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Dreptul Economic Şi Social European: Prof - Univ.dr. Doina Balahur
Dreptul Economic Şi Social European: Prof - Univ.dr. Doina Balahur
Dreptul Economic Şi Social European: Prof - Univ.dr. Doina Balahur
european
1
Tematica generală a cursului
Webografie
Modalităţi de evaluare
3
f) În confruntarea cu probleme de o asemenea anvergură s-a conturat ideea
unei soluţii comune adoptate la nivel european în încercarea de a salva
Modelul Social European. Unii au propus chiar realizarea unui sistem
puternic centralizat care ar reproduce principalele elemente ale modelelor
sociale naţionale la nivel european Acest sistem ar pune la dispoziţia Uniunii
mecanisme de reglementare, şi şi de adoptare a deciziilor comparabile cu
acelea ale statelor membre.1
g) Cei care au au crezut că acţiunea la nivel european ar putea fi soluţia s-au
confruntat cu o serie de probleme. Prima aducea în prim plan rezistenţa
statelor de a ceda Uniunii competenţele în materia politicilor sociale (Statul
bunăstării a reprezentat o sursă majoră de legitimare a guvernelor
naţionale; relaţiile guvernelor cu sindicatele, reprezentarea muncitorilor la
nivelul management-ului companiilor fac parte integrantă din cultura
politică a celor mai multe naţiuni europene; În aceste circumstanţe nu este
greu de înţeles rezistenţa opusă faţă de tentativele de "europenizare" în
domeniul social)
h) Un alt tip de obstacole au fost reprezentate de dificultatea de a elabora un
cadru comun al politicilor sociale, datorită marii diverităţi de practici şi
instituţii existente în fiecare Stat membru. În timp ce se pot constata o
serie de trăsături comune ale Modelului Social European, prezente în toate
cele 15 state membre, modelul este implementat în modalităţi foarte
diferite, printr-o mare varietate de structuri instituţionale şi reglementări
juridice. În consecinţă, posibilităţile unei reglementări uniforme la nivel
european sunt limitate/ şi costisitoare.
1
Această versiune puternică a fost unul dintre idealurile larg împărtăite în anii 70. Ea nu s-a
materializat niciodată. În ciuda eforturilor realizate de Comisia Delors de a pune Modelul Social
European in centrul politicilor europene, rezultatele au fot modeste; Există anumite progrese în
unele domenii ale politicii sociale europene, dar, pe total, rolul Uniunii în domeniul social este
limitat. Tratatul de la Maastricht extinde autoritatea în anumite domenii ale relaţiilor
industriale dar în condiţiile în care politicile sociale cad în prmul rând in sarcina statelor
membre.
4
s-a concretizat într-o nouă strategie şi mecanisme de guvernare care
folosesc metodele de drept slab (soft law methods) pentru a lega între ele
nivelul european şi cel naţional / local de managemet al problemelor sociale.
Acest nou demers de guvernare este numit "metoda deschisă de
coordonare" (open method of coordination)
5
Uniunii Economice şi Monetare. Această propunere a fost respinsă.
Alte demersuri -cum ar fi reglementarea directă la nivel european, aşa cum era
în mod tradiţional înţeleasă- au fost de asemenea respinse.
6
Ocupare a forţei de Muncă (European Employment System).
7
• Consiliul European va adopta norme directoare (guidelines) pe care Statele
trebuie să le implmenteze în politicile de ocupare a forţei de muncă;
8
particulare în afaceri şi dezvoltarea unui sistem de taxe şi impozite care
favorizează crearea unor noi locuri de muncă;
c) Politicile de adaptabilitate (Adaptability -policies) vizează creşterea
flexibilităţii pieţii forţei de muncă şi a oraganizării muncii ;
d) Politici de promovare a egalităţii şanselor (Equal Opportunities -policies)
femeilor şi bărbaţilor pe piaţa forţei de muncă.
Fiecare axă cuprinde între 3-7 reguli directoare.
