Brussels, 05/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - Meeting on Tuesday under the presidency of Mona Sahlin, the Council on Employment and Social Policy will, as already pointed out, examine the future of pension systems in Europe and will prepare the European Summit of Stockholm (see EUROPE of 2 March, p.6). We give below additional details on:
1. Open debate on "Safe and sustainable pensions and pension schemes - a new area of European cooperation?" This first discussion at ministerial level on this issue should give political legitimacy to the work already accomplished within the context of the Social Protection Committee. In a report on which discussions will be based, the Swedish Presidency asks: What should be the basic principles underlying safe and sustainable pension systems?, How can European cooperation in this area be further enhanced? What role could the open method of coordination have in this regard? The Ecofin Council and the Commission will approve a joint report, to be addressed to the Stockholm Summit, on the contribution of public financing to growth and employment. An important element of the report will be the impact of demographic change, mainly on pensions.
2. Policy debate on the preparation of the European summit of Stockholm. The Council will have several documents on its table (see below). At the close of the debate, the conclusions of the Presidency will be published and then forwarded to the European Council. In its report, the Employment Committee mainly expresses reservation about how useful it is to adopt intermediary objectives at EU level for employment rates as proposed by the Commission (that is, 67% in general and 57% for women), and approves the more voluntary approach adopted in the guidelines for employment. The Committee very positively welcomes, moreover, the initiative of creating a Task Force on Competence and Mobility. The Social Protection Committee considers in its report that the ten priority actions set out by the Commission do not sufficiently reflect the general balance that should be struck between economic and social policies, and that social inclusion should have been the subject of an 11th priority action. Finally, the Committee welcomes the importance granted to the impact that an ageing population will have on pensions, but regrets discussions will be restricted to financial sustainability.
3. Employment Committee work programme 2001. The Committee will focus on the preparation of the "employment" package and will be involved in the impact evaluation of the European Employment Strategy 2002. It will also take part in the preparation of the European summits of Stockholm and Gothenburg, mainly with contributions to the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, to the Commission's Synthesis Report and to the Employment and Sustainable Development Strategy. It will assist in the implementation of the Social Policy Agenda. The Council notes this programme.
4. Social Protection Committee work programme 2001. Here also, the Council will note the programme of the Committee, which plans to meet once a month. Its main tasks will consist of launching the open method of coordination in the area of social inclusion, and pursuing the review of pensions reform in collaboration with Member States. It will also work on developing indicators as a basis for measuring progress in the fight against poverty and social inclusion, ,as well as on the modernisation of social protection.
5. Community incentive measures in the field of employment. Ministers will seek to reach an orientation for a common position on the proposal for a decision, opening the road to financing cooperation between Member States for analysis, research and follow-up of labour market policies. (See EUROPE of 26 July 2000, p.12).