French Socialist Pervenche Berès was replaced by British Lib Dem Sharon Bowles at the head of the Economic Committee. Now head of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Berès states her new aims to beat the crisis.

The Interview: Liberals and Socialists play musical chairs for committees

Pervenche Berès, hello   and welcome to EuroparlTV.

You are a French MEP   from the Socialist Party.

of the Employment   and Social Affairs Committee.

Until now, you were chairing   the Economic and Monetary Committee.

It's not the same competences   nor the same ambition.

Two different committees,   but aren't the challenges the same?

You're right. When we look at the scale   and the multiple aspects of the crisis

the crisis first appeared in the financial   and economic sector

but today we are faced   with an unemployment crisis.

So the link between the two is essential.

For me it is an honour   and also a great responsibility

I hope I will be able to use   in the Employment Committee

some of the experience I have acquired   whilst chairing the Economic Committee.

Rumour has it you'll still be dealing   with economic affairs

of the future sub-committee   that will deal with the crisis.

What will be your contribution   to this subcommittee?

The purpose of this special committee   isn't to analyse the past,

I think a lot of academic people   have dealt with this issue,

but MEPs want to look at how we can get   the EU back on its feet after the crisis

and what the lessons that can be   drawn from it are.

I think there is a great coherence   between the two committees.

What strikes me is the fact   that employment is seen as an extra

and not dealt with   as a central economic issue.

If we deal with economic issues   whilst taking employment as an extra,

we don't give ourselves the means   to prioritise the employment issue.

With nearly 28 million unemployed   in the EU, the issue can't be ignored.

can't afford to just sit   and do nothing about it.

We need a proactive policy   and look back at what happened.

In the past, we always thought   that through growth plans,

Today, we're reached the dawn   of a new model

and a reassessment of our objectives   in terms of energy and climate in the EU.

But we mustn't assume that employment   comes as a natural extra.

We must come up with strategies   which aim at creating employment

and we cannot sit and watch the EU   sink into a long-term scenario

or even sink into a recession,   with such a high unemployment rate.

Your parliamentary committee has just   been set up, like the other committees,

but you now need to wait for   the EU Commission's legislative agenda,

and this might not come   before some time.

What do you expect from   this social legislative agenda?

After having gone through the files   of the Employment Committee,

I know the issues that need tackling.   -Which ones?

In particular, programmes   aiming at encouraging microcredit,

which is crucial, we all know that,   to stimulate employment,

which can create wealth   and employment prospects.

There is a proposal which was rejected   by the former Parliament,

regarding truck drivers, which the new   Parliament will have to tackle again.

The main thing is to wait   for the agenda of the new Commission.

There will be traditional approaches,   which are very important indeed,

regarding working conditions,   working time etc.

in which this Parliament   will have a crucial role to play:

the social responsibility of business,   or business governance.

Its aim is to make businesses operate   in a way that takes more into account

the status of employees   in the managerial structure,

and maybe leads to decisions that are   less short-term oriented and financialised.

I'm confident this Employment   and Social Affairs committee

will be able to use   the work of its predecessors

to demand certain measures   from the EU Commission.

Before the EU elections,   the Parliament adopted a financial tool

to help employees affected   by various relocations

There will be more money available   to help people retrain.

A social Europe is possible, so what are   the concrete measures ahead of us?

You're referring to the Globalisation Fund   which was made more flexible recently.

to make it more independent   from national budgets.

That's an area where the Employment   Committee has a role to play,

on top of validating programmes   which are implemented.

The challenge   is to convince Member States

that even during a period   of national economic hardship

it is in our best interest   to finance these programmes.

If the Lisbon Treaty   is implemented one day,

one of its social clauses,   the horizontal clause,

to see to it that future laws   don't jeopardise

fundamental social rights in the EU.   That's a good thing.

It's essential.   It deals with the hierarchy in the EU,

and the current precedence of internal   market laws over other laws.

We saw with the Viking and Laval rulings   of the European Court of Justice

that the precedence of the internal market   could jeopardise social rights.

We need to re-establish   a different hierarchy

and the socialist group,   to which I belong,

is asking from the future Commission   a commitment on these issues,

whatever happens with the Lisbon Treaty,   which we hope will soon be ratified.

Pervenche Berès, thank you.   -Thank you.