15/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - Last Friday, the Council adopted an amending Regulation (EC) No 517/94 on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third countries not covered by bilateral agreements, protocols or other arrangements, or by other specific Community import rules. The changes introduced into the Regulation concern: committee procedure, updating of the import document for Community surveillance purposes; the authorisation to electronically transmit import authorisations; and the adaptation of the name of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
(EU) EU/SOCIAL: Informal Kolding Council confirms need to establish clear strategy to combat poverty and rapidly set tripartite social Summit in place - EU must help candidate countries to establish social dialogue and conflict settlement
Kolding, 15/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in Koldring on 12 July under the joint presidency of Henriette Kjaer and Claus Hjort Frederiksen, the ministers (and/or their representatives) for Social Affairs and Employment of the Fifteen (as well as two EEA representatives, namely Norway and Iceland) discussed points raised the day before by the social Troika and the representatives of both sides of industry and the organised civil society. They also decided to reformulate the objectives of fighting social exclusion and ensuring that Member States implement the strategies decided in this field through a number of improvements to the national action plans (NAPs). "It is necessary to set a clear strategy in place and see what road should be taken to fight against poverty", commented Henriette Kjaer, the Danish Minister for Social Affairs and Equal Rights, after the work. She set out the following results of the "lively, committed" debate that day, namely that all ministers want to: (1) rally all regional levels and relevant actors to involve everyone in this fight and to avoid duplication at social level with the European employment strategy; (2) accelerate efforts for guaranteeing social inclusion. In the NAPs, it is indispensable to include targets and to establish certain indicators, calling for a certain amount of caution; (3) ensure, in the context of EU enlargement, that the aims of fighting social exclusion may be achieved in the candidate countries; and (4) integrate gender equality in employment policy. "Women are more at risk than men with respect to social exclusion, especially older women with a smaller pension than men or women who live alone with children to look after", stressed Ms Kjaer; and (5) greater transparency, openness and diffusion on what is happening with regard to social inclusion.
Regarding reflection begun the day before with European labour and management and the representatives of the European social platform, the Danish Employment Minister, Claus Hjort Fredriksen, noted that ministers unanimously agreed social partners must be more actively involved in the European process. He noted that the ministers: (1) were delighted with the agreement on teleworking (to be signed on Tuesday 16 July) "as this will help us all to achieve the aims set by the Lisbon Summit"; and (2) expressed the hope that Member States would act with the regional and local authorities but also with the corporate sector. "It is in the interest of us all to have closer social dialogue with both sides of industry to hear their experience on the ground so that it is easier to see where things are going wrong", said Mr Frederiksen; (3) hope to step up their effort to help the candidate countries "where there is no great social tradition" in order to set social dialogue structures and a conflict settlement structure in place. As far as the question of investment in human resources is concerned, the minister said that an idea had arisen from the debate (at a suggestion from the British delegation), namely that the EU must create a super alliance at world level on employment after the "image of football", namely that, in football, you have to train to become a good player, train regularly and learn to play in different positions in order to get to the top. The Ministers believe this is also true of work in companies, concluded Mr Frederiksen.
Referring to a recent Eurobarometer study, Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou noted that 75% of young Europeans consider the top European priority must be employment and the fight against unemployment, and, secondly, the fight against social exclusion and poverty. This demonstrates the political importance of this Council, Ms Diamantopuolou said. She pointed out that: - all ministers agreed a tripartite social Summit for growth and employment should be set in place at the end of the half year (see EUROPE of 27 June, p.9), which is a "very important breakthrough for social dialogue"; - the ministers noted the importance of increasing public and private investment in human resources.
Violence against women
Furthermore, during an informal briefing with a number of journalists, Henriette Kjaer recalled the importance that she grants to the social and economic aspect of the fight against poverty, as well as to local and regional actions. On the basis of what was decided at the Nice Summit, the society must be made an inclusive society with indicators so that everyone has the possibility of integrating the labour market, especially women by procuring child-minding facilities for them, for example, she commented. Presenting the priorities of her Presidency (see EUROPE of 10 July, p.12), Ms Kjaer pointed out she wanted to develop indicators - both quantitative and qualitative - against violence against women.
The Spanish Presidency had concentrated on three types of violence - domestic violence, sexual violence and violence at work. Following this order of priorities, explained Kjaer, the Danish Presidency has decided to attack the scourge of domestic violence and to this end they were going to develop eight indicators: 1) the number of women victims of violence (register of patients, statistics of victims, crime and the population) and databases of information about women victims of violence (age, marital status, nationality, education and relation to attacker); 2) the number of men committing violence (crime statistics) and databases with information about age, marital status, nationality, education and relation to victim); 3) victim support (crisis centres, counselling, hotlines and hospital admissions); 4) counselling for perpetrators of violence and aid (crisis centres, counselling for men and rehabilitation programmes in prison); 5) police and country-specific initiatives (national action plans to combat domestic violence, police initiatives (special police units); 6) staff training (social workers, health workers and police); 7) research and information; and 8) legislation (on crime and equal opportunities).
Teleworking and the disabled
The President of the European Parliament' Social Affairs Committee Theodorus Bouwman (Green/EFA, the Netherlands) regretted that civil society representatives (social umbrella groups, the poor, youth and disabled organisations) hadn't been able to take part in the discussions with the European social partners (trade unions and employers) on teleworking. Regret was also expressed by the President of the Danish association of the disabled, Sting Langvad, who pointed out that teleworking allows the disabled to join the labour market. He said they wanted to enter negotiations with the social partners over this issue to express their needs, adding he was virtually certain specific disabilities had not been covered by the agreement to be signed on Tuesday and that they would like to have a say to ensure their needs were taken into account.