Leituras sobre a Europa

Algumas leituras (longas) sobre o modelo social europeu e sua necessidade de reforma:

No think-tank Open Europe,

Beyond the European Social Model [pdf]

«The “social model” is at the heart of the debate about the future of the EU. In fact it was directly written into the text of the rejected European Constitution, with Article 3 defining the EU for all time as a “social market economy”.

But what does the idea of a common European Social Model mean anyway? With tax burdens ranging from 52% to 28% of GDP across the EU, and with 25 member states at very different levels of development, with very different cultures, can we really even talk about a common social model?

Beyond the European Social Model answers these questions. We look at both success stories and failures from around Europe and paint a picture of how reforms might work. We argue that the current model is not working, and that the time has come for the EU and its member states to take a different approach, and make a fresh start.»

(O primeiro capítulo deste livro - The Myth of the Scandinavian Model - havia sido publicado recentemente no Brussels Journal. Interessante comparar o desempenho das economias nórdicas - excepção da Islândia - com a Irlanda nos últimos 20-30 anos. Talvez fosse boa ideia que José Sócrates lesse estas coisas quando arranjar uma tempinho livre entre os anúncios de colaborações com entidades estrangeiras)

Ainda, no Brussels Journal, um outro artigo intitulado Europe’s Ailing Social Model: Facts & Fairy-Tales sobre a dívida pública nos diversos países europeus e a sua relação com o crescimento (OCDE):

«Curing the symptoms no longer helps. It is time to tackle the real and ultimate cause of Europe’s stagnation, namely the total discouragement of Europe’s work force. It is time to free Europe from its bureaucracy and its crippling tax burden. Failing this Europe will continue to lag behind ever further and its current relative impoverishment will soon turn into absolute pauperization, ultimately resulting not only in economic, but also in cultural and moral decline.»

Gráficos complementares podem ser visto (e textos lidos) nas FAQ do Work for All onde se vêem correlações positivas entre o crescimento económico, baixos impostos e gastos estatais reduzidos e se fazem analogias entre a evolução das economias belga e irlandesa nas útlimas décadas.

Para finalizar (mais um) estudo elaborado por outro think tank britânico - desta vez o Adam Smith Institute - sobre os benefícios e custos da presença do Reino Unido na União Europeia. Um estudo que, por apontar caminhos a seguir, acaba por ser válido para qualquer membro da UE.

EUtopia [pdf]

"Britain must get off the back foot in EU negotiations and positively advance its own vision of what Europe should be like. With countries like France vigorously promoting federalism, Britain is reduced to being a permanent critic – the Grumpy Old Man of Europe, say Keith Boyfield and Tim Ambler. Instead, Britain should be combining with other countries, particularly the new East European members, to advance its own vision of a common market, open trade, cost-consciousness, better decision-making, and deregulation. EU countries often try to protect their own interests against those of others, but these goals would be as good for the whole of Europe as they would be for Britain, say the authors. Instead of a fruitless debate about pulling out of the EU, we should instead be striving to end protectionism and make the Union a paragon of open markets, free trade, and efficient administration."