Brussels, 19/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption on 14 July, by 40 votes in favour, 2 against and 7 abstentions, of the report by Csaba Öry (EPP, Hungary) on the guidelines on employment, the employment/social affairs committee of the European Parliament is calling:
A) On the member states to: 1) reduce unemployment rates and raise the employment rate to 75% by 2020, by setting themselves the goal of full employment and paying particular attention to the most vulnerable groups. An EP press release stresses that the parliamentary committee has added sub-targets to the proposal of the Commission, as follows: - the proportion of women and men aged between 15 and 24 in education, in training or carrying out professional activities should reach at least 90%; - the employment rate should rise by 10% by 2014, targeting specific groups such as young people aged between 15 and 24, workers aged between 50 and 64, unqualified active women, people living with disability and immigrants; 2) high minimum standards must be guaranteed for the quality of jobs, in order to eradicate poverty among workers. The member states should set their own national targets in order to reduce by 25% the number of Europeans living below the national poverty lines, which would allow 20 million people out of this situation, paying particular attention to the growing group of poor workers, the EP states in a press release.
B) On the Commission to set in place legislative proposals for atypical forms of employment such as part-time work, precarious employment, temporary work and fixed-term employment.
The text will be voted on at the first plenary session of September in Strasbourg. The Belgian Presidency of the EU will formally adopt guidelines for employment in October. (G.B./transl.fl)