Brussels, 19/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - At its meeting in Brussels on 18-19 June, the European Council restated the huge importance given to social issues, including the matter of workers' rights. The financial crisis having become an economic crisis which imparted on employment, the EU has been trying for some months to respond to workers' fears for their future. The employment summit in Prague set out definite action to tackle the rise in unemployment and the European Commission presented its communication on a “Shared Commitment for Employment” involving social partners and civil society stakeholders. “This communication was discussed at length by heads of state and government, principally with reference to the co-financing by member states of the European Social Fund (ESF),” Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy told press. “The Commission idea is that this co-financing, in place for the crisis period, would be abolished in 2009-2010. There wasn't full agreement on this point, but we are leaving the transposition of the Commission text for later. This text makes great commitments because it proposes €19 billion acceleration. No decision was reached on co-financing, then, but the policies are there and they will be turned into concrete action,” he went on.
Workers' rights/Social policy. With their approval of the “Solemn Declaration of Workers' Rights and Social Policy”, heads of state and government restate the great importance the EU attaches to social progress and the protection of workers' rights; public services as key instruments for social and regional cohesion; the responsibility of member states for the delivery of education and health services; the essential role and wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in providing, commissioning and organising services of general economic interest. In doing so, the Council underlines the importance of respecting the overall framework and provisions of the EU Treaties.
It points out that the Treaties, as modified by the Treaty of Lisbon, establish an internal market and seek to work for the sustainable development of Europe based on balanced economic growth and price stability; highlight the EU's values and recognise the rights, freedoms and principles set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in accordance with Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union; aim to combat social exclusion and discrimination, and to promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and protection of the rights of the child; oblige the EU, when defining and implementing its policies and activities, to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health; include, as a shared value of the EU, the essential role and the wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in providing, commissioning and organising services of general economic interest as closely as possible to the needs of the users; do not affect in any way the competence of member states in providing, commissioning and organising non-economic services of general interest; provide that the Council, when acting in the area of common commercial policy, must act unanimously when negotiating and concluding international agreements in the field of trade in social, education and health services, where those agreements risk seriously disturbing the national organisation of such services; and provide that the EU recognises and promotes the role of the social partners at the level of the European Union, and facilitates dialogue between them, taking account of the diversity of national systems and respecting the autonomy of social partners.
Employment. The European Council called for increased effort, stressing that the fight against unemployment remains a major priority: although action in this area is a matter for member states, the European Union has an important role to play in providing and improving the common framework required to ensure that measures taken are coordinated, mutually supporting and in line with single market rules. The Prague summit discussed the measures set out in the Commission communication on the “Shared commitment for employment” to “alleviate” the employment and social consequences of the crisis. The Council welcomed the Commission communication on the “shared commitment” which turns the above priorities into initiatives that can be supported by the European Social Fund. The Council felt, lastly, that in the current situation, “flexicurity” is an important means of to modernising labour markets. It says, inter alia, that social protection systems and social inclusion policies must play their role as automatic economic stabilisers. (G.B./transl.rt)