Implementarea Strategiei Europene de ocupare a Forţei de Muncă implică mai
multe etape :
(Vezi tabelul de mai jos
PROCESUL Luxembourg: STRATEGIA EUROPEANĂ DE
OCUPARE A FORŢEI DE MUNCĂ (EES)
A) Dezvoltarea unei D) Consultarea cu partenerii sociali şi G) Monitorizare şi supraveghere-În
teorii - În scopul societatea civilă- Pe măsură ce EES se fiecare an Comisia monitorizează
dezvoltării unei strategii implementează Comisia are obligaţia de implementarea Regulilor de către
de creştere a gradului de a consulta Parlamentul European , Statele Membre. Ea foloseşte în acest
ocupare a forţei de Comitetul Economic şi Social, Comitetul scop :Planurile Naţionale de Acţiune,
muncă Comisia are Regiunilor şi Comitetul pentru Ocuparea Rapoartele de implementare, precum şi
nevoie de o teorie care Forţei de Muncă, înainte de a face propriile sale cercetări realizate în
explică factorii care publică versiunea finală a regulilor scopul evaluării concordanţei cu
împiedică creşterea directoare (guidelines), precum şi Regulile Directoare. Pe baza acestor
gradului de ocupare a reprezentanţii societăţii civile evaluări, Comisia poate propune
forţei de muncă Consiliului anumite Recomandări care
trebuie făcute statelor membre (ele
sunt aprobate pe baza votului
majorităţii calificate)
B) Identificarea E) Aprobarea Regulilor Directoare-
Statului cu Primele Reguli Directoare au fost
Rezultatele şi prezentate spre aprobare Consiliului
Practica cea mai European la summitul special asupra H) Raportul Comun asupra
bună (best practice) - ocupării forţei de muncă de la Ocupării Forţei de Muncă -La
În căutarea unei soluţii Luxenbourg în 1997. În anii care au sfârşitul ciclului anual Comisia şi
Comisia a încercat să urmat, Regulile Directoare şi Raportul Consiliul realizează un Raport Comun
identifice Statul cu Comun asupra Ocupării forţei de muncă asupra Ocupării Forţei de Muncă în
cele mai bune rezultate au fost analizate de Consiliul European Uniune şi asupra implementării
în scopul integrării din luna decembrie. Regulile sunt apoi Regulilor Directoare de către Statele
practicii pozitive în adoptate prin votul majorităţii calificate Membre.
strategie. al Consiliului asupra problemelor
Sociale şi de Muncă (care urmează după
Consiliul European din Decembrie)
C) Propunerea
Regulilor Directoare F) Implementarea Regulilor la Nivel I) Noul Ciclu- În timp ce Raportul
(Guidelines) - Naţional- După ce Regulile sunt Comun este în curs de redactare, se
Regulile Directoare aprobate, fiecare Stat membru realizează Regulile Directoare pentru
indică acţiunile care realizează un Plan Naţional de Acţiune anul următor -iar ciclul annual
trebuie realizate de (NAPs) care implementează Regulile reîncepe. într-un asemenea moment
Statele Membre în în politicile naţionale de ocupare a Comisia îşi revizuieşte teoria cu privire
scopul modificării forţei de muncă la factorii care împiedică creşterea
politicilor naţionale de
gradului de ocupare a forţei de muncă
ocupare a forţei de
în UE, identifică noile practici bune
muncă. (good practice) dezvoltate la nivelul
statelor membre, şi îşi modifică 9
propria sa perspectivă strategică (A-B)
Avantajele strategiei Luxembourg de ocupare a forţei de muncă:
10
b) Dezvoltarea unor sisteme active de asistenţă a şomajului (More Active
Unemployment System). Sistemul pasiv de asistenţă a şomajului conduce la
deteriorarea deprinderilor, nu încurajează căutarea activă a unui loc de
muncă, şi nu furnizează servicii de reconversie profesională celor care caută
un loc de muncă.
11
normă, etc), structura şi varietatea personalului (femei, bărbaţi), să
sprijine muncitorii care vor să-şi schimbe cariera profesională şi
compania la care lucrează. Această nouă flexibilitate trebuie încurajată
prin introducerea unor mecanisme care garantează muncitorilor
securitatea socială.
12
Noua etapă în care a intrat Europa după intrarea în vigoare a Tratatului de
la Maastricht a impus, aşa cum am subliniat mai sus, reconsiderarea strategiei
de realizare a „unei Uniunii din ce în ce mai strânse” (an ever closer Union).
In noua etapă metoda comunitară tradiţională de integrare prin intermadiul
legislaţiei şi al controlului exercitat de Curtea Europeană de Justiţie nu mai
răspunde adecvat problemelor şi obiectivelor Uniunii.
Consiliul European de la Lisabona, din 23-24 martie 2000, a analizat
provocările cu care se confruntă Uniunea în contextul proceselor globalizării şi
a evidenţiat dificultăţile economice şi sociale cu care se confruntă Europa în ce
priveşte absorbţia şomajul de lungă durată, creşterea ratei de ocupare a forţei
de muncă, dezvoltarea mai rapidă a sectorului serviciilor, etc. În cadrul
sumitt-ului de la Lisabona, Consiliul European a propus un nou obiectiv
strategic pentru următoarea decadă : „ Uniunea trebuie să devină cea mai
dinamică şi competitivă economie din lume, capabilă de creştere economică
durabilă cu locuri de muncă mai multe şi mai bine plătite şi o mai mare
coeziune socială”
Strategia Lisabona (revizuită) vizează2 :
- Pregătirea tranziţiei la o societate şi economie a cunoaşterii prin
reforme structurale necesare promovării competitivităţii şi
inovaţiei;
- Realizarea unei creşteri economice anuale de 3%.
