Brussels, 01/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - After the successful Employment and Social Affairs Council, Roberto Maroni made a positive report to reporters of the meeting, highlighting three initiatives decided upon, namely the European health card and the directive on electromagnetic fields agreed at the 22 October Council meeting in Luxembourg, and the unanimous political agreement of this Council over Regulation 1408/71 on coordinating social security systems (without the annexes, see above). The chair of the meeting also enabled progress to be made in undeclared work, immigration, the disabled, companies' social responsibility, the European Social Fund and pensions.
The six months of the Italian Presidency will end with two major events - at the end of next week a closing conference will be held in Rome on the European Year of the Disabled (attended by Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou) and in a little under a fortnight, a conference on working off the cards will be held in Catania.
The employment and social affairs ministers of the enlarged EU were addressed on Monday by Wim Kok during their working lunch, who briefed them on the results of his work and the Employment Task Force he chairs (see EUROPE of 27 November, p.12). The President of the Council, Roberto Maroni, said the conclusions of the Social Troika would be adopted at the 11 December Social Summit in ahead of the European Council, as agreed by the Italian, Irish and Dutch Presidencies. The conclusions would then be transmitted to the 12 and 13 December European Council. Maroni said the ministers agreed that the European Growth Initiative and the Employment Strategy would be merged, and the Kok report would strengthen the European Employment Strategy set out in Lisbon (and updated this year).
Congratulating the Italian Presidency on progress achieved, Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou said that EEC Regulation 1408/71 was not an intrument for harmonising systems, a did not give rise to new rights, but ensured citizens could benefit from the measures they were entitled to wherever they were. This was important, she said, for freedom of circulation and labour mobility. The annexes and applciation regulations now have to be agreed upon, the Commissioner explained, noting that the legislation could come into force in 2006. The Commission will present a new draft to the EP, hoping the Parliament will approve it by 1 May 2004, ahead of the June European elections. The European Commission would then unveil (in the autumn) a document setting out details of how the health card will operate, added Ms Diamantopoulou.
Stefania Prestigiacomo, Italian equal opportunities minister, thanked Anna Diamantopoulou for her commitment to equal opportunities. Ms Prestigiacomo said Monday's Council meeting had approved indicators of women's participation in the business world and had addressed the issue of violence against women (the subject of a series of seminars in Italy).
The Council also reached agreement on funding the Daphne II programme (tackling violence against women, teenagers and children). It has been granted EUR 50 million, as requested by the EP. The programme will now go to the EP for a second reading and may be formally adopted in 2004.
The Italian minister noted that the Council had unanimously approved a resolution on human trafficking, calling on all EU countries to pull the stops out to combat this scourge. She commented that more than 120,000 women arrive in Europe every year and end up being exploited, some as prostitutes. She urged countries to follow Italy's example and decide to sign the Palermo Protocol.