Politicians have to ensure the best conditions for sustainable economic growth and wealth, thereby ensuring citizen's freedom of choice. They have to ensure solidarity with those reeling the most under the burdens of the current crisis and must bear the responsibility of contributing to building a future of prosperity with the European blueprint of a Social Market Economy and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.

IN FOCUS

04/07/2011	Parliament pushes for strong economic governance & global stability
18/10/2010	We need consolidation and investment in the EU

NEWS

22/07/2011	Eurozone Summit - a comprehensive response to the sovereign debt crisis. Joseph Daul, EPP Group Chairman
06/07/2011	Economic Crisis: pushing forward European integration is the response to the crisis. Othmar Karas MEP and Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP
30/05/2011	Pushing forward EU integration is necessary response to crisis. Othmar Karas MEP and Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP
15/03/2011	Growth cannot be bought: Crisis Committee meets with national Parliaments. Frank Engel MEP and Othmar Karas MEP
09/12/2010	The Impact of the Crisis on the New Member States - Non-Eurozone New Member States. Iliana Ivanova MEP and Othmar Karas MEP

POLICY

The Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis was established to provide detailed analyses and recommendations for measures to be taken to support a global recovery.

For the EPP Group, the economic crisis was the opportunity to shape change and transform Europe to be in line with our core values - freedom, solidarity and responsibility - and for placing citizens at the forefront of our actions.

We believe in fostering job creation and teaching new skills to re-integrate the unemployed into the labour market. We believe in balancing financial support for the economy with keeping debt at a manageable level. We believe in supporting SMEs, the motor of the European economy, with short-term financing and reducing the administrative burden. Our growth must be sustainable, integrating low-carbon and digital technologies and generating efficiency gains.

Concrete EPP Group proposals on, for example, EUROBONDS, the financing of the EU 2020 Strategy, taxation and education were all included in the final Report which was adopted by an overwhelming majority of the Strasbourg Plenary on 6 July 2011, representing a major success for the EPP Group.

The report proposes, amongst other things:

• an increase of at least 5% for the EU's next long-term budget framework (Multiannual Financial Framework, or MFF) compared to the 2013 level
• for cohesion and agricultural spending, the level should be "at least maintained" for the next budget period
• R&D and innovation, as well as energy and transport, have been identified as fields where a substantial increase in EU investment will be necessary
• a comprehensive new structure for the next MFF with four major subheadings under a single "Europe 2020" heading
• a number of innovative ideas as regards flexibility in the next MFF, including the possibility of transferring unused margins and appropriations to the following MFF year
• a strong wording on own resources, calling for an in-depth reform of the EU financing system with the introduction of genuine own resources in order to replace the GNI-based system. A feasibility study on a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) is proposed.

The final vote has shown a very strong majority aligning itself around an ambitious vision of the role of Europe and the set of concrete proposals to tackle the crisis; these were mainly EPP Group proposals discussed and negotiated at length with the other groups in a very cooperative spirit, but without giving up the line set in the EPP Group thematic papers.

Thematic papers:
	Economic Exit Strategies: Financial and Monetary Aspects, SMEs, Innovation and New Opportunities for Sustainable Growth. Regina Bastos MEP
	The contribution of cohesion policy to the economic recovery: linking crisis exit policy with long-term growth and structural change. Danuta Hübner MEP
	The spread of the crisis to the real economy and on the EU's public finances. Alain Lamassoure MdPE
Reference documents:
	Statement by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy at a press conference before the G20 summit in Seoul, 11 November 2010
	'State of the Union' address, Strasbourg, 7 September 2010. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
	Political Guidelines for the Commission 2009 - 2014. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
	Consultation on the future EU 2020 strategy