- Modernizarea modelului social European şi combaterea excluderii
sociale; reforma sistemului de protecţie socială pentru a face faţă
problemelor legate de îmbătrânirea populaţiei.
- Liberalizarea pieţelor transporturilor şi energiei, etc.
2
http://www.esc.eu.int/lisbon_strategy/ ( A New Start for Lisbon Strategy)
13
1) Elaborarea unui set de reguli directoare, de către Comisia Europeană,
care stabilesc obiective pe termen scurt, mediu şi lung;
2) Stabilirea, acolo unde este posibil, a indicatorilor cantitativi şi calitativi
precum şi a unor standarde de evaluare în scopul identificării practicii
bune;
3) Transferul regulilor directoare la nivelul politicilor naţionale şi regionale,
în diferite sectoare şi domenii de activitate;
4) Monitorizarea, evaluarea şi revizuirea periodice în scopul stimulării
procesuluide învăţare;
Noua Metodă Deschisă de Coordonare se caracterizează prin câteva
particularităţi :
14
tradiţiile şi practicile lor administrative, de rutină, ceea ce face ca
învăţarea din experienţa altora să fie doar o situaţie de excepţie,
realizată eventual în momente de criză. Metoda Deschisă de Coordonare
stimulează învăţarea în toate momentele aplicării şi evalurii ei.
15
depinde de controlul pe care–l are asupra acestor domenii, MDC a fost nu
numai acceptată dar şi cerută de către statele membre (în majoritatea
domeniilor enumerate mai sus). De exemplu, domeniul protecţiei sociale -
dezvoltarea sa pe termen lung- a devenit o problemă majoră în majoritatea
statelor Europene. Ameninţările determinate de intensificarea competiţiei
fiscale într-o piaţă Europeană integrată şi de economia globală au impus
treptat necesitatea reformelor şi introducerea unor mecanisme care asigură o
minimă coordonare între ţările Europene.
Între motivele care justifică acceptarea unei convergenţe minime, recursul la
schemele flexibile de coordonare apare ca un compromis între o serie de
probleme comune tuturor Statelor membre (şomaj, îmbătrânirea populaţiei,
etc) şi dorinţa guvernelor de a menţine un anumit grad de control asupra unor
domenii şi mecanisme pe care le consideră esenţiale pentru viitorul lor politic.
Un alt tip de motive ţine de valoarea simbolică a strategiei Lisabona. După ce
au investit capital politic în unificarea monetară, guvernele de stânga, social-
democrate (aflate la putere în majoritatea ţărilor Europene la sfârşitul anilor
90) au dorit să-şi reafirme preocuparea pentru problemele sociale. În acest
context, a fost profitabilă politic dezvoltarea unei metode care împrumută
vocabularul şi instrumentele Uniunii economice şi monetare (obiective comune,
criterii de convergenţă, evaluare periodică, etc) dar nu şi cadrul inflexibil
reglementat de Tratatul de la Maastricht de monitorizare a îndeplinirii criteriilor
de convergenţă. Această preocupare pentru echilibru, foarte influentă în
perioada negocierii Tratatului de la Amsterdam, a rezultat în adoptarea unui
nou capitol (VIII) asupra ocupării forţei de muncă.
Metoda deschisă de coordonare face parte din seria unor noi instrumente care
întrerup tradiţia demersului legislativ caracteristic etapei de realizare a Pieţei
unice. În cadrul noii etape obiectivul este “more Europe - but a different
Europe”.
* * *
16
II) CELE PATRU LIBERTĂŢI ÎN UNIUNEA EUROPEANĂ. LIBERA
CIRCULAŢIE A MĂRFURILOR. SOCIETATEA COMERCIALĂ EUROPEANĂ
17
7.) Subvenţii şi sprijin financiar din partea statului acordat unor industrii sau
întreprinderi naţionale (Art.92-94)
Uni jurişti apreciază că, în fapt, Comisia a considertat că este un caz bun
pentru a provoca Curtea Europeană de Justiţie să se pronunţe, pentru prima
oară, cu privire la definiţia "obligatiilor fiscale care au acelaşi efect cu taxele
vamale". O astfel de definiţie era nu numai importantă dar şi necesară
deoarece perioada de tranziţie (aşa cum era ea prevăzută de art.8 din Tratatul
asupra Comunităţii Economice Europene) se apropia de sfârşit. Deşi, oficial
taxele vamale fuseseră eliminate un important număr de schimbări mai
trebuiau realizate în scopul liberalizării efective a comerţului între statele
membre.
