Brussels, 23/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The employment situation in Europe is improving. If one were to believe Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, “growth in Europe has never been so good. Despite the fact that there are currently 17 million unemployed in the EU, this is progress compared with two years ago when there were 25 million. Another plus is that by 2008, 8 million additional jobs will have been created”. It was with these words that the Commissioner introduced the debate by EU Social Affairs and Employment Ministers, who met in Brussels on Thursday, under the chairmanship of Franz Müntefering (see EUROPE 9372). In order to continue this improvement, ministers endorsed some fifteen key messages for the European Spring summit. Among these is the need to modernise the European social model, to ensure better working of the labour market through “flexicurity”, to enhance social cohesion, to modernise pensions systems and social protection systems, to combat child poverty, and to guarantee access for all to long-term and high quality health care.
To take forward the social objectives, “you need comprehensive social policies. … The European Social Model is a key element to help citizens meet the challenges of the future … Respecting national differences, Europe has an important and pro-active role to play,” said Portuguese Minister and forthcoming EPSCO Council President José Vieira Da Silva, presenting the joint Portuguese and Finnish contribution to the debate. “In all our countries, social cohesion and high quality social protection are very important to citizens. Maintaining and strengthening them is also necessary for the EU's social legitimacy. The only sustainable way to achieve these objectives is in close connection to economic and employment goals, as it was emphasised in the Lisbon Strategy in 2000, and also in the revision of 2005,” he added. Among the key messages, Portugal and Finland particularly supported the following: - increasing the adaptability of European firms and employees; - guaranteeing a high quality of life for an ageing population; - recalibrating national social models by setting minimum social standards and investing in these models and their component parts: social dialogue, active employment and life-long learning policies. The Slovenian minister, Marjeta Cotman, who will take over the presidency of the Council after Portugal, highlighted the interdependence of social inclusion, employment and competitiveness policies, and said that, in 2008, the Slovenian presidency of the EU would continue the work on flexicurity and the European social model. To boost employment, we had to “avoid mass exclusion from the labour market, assist access to the labour market, enhance mobility throughout life and ensure flexicurity,” said the chairman of the employment committee Maartin Camps. To combat poverty, “the top priority”, the chairwoman of the social protection committee, Elise Willame, called for “the implementation of global strategies on access to high quality education, housing and recognition of the rights of the child”.
“Putting the emphasis on child development and reducing the school drop-out rate by 10%” were key for Ireland. “We must not lose sight of the need for all European policies to be anchored in social policy, for social policy to have higher visibility, to be felt more by citizens,” France said. “Our reforms must not make our workers assistance cases,” the Czech Republic warned, adding that it was essential to “reconcile family and working life”. For Austria, “we must continue to be more competitive, to boost employment and flexicurity is the right way”. Italy stressed the need for minimum social standards at European level. Spain emphasised “coordination between the employment, social protection and economic policy committees”. Luxembourg stressed “three priorities: an approach based on the life cycle, the fact that no one should be marginalised from the labour market and investment in training”. Modernisation of social and employment policies was at the heart of Romanian and Hungarian concerns. The United Kingdom argued for “a social Europe which gives strong support to citizens” and called for “more social justice and social cohesion”. The balance between the social and economic areas, combating child poverty, the need for adequate pensions systems and respect for social values were points raised by Malta and Belgium.
In conclusion, Mr Müntefering noted in particular that (1) the European social dimension was a common objective, “even though we know that social affairs is a national matter”; (2) poverty and social exclusion, particularly of children, was a very great problem. “Economic issues play an important role on these points in our countries and we should return to them in the EPSCO Council meeting of 30-31 May.” (gb)