06/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 1 April on the initiative of Vladimir Spidla (and in compliance with Article 138§2 of the Treaty), the Commission launched its first consultation of social partners at a Community level on the “simplification of provisions in the health and safety at work directive”. In this document, the Commission proposes that social partners are consulted on the possible approach to adopt on the scope of rationalisation. Is a single report needed for all the existing directives on health and safety issues at work or are specific reports needed for each of the directives but subject to the same deadlines? What should the deadlines be for setting up and sending the national reports to the Commission: 5 or 6 years? Should this exercise cover all the existing directives on health and safety at work for workers or be confined to those in the obligations to report to the Commission? What should the measures be for ensuring a homogenous and equivalent contribution from social partners to the national partners?