Alte puncte de vedere apreciază că ambiţia Comisiei a mers chiar mai departe -
respectiv de a deschide dezbaterea asupra necesităţii evoluţiei dreptului care
reglementează libera circulaţie a mărfurilor în cadrul ordinii juridice
comunitare. Pornind de la acest caz, practic, pe parcursul a cinci generaţii
fundamentarea doctrinală a pieţei comune s-a schimbat de la accentul pe
eliminarea barierelor în calea liberei circulaţii a mărfurilor (şi serviciilor) spre
un demers al cărui nucleu central este reprezentat de interzicerea oricărei
discriminării, a protecţionismului şi a oricărui alt obstacol nejustificat în calea
unui comerţ liber.
18
vamală în sensul strict al termenului, constituie o încălcare cu efecte
echivalente celor descrise în art.9, 12, 13 şi 16 din Tratat, chiar dacă nu este
impusă în beneficiul statului, nu este discriminatorie sau protectivă în efecte şi
chiar dacă produsele cărora li se aplică nu intră în competiţie cu nici un produs
intern.
Cele două definiţii ale obligaţiilor şi măsurilor care au efect echivalent cu acela
al taxelor vamale şi al restricţiilor cantitative au reprezentat un regim juridic
distinct care a contribuit la eliminarea obstacolelor nejustificate în calea
comerţului între statele membre. Aceste măsuri au reprezentat nucleul pieţei
comune.
19
considerând că orice obstacol în calea unui comerţ liber contravine
obiectivelor Tratatului şi trebuie să fie justificat (dacă nu înlăturat).
1.) Una dintre ele se referă la conflictul potenţial dintre interpretarea restrictivă
a art.363 şi politicile sociale ale statelor membre "care nu puteau rămâne la
stadiul anilor 60". În speţă, s-a pus problema introducerii unor măsuri
legislative în scopul protecţiei consumatorilor, al conrolului evaziunii fiscale,
etc - măsuri care nu erau prevăzute expres de.art.36
3
În acord cu .art.36, "prevederile art.30/28 şi 34/29 nu vor exclude restricţii sau interdicţii la
importul şi exportul de mărfuri, sau la tranzitul de mărfuri justificate pe temeiul moralei
publice, politicii sau securităţii publice; al protecţiei sănătăţii şi a vieţii oamenilor, a animalelor
şi a plantelor; protecţia patrimoniului naţional cu valoare artistică, istorică sau arheologică;
protecţia proprietăţii industriale şi comerciale. Asemenea restricţii sau interdicţii nu vor
constitui un mijloc de discriminare arbitrară sau de tratament preferenţial camuflat în comerţul
dintre statele membre.
20
armonizării legislaţiei în materia liberei circulaţii a mărfurilor. Cazul Cassis a
oferit răspuns la primele două probleme
21
referitoare la producerea şi comercializarea băuturilor spirtoase pe teritoriul
lor.
"Este clar din cele expuse că cerinţele referitoare la conţinutul minim de alcool
al băuturilor spirtoase nu servesc unui scop de interes general care prevalează
asupra cerinţelor referitoare la libera circulaţie a mărfurilor, care constituie una
dintre regulile fundamentale ale comunităţii."
22
"În procesul elaborării deciziei sale, Curtea de Justiţie a opinat că orice marfă
legal produsă şi vândută într-un Stat membru trebuie în principiu admisă şi pe
pieţele celorlate State membre. Normele şi standardele naţionale pot crea
obstacole doar atunci când este necesar să satisfacă cerinţele obligatorii,
cum ar fi sănătatea publică, protecţia consumatorilor, etc. Mai mult, şi acesta
este aspectul esenţial, orice regulă trebuie să fie garantul unor interese a căror
protecţie este justificată. În Cassis Guvernul german şi-a justificat poziţia
referitoare la regula unei concentraţii minime de alcool pe temeiul protecţiei
consumatorilor. Dar Curtea a subliniat că acest obiectiv ar fi putut fi realizat
prin impunerea cerinţei etichetării care să precizeze conţinutul de alcool. "
23
Principiul (testul) proporţionalităţii a fost cel mai adesea folosit de Curte pentru
a determina dacă măsura adoptată de un Stat membru reprezintă într-adevăr
o "cerinţă obligatorie".
b.) Prin elaborarea unor standarde generale ale Comunităţii, lăsând la dispoziţia
organismelor specializate din Statele membre să reglementeze standarde
specifice care însă trebuie să respecte cerinţele generale reglementate la
nivel comunitar.
24
2.) Obligaţia de a elabora specificaţiile tehnice- necesare pentru ca marfa să
poată circula liber- este încredinţată organizaţiilor competente în domeniul
standardizării.
