Brussels, 02/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - In addition to the communications presented on Wednesday 2 July on the circular economy and on the green action plan for SMEs (see other articles), the European Commission also unveiled its initiative for green employment. “Our goal is to put employment at the heart of the 'green agenda' and better coordinate employment and green growth policies to ensure that labour market policies and tools support this structural transformation of the economy”, Commissioner Laszlo Andor explained to the press.
He said that the potential of these new proposals in terms of jobs is considerable: “This implementing legislation on waste prevention and management could create more than 400,000 new jobs and the review of the legislation adopted today could create an additional 180,000 jobs, which all together brings us close to 600,000 newly created jobs, in the foreseeable future”. One of the greatest challenges will be to promote the emergence of these jobs and to accompany workers in this structural transformation. This will require the member states to focus their employment policy and employment market tools to integrate them in the broader domain of environment, climate and energy policies.
The green employment initiative focuses on this objective, through an “integrated framework” which includes several recommendations to the member states: - supporting worker training on the new skills of the green economy; - ensuring professional transitions and promoting mobility; - shifting taxation onto pollution and promoting entrepreneurship, social enterprises and green public procurement; - improving the monitoring and analysis of the impact of the green economy on the employment market as part of the European semester process; - including social partners in the debate and the implementation of these policies; - reinforcing cooperation with international institutions.
The Commission stresses that these new jobs will be “quality ones”. “Green jobs are among the fastest growing and the most resilient of the European economy”, stressed Commissioner Connie Hedegaard (Climate). “Instead of being outsourced, local skills are being sought in sectors like energy efficiency of buildings, pipe insulation, recycling and innovative renewable technologies”, she added.
In an interview with EUROPE, the adviser of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Benjamin Denis, was eloquent in his praise for this initiative. “For the first time, a document which constitutes an alternative to 'short-termist' policies focusing on austerity” has been put forward, he said. He welcomed the fact that the question of employment is central to the green agenda and that many references to decent employment, the need for training and re-qualifying workers and the importance of social dialogue have been made in the communications of the Commission. However, the lack of any new European funding and investment is to be regretted, he said, going on to add that this reflection work on the circular economy should have been carried out before the adoption of the multi-annual financial framework 2014-2020. (JK)