Brussels, 09/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 9 October, the European Parliament called for increased efforts in tackling undeclared work and the parallel economy which, to different extents from one member state to another, “damage the economy, leave workers unprotected, are detrimental to consumers, reduce tax revenue and lead to unfair competition between undertakings”. In adopting the report by Antonio Panzeri (479 votes to 50, with 47 abstentions), the EP expressed its “deep concern” at the extent of undeclared work “which accounts for as much as 20% or more of GDP in some member states”.
MEPs want Community action to combat undeclared work to be “more pro-active and incisive” in order to ensure that the modernisation of labour law in the EU is not confined to the purely theoretical level, but is transformed into effective, high-quality policies. The Commission is called on to: - submit proposals for developing a set of generally accepted methods for measuring undeclared work (based on a grid of data broken down by gender and sector); - develop a “pilot tool” for member states based on good practices which exist in some member states aimed at curbing undeclared work by making it less attractive (through simplification of administrative requirements on employers, attractive tax rates for employers and tax exemption). The EP also recommends that the EU play a more significant role in cooperation and coordination between labour inspectorates by improving the funding and technology use by inspection services. Lastly, member states which brought in transition measures to limit the free movement of workers in the EU are asked to open their labour markets to workers from the new member states. (L.C./transl.rt)