4
Council Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001 of 8 October 2001 on the Statute for a European
company (SE), Official Journal L 294 , 10/11/2001 P. 0001 - 0021; Council Directive
2001/86/EC of 8 October 2001 supplementing the Statute for a European company with regard
25
Cele două texte au făcut obiectul consultării Parlamentului european - în iulie
2001. După consultarea Parlamentului european statele membre vor avea la
dispoziţie 3 ani pentru a adopta măsurile necesare implementării legislaţiei
referitoare la societatea europeană.
¾
Ideea creerii unei societăţi comerciale europene a fost lansată in 1959 la al 57
congres al notarilor francezi. Ea a fost prezentă, în acelaşi an, într-un discurs
inaugural susţinut de prof. Pieter Sanders la Institutul superior de ştiinţe
economice din Rotterdam.
În 1966 P.Sanders -împreună cu alţi cinci experţi din ţările membre- a elaborat
un proiect de Statut al societăţii anonime europene. Proiectul preciza că este
vorba de a oferi comercianţilor care operează în cadrul pieţei comune o formă
de organizare care le permite să realizeze tranzacţii pe spaţiul comunitar doar
pe baza cerinţelor economice - fără a fi blocaţi de diferenţele existente între
legislaţiile statelor membre.
to the involvement of employees Official Journal L 294 , 10/11/2001 P. 0022 – 0032. Ambele
au intrat in vigoare la 8 octombrie 2004 (VEZI EXTRAS IN ANEXA)
26
Reluarea discuţiilor asupra SE a fost puternic sprijinită de marile întreprinderi
industriale care desfăşurau activităţi transnaţionale. Ele au promovat o
perspectivă proprie asupra SE văzută ca :
5
"Competitiveness advisory group", Rapport Ciampi (June, 1995)
27
Concluziile Raportului Davignon au contribuit la deblocarea dosarului societăţii
europene:
28
sau japoneze înregistrată conform dreptului unui stat naţional ar putea
constitui o SE prin fuziune, prin constituirea unui holding (SE), etc.
29
a.) istorice: existenţa unui statut anterior;
b.) juridice: preexistenţa un element transfrontalier;
Pe de altă parte, modalităţile constituirii unei SE sunt variate:
- Fiecare SE va avea înscris pe siglă "SA"- la fel în toate limbile- ( provine din
latinescus Societas Europaea) indiferent care este statul de înmatriculare;
- Orice SE va putea şă-şi transfera sediul social într-un alt Stat membru fără
a se dizolva şi fără a trebui să constituie o nouă persoană juridică - chiar şi
în Statele în care un astfel de transfer nu este juridic posibil.
30
Webografie
http://europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment
http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/
http://www.europa.eu.int/constitution/en/lstoc3_en.htm (Partea a IIIa )
Evaluare
On March 22 and 23, 2005 the Heads of State and Government of the EU endorsed the revision of the Lisbon
Strategy as proposed by the Commission.[1] The Spring European Council approved the simplified governance
arrangement with one set of Integrated Guidelines dealing with macro-economic, micro-economic and
employment issues. Taking stock of the unsatisfactory results half way to the 2010 target, the Commission
proposed a fundamental revision of the original strategy. To overcome the rather limited implementation of
reform in Member States so far, the Commission has proposed focusing partnership with Member States on
growth and jobs and introduced a Lisbon Action Plan[2] that outlines actions to be taken at EU and at national
level under three policy areas:
• Attract more people into employment and modernise social protection systems
• Improve the adaptability of workers and enterprises and the flexibility of labour markets
• Invest more in human capital through better education and skills.
The Commission proposal for the integrated guidelines package is mainly based on the priority action areas as
identified in its Lisbon mid-term review. While the macroeconomic guidelines (covering for instance budgetary
policy, reduction of public debts and EMU issues) have no counterpart in the Lisbon Action Programme, the
micro-economic guidelines build on Lisbon action areas (1) to (7), and the employment guidelines build on
Lisbon action areas (8) to (10).
