Brussels, 23/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 24 October, the European Commission will be using the written procedure to adopt two reports connected with the Lisbon strategy job creation and growth targets. The first outlines action to increase pressure on undeclared work in the EU, while the second details the outcome of the public consultation exercise on the Commission's Green Paper on updating labour law to take on the challenges of the twenty-first century. A general summary of the two reports follows:
Combatting undeclared work in the EU. In its report, the European Commission illustrates the options for learning from best practices already implemented in various EU27 member states. It describes the main characteristics and forms of illegal (undeclared) work in the EU27 following a special Eurobarometer survey in the third quarter of 2007. The poll revealed massive differences from one member state to the next. Undeclared work is mainly found in southern and central countries of the EU but is also common among students, the self-employed and unemployed people where there is often cash-in-hand work.
To tackle the problem of undeclared work, the European Commission suggests taking action in several domains. It believes that despite progress on issues like the taxation of low wages, taxation on labour needs to be reduced, along with administrative barriers like temporary measures restricting the mobility of workers from the new EU member states (the Commission says such measures prevent people from declaring work). It urges the member states to take account of undeclared work when they decide how to implement flexicurity, and for the social partners (employers and trade unions) to agree on tangible measures in their joint work programmes to tackle undeclared work. The Commission believes effective surveillance and anti-fraud measures will be the main components of such an overall strategy and calls for greater cooperation among the bodies responsible for employment and social security institutions in the member states.
Ending the public debate on updating of labour law. When it adopted its Green Paper on updating labour law on 22 November 2006, the European Commission launched a public debate in the EU on how labour law might support the Lisbon strategy, in other words how labour law could help ensure sustainable growth and lead to the creation of more and better quality jobs. The Green Paper gave rise to more than 450 reactions from interested parties (national governments, regional authorities, national parliaments, European and national social partners, non-governmental organisations, companies, academics, lawyers and individuals). The report, published on Wednesday, will explain the outcome of the consultation exercise and summarise the views expressed. The responses underline the importance of labour law as an important tool in the management of human resources, and its capacity to give staff and members of the public the feeling of security in a rapidly changing world where capital and technology find it easy to move around the world.
In the near future, the Commission will work with the member states on the prospects of the European Council of December 2007 adopting conclusions on common principles for flexicurity (due to be adopted by the Employment, Social Affairs and Health Council in Luxembourg on 5 December 2007). The Commission will be following up on the social partners' joint analysis of challenges facing European labour markets (challenges examined at the tripartite social summit in October 2007, see EUROPE 9525) in order to decide on the outlines of a programme and promote an integrated approach to the implementation of principles based on flexicurity. In 2008, the European Commission will arrange measures to continue examining issues raised in Wednesday's report against the wider backdrop of flexicurity.
With the adoption of this report, the Commission has set out several areas where deeper cooperation, legal clarity and better information are required, namely: 1) preventing undeclared work and tackling the black economy, particularly in cross-border situations; 2) promoting the development and implementation of lifelong learning to improve job security throughout one's working life; 3) interaction between labour law and social protection rules in order to improve the effectiveness of transition between jobs and viable social protection systems; 4) clarifying the nature of industrial relations to promote understanding and facilitate cooperation throughout the EU; and 5) clarification of the rights of obligations of those involved in outsourcing to ensure workers do not lose entitlement to their rights. (G.B.)