actions, whilst the latter means that we must be aware of how much we have contributed to the development of such companies, to their growth and expansion. Therefore, both companies and societies must have a clear idea of their contribution to a company’s success. Frequently, we are told an unbalanced story which only reflects part of the data.

Europe is a mature territory whose growth must be based on its own resources, and human and technological capital, and on a robust specialisation in products with a greater quality and technological power. However, at the same time, we are faced with the challenge of redefining public policies and new governance in full respect of the European Social Charter.

Europe is a society admired the whole world over for having been able to combine economic efficiency, social justice and individual freedom. We shall continue to do so in the future. This is the ambition that Europe needs to continue being one of the most complete societies of the world.