Macroeconomic guidelines
31
• Promote an efficient allocation of resources
• Promote greater coherence between macroeconomic and structural policies
• Ensure that wage developments contribute to macroeconomic stability and growth
• Contribute to a dynamic and well-functioning EMU
Microeconomic guidelines
Employment guidelines
• Implement employment policies aiming towards full employment, improving quality and productivity
at work, and strengthening social and territorial cohesion
• Promote a lifecycle approach to work
• Ensure inclusive labour markets for job-seekers and disadvantaged people
• Improve matching of labour market needs
• Promote flexibility combined with employment security and reduce labour market segmentation
• Ensure employment-friendly wage and other labour costs developments
• Expand and improve investment in human capital
• Adapt education and training systems in response to new workplace requirements.
http://europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/index_en.htm
New annual governance cycle (calendar for the 2005-2006 exercise in brackets)
(autumn 2005)
(Jan. 2006)
Integrated Guidelines
32
(Commission proposal 12 April 2005)
Revision of guidelines,
if necessary
As limited time will have lapsed between the presentation of the national Lisbon programmes in the autumn
and the first Progress Report in January 2006, the Commission will in the 2006 Progress Report mainly
comment on reforms underway across the Union. The first more substantial EU reporting on the actual
implementation of the Member States national reform programmes will take place in the 2007 Annual
Progress Report following Member States presentation of their first national Lisbon report in the autumn of
2006.
The new integrated guidelines constitute the beginning of a new governance cycle and form the basis for
Member States’ national Lisbon/Reform programmes. These will cover a period of three years and will spell
out the action to be taken at the national level in order to achieve the Lisbon objectives of growth and jobs.
While the guidelines will provide the basic structure for the presentation of national Lisbon programmes in the
autumn, they leave sufficient scope for Member States to set national priorities according to their specific
situations. The Commission is preparing a “guidance document” on the presentation and the content of the
national Lisbon programmes. The involvement of relevant stakeholders at regional and national level,
including parliaments, can help to raise awareness of the need for structural reforms, improve the quality of
implementation and increase the sense of ownership of the Lisbon strategy. In order to enhance their internal
coordination, Member States can choose to appoint a national Lisbon coordinator or “Mr/Ms Lisbon”.
[1]
Communication to the Spring European Council: “Working together for Growth and Jobs: A new Start for
33
the Lisbon Strategy”, Brussels, 2 February 2005, COM (2005) 24.
[2]
Companion document to the Communication to the Spring European Council: “Lisbon Action Plan
incorporating EU Lisbon programme and recommendations for actions to member states for inclusion in their
national Lisbon programmes”, Brussels, 2 February 2005, SEC (2005) 192.
At the Lisbon European Council (March 2000), the European Union set itself a new strategic goal for the next decade: to
become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs
and greater social cohesion. The strategy was designed to enable the Union to regain the conditions for full employment and to
strengthen cohesion by 2010. The Council also considered that the overall aim of these measures should be to raise the
overall EU employment rate to 70% and to increase the number of women in employment from an average to more than
60% by 2010.
The Stockholm European Council (March 2001) added two intermediate and one additional target: the employment rate
should be raised to 67% overall by 2005, 57% for women by 2005 and 50% for older workers by 2010. The Barcelona
Council (March 2002) confirmed that full employment was the overarching goal of the EU and called for a reinforced
Employment Strategy to underpin the Lisbon strategy in an enlarged EU.
Building on its experience until 2004, and in complement to the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon strategy, the
Communication from the Commission on the Social Agenda– (COM(2005) 33 final) of February 2005, launched the new
Social Agenda for the period 2006-2010. In order to achieve one of its two priority areas, full employment, the revamped
cycle of the EES under the Lisbon mid-term review envisages a new measure to foster contact with concerned players at all
levels to improve EES governance.
The EES is designed as the main tool to give direction to and ensure co-ordination of the employment policy priorities to
which Member States should subscribe at EU level. On the basis of the new provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty, the
Luxembourg European Council of November 1997 initiated the European Employment Strategy (EES), also known as 'the
Luxembourg process'.
Heads of State and Government agreed on a framework for action based on the commitment from Member States to
establish a set of common objectives and targets for employment policy. This co-ordination of national employment policies
at EU level was to be built around several components:
- Employment Guidelines: following a proposal from the Commission, the European Council shall agree every year on a
series of guidelines setting out common priorities for Member States' employment policies.
- National Action Plans: every Member State shall draw up an annual National Action Plan which describes how these
Guidelines are put into practice nationally.
- Joint Employment Report: The Commission and the Council shall jointly examine each National Action Plan and present
a Joint Employment Report. The Commission shall present a new proposal to revise the Employment Guidelines
accordingly for the following year.
- Recommendations: The Council may decide, by qualified majority, to issue country-specific Recommendations upon a
proposal by the Commission.
In this way, the Luxembourg process delivers a rolling programme of yearly planning, monitoring, examination and re-
adjustment.
6
Europa.eu.int/employment
34
The Added Value of an 'Open Method of Co-ordination'
The EES initiated a new working method at EU level, which was to become known as the 'open method of co-ordination'.
It is based on five key principles: subsidiarity, convergence, management by objectives, country surveillance and an
integrated approach.
