Brussels, 21/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - "Social and Labour Market Policies: Investing in Quality" - such is the theme of the conference to be held on 22 and 23 February in Brussels, that will make an "informal" contribution by the European Commission to the preparation of the Stockholm Summit. Work will be opened by Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou, and by Swedish Minister for Industry, Employment and Communications Mona Sahlin, and MEP Luigi Cocilovo. Dean Baker (Centre for Economic and Policy Research, Washington) will present the American and international experiences. Inger Olsson (Director of Work Life 2000) will give a report on the conference organised by the Swedish Presidency on the "quality of work" (from 22 to 25 January in Malmö) and Werner Sengenberger (ILO Director) will speak of the ILO "Decent Work" programme. Work will be based on four round table debates on the following subjects: 1) Does Europe spend too much or too little on its social policies? 2) How far do investments in human resources impact on the distribution of incomes and quality of jobs, as well as the level of employment? 3) Are quality social policies (employment, social protection, inclusion and equal opportunities) mutually reinforcing; 4) Is there a "quality dynamic" and does a higher rate of employment go hand in hand with better economic and social performances? Furthermore, the Belgian Social Affairs Minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, will give an address, on Thursday afternoon, and, on Friday, Odile Quintin (Director-General of Employment and Social Affairs at the European Commission) will draw the conclusions of the conference.
With a view to the preparation of the summit on 23 and 24 March in, Stockholm, the Commission should next week adopt, at the initiative of Commissioners Viviane Reding (education), Anna Diamantopoulou (employment) and Frits Bolkestein (internal market) in agreement with President Romano Prodi, a document entitled "the new employment markets".
Furthermore, Anna Ekstrom, Secretary of State at the Swedish Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications, told the press in Stockholm: "We think the summit should set intermediate goals, for example 67% overall and 57% for women, by 2005".