Labour MEP Prof Edward Scicluna last Tuesday (26th June 2012) called for European governments to give higher priority to policies aimed at improving the quality of life during a key-note speech at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.
He told delegates that “the economic crisis has forced us to re-assess the traditional methods of policy-making and how we want to report on the state of our people’s well-being.”
Prof Scicluna was delivering the key-note speech at the OECD, which is the world’s leading economic think-tank. The conference on “Measuring well-being and fostering the progress of societies” convened around 300 politicians and economists from across Europe. EU Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Semeta and Eurostat director-general Walter Radermacher were among the other high-profile speakers.
Prof Scicluna, who was speaking on behalf of the Parliament as Vice-Chairman of the ECON committee, told the audience that with economic growth likely to be slower than in previous decades, politicians needed to at the GDP and beyond.
Prof Scicluna said: “Politicians often measure their success on the economy by looking solely at the strength of GDP. But people measure their quality of life by a number of factors aside from their wealth and income. Healthcare, good education, a clean environment, the quality of public services and opportunities for their family, matter more to them than the GDP.”
He concluded that: “Capturing quality of life is not as straightforward as economic production but is one of the biggest challenges facing politicians and society.”
Prof Edward Scicluna fl-OECD: Il-Gvernijiet iridu jħarsu lill ‘hinn mill-Prodott Gross Domestiku
L-Ewroparlamentari Laburista l-Professur Edward Scicluna sejjaħ lill-gvernijiet Ewropej biex jagħtu prijorita akbar lil dik il-politika li hi mmirata biex itejjeb il-kwalita tal-ħajja waqt diskors li għamel f’konferenza organiżżata mill-Organiżazzjoni Għall-Koperazzjoni u l-Iżvilupp Ekonomiku (OECD) nhar it-Tlieta 26 ta Gunju f’ Parigi.
Hu qal lid-delegati preżenti li “l-kriżi ekonomika sfurzatna nagħtu ħarsa sew lejn il-metodi tradizzjonali ta’ policy-making u l-mod ta kif irridu nirrapurtaw fuq il-kwalita tal-ħajja taċ-ċittadini tagħna.
Prof Scicluna kien qed jagħmel id-diskors ewlieni fl-OECD li hija l-akbar think-tank ekonomiku fid-dinja. Il-Konferenza fuq “it-tkejjil tal-kwalita tal-ħajja u l-progress tas-soċjetajiet” laqqgħet madwar 300 xjentisti soċjali minn madwar l-Ewropa kollha. Il-Kummissarju Ewropew dwar it-Tassazjoni Algirdas Semeta u d-Direttur Generali tal-Eurostat Walter Rademacher kienu fost il-kelliema oħra ewlenin ta din il-konferenza.
Il-Professur Scicluna li kien qed jirrapreżenta lil Parlament Ewropew bħala l-Viċi-President tal-Kumitat għall-Affarijiet Ekonomici u Monetarji, qal li fid-dawl tal-fatt li hemm ċans tajjeb li t-tkabbir ekonomiku għal futur ikun inqas min dak li kien fid-deċenju l-ieħor, il-politici jridu jaraw li l’hinn mill-Prodott Gross Domestiku.
Prof Scicluna qal: “Il-politiċi ta spiss ikejlu is-suċċess ekonomiku tagħhom billi jħarsu biss lejn is-saħħa tal-Prodott Gross Domestiku. Pero n-nies ikejlu il-kwalita tal-ħajja tagħhom permezz ta numru ta fatturi li jmorru li l’hinn mill-ġid u l-flus. Is-saħħa, l-edukazzjoni, l-ambjent nadif, il-kwalita aħjar tas-servizzi pubbliċi u opportunitajiet ikbar għall-familji tagħhom huma aktar importanti għalihom mill-Prodott Gross Domestiku’.
Hu kkonkluda billi qal: “Li wieħed ikejjel il-kwalita tal-ħajja mhuwiex xi proċess sempliċi bħat-tkejjil tal-produzzjoni ekonomika pero hija l-ikbar sfida li qed jiffaċjaw il-politiċi u s-soċjeta in ġenerali.”