- Subsidiarity: The method establishes an equilibrium between European Union level co-ordination in the definition of
common objectives and outcomes, and Member States' responsibilities in deciding the detailed content of action. The
definition of the means and conditions under which programmes and policies are implemented is left to a large extent to
individual Member States, who are responsible for their employment policy under the EU Treaty.
- Convergence: The strategy strives to achieve commonly agreed employment outcomes through concerted action, where
each Member State contributes towards raising the European average performance. This principle has been made more
concrete by the Lisbon European Council and following Councils where full employment was confirmed as an overarching
goal of the Union and tangible targets were set for the Union as a whole.
- Management by objectives: The success of the strategy relies on the use of quantified measurements, targets and
benchmarks, to allow for a proper monitoring and evaluation of progress. These objectives are based on shared values
among the Member States and cover issues which are felt to be of common concern. Progress towards these objectives are
defined either in terms of quantitative or qualitative indicators. Through the use of targets and indicators, the results of
policies are made transparent and therefore open to public scrutiny.
- Country surveillance: The annual reporting leads to the evaluation and comparison of progress made and to the
identification of possible best practice among Member States. This creates peer pressure to improve the quality and
effectiveness of policy. Exchange of experiences and peer pressure are meant to steer policy debate and enhance the
effectiveness of policies.
- Integrated approach: The Employment Guidelines are by no means restricted to active labour market policies but extend
to social, educational, tax, enterprise and regional policies. Structural reforms cannot be obtained through isolated and
dispersed actions or measures, but require consistent and concerted action over a wide range of policies and measures.
These measures need to be tailor made to address diverse needs and conditions. This means that the 'Luxembourg process'
is not 'owned' by the Ministries of Labour and Employment, but calls for comprehensive employment policies committing
Governments as a whole, as well as a wide range of stakeholders
Anexa 3
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Brussels, 12.4.2005
COM(2005) 141 final
2005/0057 (CNS)
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
on the broad guidelines for the economic policies of the Member States and the
Community
(under Article 99 of the EC Treaty)
and a
Proposal for a
COUNCIL DECISION
on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States
(under Article 128 of the EC Treaty)
(presented by the Commission)
35
2005/0057 (CNS)
Proposal for a
COUNCIL DECISION on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article
128(2) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission9,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament10,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee11,
Having regard to the Opinion of the Committee of the Regions12,
Having regard to the Opinion of the Employment Committee,
Whereas:
(1) Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union sets the Union the objective of
promoting economic and social progress and a high level of employment. Article 125
of the Treaty establishing the European Community states that Member States and the
Community shall work towards developing a coordinated strategy for employment
and particularly for promoting a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce and labour
markets responsive to economic change.
(2) The Lisbon European Council in 2000 launched a strategy aimed at sustainable
economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, with long
term employment targets, but five years later the results are mixed;
(3) The presentation of an integrated package of Employment Guidelines and Broad
Economic Policy Guidelines contributes to refocusing the Lisbon Strategy on growth
and employment. The European Employment Strategy has the leading role in the
implementation of the employment objectives of the Lisbon strategy.
(4) In line with the conclusions of the Spring European Council of 22 and 23 March
2005, the objectives of full employment, job quality, labour productivity and social
cohesion must be reflected in clear priorities: to attract and retain more people in
employment and modernise social protection systems; to improve adaptability of
workers and enterprises and the flexibility of labour markets; and to improve
investment in human capital through better education and skills.
(5) The Employment Guidelines should be fully reviewed only every three years, while
in the intermediate years until 2008 their updating should remain strictly limited.
(6) The employment recommendations adopted by the Council on 14 October 200413
remain valid as background reference.
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
The guidelines for Member States' employment policies as set out in the Annex are hereby
adopted.
Article 2
All aspects of the guidelines shall be taken into account in the employment policies of the
Member States and be reported upon in the Lisbon National Programmes submitted annually.
Article 3
This decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels,
For the Council
The President
13 OJ L 326 of 19.10.2004
ANNEXA4
36
workers (55 to 64), and to reduce unemployment and inactivity. Member States should set national employment rate targets
for 2008 and 2010 (Integrated guideline No 16).
Raising employment levels is the most effective means of generating economic growth and promoting socially inclusive
economies whilst ensuring a safety net for those unable to work.
Promoting a new lifecycle approach to work and modernising social protection systems to ensure their adequacy, financial
sustainability and responsiveness to changing needs in society are all the more necessary because of the expected decline in
the working-age population. Special attention should be paid to tackling the persistent employment gaps between women
and men, and the low employment rates of older workers and young people, as part of new intergenerational approach.
