Following in Trump's footsteps

EU candidate Schieder calls for a “Europe First” pact

The red EU top candidate Andreas Schieder(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

Europe has fallen behind politically and economically in recent years of crisis. The SPÖ is now proposing a "Europe First" pact for growth, jobs and security of supply in the EU election campaign. Of course, the Social Democrats do not want to draw this comparison, but their proposal is strikingly reminiscent of Donald Trump's America First policy.

The EU Commission should create a legal basis to ensure that European companies are given preference in public tenders in future, says Schieder in an interview with Die Krone. He points out that Europe is currently dependent on imports, particularly from China, for the production of medicines, for example.

Facts

The two antibiotics "penicillins" and "cephalosporins" account for around 80 percent of the antibiotics used worldwide. China has specialized in the production of these drugs and has entered into a price war against European products.

With a market share of 32%, China was the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world in 2018. And the trend is rising sharply: in 2013, China's share was still 26.5 percent.

Europe is lagging behind in many areas
According to Schieder, Europe has also failed to pursue an innovative industrial and location policy in the area of key technologies in recent years. Here too, production and know-how have been relocated to China. 85 percent of all solar panels worldwide are produced in China, for example.

"If Europe wants to become competitive in the medium term, a number of measures must be implemented as a matter of urgency. The aim is to make Europe a top industrial location and leading labor market again by investing in the production of strategic goods," demands the SPÖ MEP.

85 percent of all solar panels come from China(Bild: Netz NÖ/Wurnig)

The red proposals in detail:
- Establish production facilities for sustainable technology
- Promote green jobs: Promote knowledge and expertise in future technologies through special training and measures to qualify employees for jobs of the future
- Make public investments in key technologies
- Financial support to introduce renewable energies across the board

"Without a change of course, the welfare state is at risk"
"We want 'Europe first' instead of 'Made in China'! This means prioritizing investment in Europe so that we create the jobs of the future here - and not in Asia. The USA and China are passing us by and we are losing touch. This endangers our European model of the welfare state," warns Schieder.