Brussels, 04/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - In addition to the progress already mentioned (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7), Monday's Employment and Social Policy Council noted information from the Presidency on the results of the European Council of Barcelona on 15 and 16 March and of the Social Summit that met the day before the Summit to allow social partners to make a regular contribution to the evolution of European social policy. The Council also adopted two resolutions on:
1. The new Community strategy on health and safety at work 2002-2006. The Council gives a positive welcome to the Commission's communication and above all invites: a) the Member States to define and implement coordinated, coherent prevention policies that are adapted to national realities, by fixing measurable objectives in this context for the reduction of accidents at work and work-related illnesses, and to encourage the emergence of a real prevention culture, especially by incorporating fundamental principles of prevention in educational programmes; b) the Commission: to include in the scoreboard of the social agenda actions to be conducted for implementation of this strategy and to fix a timetable for accomplishing such action, to promote cooperation between Member States and social partners at European level and to integrate the relevant elements for implementation of the strategy into the annual summary report presented to the Spring European Council ; c) social partners to promote and diffuse at the work place the correct application of work-related risk prevention principles, especially through sector-specific social dialogue at every level.
2. Skills and mobility. In order to achieve the employment objectives defined by the Lisbon and Stockholm Summits, the Council insists on the need to promote mobility by offering better access to employment services, strengthening the importance of education and lifelong learning, and promoting active programmes for the labour market geared to the specific needs of disadvantaged groups. It above all calls on the: a) Commission to analyse the interaction between migration, employment and social policies at European level taking the national labour market situations into account, to present a proposal with a view to adopting a European health insurance card and to assess application of the plan of action regarding skills and mobility in the context of the annual report to be presented at the spring summit; b) the Member States to promote effective access by adults, whether employed or seeking work, to continuous vocational training and, where necessary, to improve transferability within the EU of social security rights, including pension rights; c) social partners to finalise initiatives with a large training component to allow workers to enter their labour market, to stay there and to make progress there, in conformity with their national traditions and customs, and to take part in information campaigns on mobility in order to improve the image of the sectors and trades affected by a labour shortage.
Finally, the Council: - noted the information given by the Presidency, the Commission and various delegations on taking gender into account in EU policies; - noted the report on social welfare 2002, the first part of which is focused on the main trends of social welfare spending and the second describes the recent developments in this respect in Member States; - noted Presidency information on the results of the 2nd world assembly on ageing. The Presidency invited the Commission and the Member States to reflect upon coordinated follow-up of action to be undertaken with a view to the European regional plan to be adopted by the ministerial conference scheduled for September, in Berlin.
In conclusion to the work, Anna Diamantopoulou presented proposals with a view to a directive concerning the working conditions of temporary workers (the debate was recently launched at the EP: see EUROPE of 11 May, p;14), and a recommendation on the application of the health and safety legislation for self-employed workers (see EUROPE of 18/19 June 2001, p.18). A resolution on this recommendation is expected at the Employment and Social Policy Council in October.