Statement by Catherine TRAUTMANN (S&D, FR) on the European Elections 2014.

statement

Strasbourg

European election

2014 European elections (T)

TRAUTMANN, Catherine (S&D, FR)

European Elections 2014: statement by Catherine TRAUTMANN (S&D, FR)

SOUNDBITE (French), Catherine TRAUTMANN (S&amp;D, FR), "For the upcoming legislature, I think that it's essential to do a social step because the distance between citizens and EU has become maximal. We can see it with the abstention rate but almost with the increase of populism and the National Front in my own country, France. It is a real danger; a way to divide the society and, this is people who have never proved in the UE any initiatives in favour of people who are really in difficulties."

SOUNDBITE (French), Catherine TRAUTMANN (S&amp;D, FR), "So, I expect a lot from this social step: a minimum salary in all EU but also a revision of the directive concerning the posting of workers. These are two points which were in the centre of the resentment of French people and who considered that EU were most hostile than useful. I tried in this campaign to show that a closed EU was useful too by the regional founds which need to be maintained, and also by the youth's guarantee whose has to be increased and to be addressed to the whole of young persons under 25, because I think that the unemployment of young people is a deny of future for the whole EU."

SOUNDBITE (French), Catherine TRAUTMANN (S&amp;D, FR), "I will finish by saying that if, in this year of commemoration, we could see what Europe has achieved, I mean, peaceful years, and succeeding social peace. And if populists and nationalists are too many in this Parliament, they risk of course disturbing a certain numbers of essential and political choices. It will be also a challenge and connexions between different MEPs and everybody who wish that Europe being reinforced and, for my country, France, may its take its place in the new challenges: interior and exterior securities, political exterior, in short, some democratically advances."