The 460th EESC Plenary Session on Lisbon Strategy and Internal Market, integration and social agenda and Sectoral Councils for employment and skills
The 460th Plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee held in Brussels on 17 and 18 February 2010 discussed and adopted the following opinions relevant to the business and employers:
INT/480 Lisbon Strategy and Internal Market
The Lisbon Strategy’s goal is to make Europe the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion and respect for the environment by 2010. After the 2005 revision national governments took ownership of their own national reform programmes and are conducting a yearly review of progress achieved on the set goals of sustainable development. Although the objectives will not be achieved by the target date of 2010, better governance at European level should help the achievement of the short-term actions required. The next review of the Lisbon Strategy is now overdue. However, the Council is set to dedicate its Spring session to take decisions in this regard. The Commission document on “Consultations on the Future ‘EU 2020’ Strategy” provides a good basis for decision.
The EESC therefore urges the EU Commission and Member States to take the necessary important and decisive steps for the completion of the Single Market whilst safeguarding and further developing economic, social and environmental standards. The EESC emphasises the intrinsic link between the Lisbon Strategy and the Single Market notwithstanding the difference in the models of governance between the two. A dynamic Single Market is both a pre-requisite and a support for a successful ‘EU 2020’ strategy.
The EESC recommends a change of strategy and attitudes by Member States on Single Market rules and would like to see the following improvements:
- Better rules: It is fundamental to have more transparent and unequivocal regulation that can be administered better at a low cost and without a loss of time for business and the citizen at large. These principles need to be followed to facilitate cross-border activities. At the same time it is obvious that the problems in the financial markets, the need of a greener economy and a strengthening of the industrial and service sectors to take into account demographic change, require a new approach. Better rules do not mean automatically less rules or de-regulated markets, but they must create the necessary conditions to help remove protectionist attitudes and competing regimes that give unfair advantage to some Member States. The rules should take into account economic and social conditions whilst achieving a level playing field for enterprises, ensuring more cohesion and guaranteeing social justice and encouragement for the free movement of human and financial resources.
- Better implementation: Rules should be transposed uniformly in all Member States with one consistent interpretation and the least exceptions. Mutual recognition in non-harmonised areas must be improved.
- Better supervision: As the guardian of the Single Market, the EU Commission’s authority should be strengthened. Supervision and enforcement could be better coordinated by the creation of a single point of reference in each Member State to exercise authority and be held responsible to the EU Commission for uniform application of Single Market rules.
- More cross-border cooperation, information and rapid complaint handling systems: Mutual trust and understanding need to be built between the responsible authorities of Member States by creating a stronger working relationship between them. The networks already established by the EU Commission should serve as a basis for cooperation provided these are made operational in all Member States to protect and inform citizens. A fully functioning network provides effective surveillance and will drastically reduce imports not conforming to EU standards from third countries, both to enhance product standards and consumer safety and to provide a level playing field for EU industry.
- More justice for citizens: Judicial enforcement of Single Market rules will be improved if the judiciary has sufficient knowledge of Community law and if clear principles are laid down so that the four freedoms and collective rights of employees will not be in conflict. A clarifying resolution to this effect could perhaps take the form of a protocol to the Treaty.
- The continuation and strengthening of the Single Market monitoring exercise: The best ways of approaching the design and implementation of better regulation and policy are expected to come out of this exercise. These approaches will be pragmatic and address specific issues at country and market levels. This exercise should also investigate and tackle reported barriers to trade within the Single Market.
- Prioritising Single Market issues: EU priorities should be reviewed for the coming years because outstanding matters in the Single Market agenda might be hampering progress on the Lisbon goals.
- In particular, it is important that the Services directive is implemented in full compliance with the spirit and rules of the Single Market. An important problem in this regard is that there still is no free movement of labour from some of the Member States in the last enlargement. Effective and clear implementing rules are needed for the proper application and achievement of the goals of the Posting of Workers Directive, namely fair competition between enterprises, respect for the rights of workers and avoidance of social dumping.
- One of the problems of the Single Market and the EU is that wages and labour conditions have become a factor of competition. Protection of standards in the labour market will become more important and have to be part of the new EU 2020 Strategy.
- The Single Market stimulates unnecessary and environmentally harmful transport over long distances. That is in contradiction with increased demands to the policy of the environment and sustainable development.
- The EESC supports the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of Environment and had the occasion to present its opinion underlining the need to internalise external costs to set prices right, recognising the cost of inaction and the value of eco-system services.
SOC/362 Integration and social agenda
As an institution that is strongly committed to promoting and developing the Social Policy Agenda and fostering the integration of migrants and ethnic minorities, the European Economic and Social Committee has decided to draw up this own-initiative opinion in order that the EU may strengthen the links between its integration policies and the Social Policy Agenda.
2010 will be a very important year for social policy in the EU: it will be the European Year of Combating Exclusion and Poverty, the post-2010 Lisbon Strategy will be drawn up, and a new Social Agenda will be adopted.
The EESC believes that the 2010 review of the Social Agenda should take greater account of the social effects of immigration.
As immigration/integration and the social agenda fall within the remit of different Commissioners and different Directorates-General, the EESC proposes that political and administrative cooperation within the European Commission be improved.
Integration policies must be linked to the main objectives of EU social policy; thus, all people – including third-country nationals, EU citizens from immigrant backgrounds and minorities – will be able to benefit from them. Moreover, the fight against social exclusion should be geared towards all people, including immigrants, whether they be EU citizens or third-country nationals.
The EESC considers it a priority to strengthen integration at European level, taking account of the economic crisis, the situation of immigrants and minorities in terms of employment, social inclusion, gender equality, poverty, education and training, healthcare, social protection and the fight against discrimination.
CCMI/068 Matching skills: Sectoral Councils for employment and skills
The European Economic and Social Committee notes with great interest the details of the idea of setting up sector councils on employment and skills at European level. In the Committee's view, appropriately organised and managed sectoral councils involving various stakeholders should provide crucial support in the process of managing sectoral changes and, in particular, anticipating the development of the situation in terms of employment and skills needs and adapting skills to supply and demand.
The Committee is convinced that European sectoral councils (ESCs) could support the management of sectoral changes and help meet the goals of the "New skills for new jobs" initiative and would be useful when decisions are taken concerning sectoral changes at European level.
Following an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages considered in a feasibility study of the political options for the various council formats, the Committee is inclined towards supporting the concept of sectoral councils based on the European social dialogue. Sectoral councils could benefit substantially from contact (according to principle of cooperation) with the structures of the European sectoral social dialogue and their political activities.
In the Committee's view, the activities of the European sectoral social dialogue committees could serve as an operational model for the ESCs.
Vladimíra Drbalová
International Organisations and EU Affairs
Member of the EESC
