Brussels, 20/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 21 June, there will be the first meeting of the High Level Task Force on Skills and Mobility, recently set in place by the European Commission. Composed of members from economic, professional, trade union and academic circles, it will give concrete substance to one of the initiatives announced by the Commission in its February communication on "New European Labour Markets, Open to All, with Access for All".
The approach developed in the communication, which aims to eliminate the obstacles to mobility and to attain high levels of competence by 2005, was endorsed in March by the European Summit of Stockholm. The main missions of the Task Force will be: 1) identification of the main characteristics of the new European labour markets, mainly concerning skills (supply, demand, shortage of skills at various levels - national, regional and sectoral, etc. - and permanent training) and mobility, including the role of third country nationals. Emphasis will be placed on skills in the field of new information technologies and communication as well as on the basic and intermediary skills required for taking part in the new economy; 2) identification of the main obstacles to development on each labour market, in particular, concerning skills and mobility, and the identification and the exploitation of interesting experience in this connection, mainly in the United States; 3) the recording of political initiatives required so that the new labour markets are opened and made accessible for all in 2005, and the establishment of recommendations for the implementation of these initiatives at national and European levels.
The Task Force will present its report at the end of the year. On the basis of this report, the Commission intends to elaborate an action plan proposing new initiatives with a view to allowing everyone to have real access to the new European labour markets in 2005.