Brussels, 11/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 10 March, employment ministers reached a principled agreement to revise the Council's 2003 decision on the tripartite social summit framework. The procedural follow-up, however, will take more time than envisaged.
As highlighted by Commissioner Laszlo Andor (employment and social affairs), this is a rather cosmetic review because it involves revising the 2003 decision mainly from within a “technical and limited” perspective, by adapting the Lisbon Treaty and different developments that have occurred in EU political priority areas (EUROPE 2020 Strategy). Consensus was reached to undertake this but the review will not take place under the Greek Presidency of the Council and it will probably be necessary to wait until mid- 2015.
The legal basis establishing the tripartite social summit is Article 352 of the TFEU, which requires unanimity at the Council. Germany, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom have said that they want to maintain a parliamentary reservation but that they agree with the contents of the review. The United Kingdom, however, will not be able to lift its reservation before May 2015. This will at least provide the European Parliament with sufficient time. It now has to approve this principled agreement of the Council but it will not be able to do so under the current legislature.
This revision will only slightly change the way in which these summits function. They will take place “at least twice a year”, before the European Council spring and autumn sessions, as is already the case. In 2003, a single annual meeting was planned. The other changes to the 2003 decision mainly reflect the changing life of the European institutions - the fact that there is now a president of the European Council and that the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE) no longer exists and has been replaced by BusinessEurope. (JK)