Brussels, 14/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The first volume of the Social Europe booklet on jobs and skills was published by the European Parliament on Monday 12 September. This biennial publication aims to explain “policy actions and instruments at EU level” and “provides examples of best practices from EU member states” with regard to the European 2020 strategy. The objectives of this strategy are reaching a 75% employment level, a rate of 40% completing higher education, reducing early school leaving by 10% and helping at least 20 million people escape from poverty and social exclusion. These objectives are all the more ambitious given that the economic and financial crisis appears to be endless and is currently hitting Europe and the rest of the world hard. Economic prospects are not, for the time being, disastrous but they do indicate a rather modest recovery in terms of job creation. For this reason, it is imperative that the indications in the Social Europe booklet be applied in an effort to improve the situation or at least prevent a general rise in unemployment in the EU. In its fourth chapter, The Way Ahead, the booklet offers an illustration of the main orientations that the EU and its member states should follow in employment management policy. They centre around three different categories: (1) Making work more attractive. One priority set out by the EU27 is to encourage people excluded from the labour market or who are in a vulnerable situation, such as young people or so-called “low-income” workers, to reintegrate into the world of work. The ways ahead advocated by this guide to promote integration call on the respective governments to lower income tax as a way of promoting job creation, as well as increasing flexibility at work via providing appropriate provisions for workers, such as crèches. (2) Getting the unemployed back to work. Unemployment benefits should be sufficiently adapted to encourage a return to work, whilst providing appropriate support that at the same time helps protect jobseekers' qualifications. (3) Balancing security and flexibility in the labour market. In certain states, the absence of flexible labour contracts is damaging the labour market by discriminating against the unemployed and temporary workers. The Commission considers that flexible employment terms are a major challenge. On the other hand, in order to achieve the objectives set out in the 2020 strategy, the Commission booklet for a social Europe is proposing to set up an “agenda for EU employment policy up to 2020”. This consists of five component parts: - boost entrepreneurship, social dialogue and further strengthen the link between employment and economic policy; - increase productivity of the workforce; - encourage employment-intensive growth; - good quality jobs for all; - building inclusive labour markets, with opportunities for all. Given the diversity of the EU's national markets, these proposals are more appropriate for certain markets than for others but there is a common problem. One in 10 people of the active population in the EU is without work. Without there being any miracle solution, these indications point towards what way ahead should be pursued in order to best attempt to reconcile economic constraints with a sense of social justice. The booklet is free and available at the following website: http://www.ec.europa.eu/social/main. jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=6041&visible=1. (J.K./transl.fl)