Effects of crisis

Municipal employers and trade unions are deeply concerned about current economic and social developments in the EU, as these undermine the provision of public services, especially by local and regional authorities,.which are faced with a steadily decreasing allocation of resources.

Such was voiced by the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the Employers Platform of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR-EP) in a joint statement on the impact of the economic crisis on the local and regional public service. This statement comes following the Euro Summit of the Council of the EU meeting, held on 26 October 2011.

Anders Hammarback, president of the EPSU Standing Committee for local and regional government, reminded that 'due to the cuts, unprecedented restructuring in local and regional government is ongoing in some countries of the European Union, with staff reductions and pay cuts while at the same time national social dialogue is undermined in the countries concerned".

EPSU and the CEMR-EP also recall the skills needed to successfully reform the local and regional government sector.

Steve Comer, chair of CEMR's Employers Platform, stressed: 'while we are observing strategies on how to improve training and education for the highly-skilled, we should not forget that due to demographic changes we need to better value certain skills, and notably with regards to child and elderly care."