Action is also required to tackle youth unemployment which is on average double the overall unemployment rate. The right
conditions must be put in place to facilitate progress in employment, whether it is first time entry, a move back to
employment after a break or the wish to prolong working lives. The quality of jobs, including pay and benefits, working
conditions, job security, access to lifelong learning and career prospects, are crucial, as are support and incentives stemming
from social protection systems. The implementation of the European Youth Pact should be a contribution to a lifecycle
approach to work.
Guideline. Promote a lifecycle approach to work through: a renewed endeavour to build employment pathways for
young people and reduce the youth unemployment; resolute action to eliminate gender gaps in employment, unemployment
and pay; better reconciliation of work and private life, including the provision of accessible and affordable childcare facilities
and care for other pendants; modern pension and healthcare systems, ensuring their adequacy, financial sustainability and
responsiveness to changing needs, so as to support participation in employment and longer working lives, including
appropriate incentives to work and discourage early retirement; support for working conditions conducive to active
ageing (Integrated guideline No 17). See also integrated guideline “To safeguard economic sustainability” (No 2).
Facilitating access to employment for job seekers, preventing unemployment and ensuring that those who become
unemployed remain closely attached to the labour market and increase their employability are essential to increase
participation and combat social exclusion. This requires breaking down barriers to the labour market by assisting with
effective job searching, facilitating access to training and other active labour market measures and ensuring that work pays,
as well as removing unemployment, poverty and inactivity traps. Special attention should be paid to promoting the inclusion
of disadvantaged people in the labour market, including through the expansion of social services and the social economy.
The unemployment gaps for people at a disadvantage, as well as between non-EU and EU nationals, remain too high and
should be substantially reduced in line with any national targets. Combating discrimination, promoting access to
employment for disabled people and
integrating migrants and minorities are particularly essential.
Guideline. Ensure inclusive labour markets for job-seekers and disadvantaged people through: active and preventive
labour market measures including early identification of needs, job search assistance, guidance and training as part of
personalised action plans, provision of social services necessary to support the labour market inclusion of disadvantaged
people and contribute to social and territorial cohesion and to the eradication of poverty; and continuous review of tax and
benefit systems, including the management and conditionality of benefits and reduction of high marginal effective tax rates,
with a view to making work pay and to
ensuring adequate levels of social protection (Integrated guideline No 18).
To allow more people to find better employment, it is also necessary to strengthen the labour market infrastructure at
national and EU level, including through the EURES network, so as to better anticipate and resolve possible mismatches. In
this context, mobility of workers within the EU is key and should be fully ensured. Full consideration must also be given to
the additional labour supply resulting from immigration of third country nationals.
Guideline. Improve matching of labour market needs through: the modernisation and strengthening of labour market
institutions, notably employment services; greater transparency of employment and training opportunities at national and
European level to facilitate mobility across Europe; better anticipation of skill needs, labour market shortages and
bottlenecks; appropriate management of economic migration (Integrated guideline No 19).
2 IMPROVE ADAPTABILITY OF WORKERS AND ENTERPRISES AND THE FLEXIBILITY OF LABOUR
MARKETS
Europe needs to improve its capacity to anticipate, trigger and absorb economic and social change. This requires
employment-friendly labour costs, modern forms of work organization and well-functioning labour markets allowing more
flexibility combined with employment security to meet the needs of companies and workers. This should also contribute to
preventing the emergence of segmented labour markets and reducing undeclared work.
In today's increasingly global economy with market opening and the continual introduction of new technologies, both
enterprises and workers are confronted with the need, and indeed the opportunity, to adapt. While this process of structural
changes is overall beneficial to growth and employment, it also brings about transformations which are disruptive to some
workers and enterprises. Enterprises must become more flexible to respond to sudden changes in demand for their goods
and services, adapt to new technologies and be in a position to innovate constantly in order to remain competitive. They
must also respond to the increasing demand for job quality which is related to workers' personal preferences and family
changes, and they will have to cope with an ageing workforce and fewer young recruits. For workers,
working life is becoming more complex as working patterns become more diverse and
irregular and an increasing number of transitions need to be managed successfully throughout the lifecycle. With rapidly
changing economies and attendant restructuring, they must cope with new ways of working, including enhanced exploitation
of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and changes in their working status, and be prepared for lifelong
learning. Geographical mobility is also needed to access job opportunities more widely and in the EU at large.
37
Guideline. Promote flexibility combined with employment security and reduce labour market segmentation
through: the adaptation of employment legislation, reviewing where necessary the level of flexibility provided by permanent
and non-permanent contracts; better anticipation and positive management of change, including economic restructuring,
notably changes linked to trade opening, so as to minimise their social costs and facilitate adaptation; support for transitions
in occupational status, including training, self-employment, business creation and geographic mobility; the promotion and
dissemination of innovative and adaptable forms of work organisation, including better health and safety and diversity of
contractual and working time arrangements, with a view to improving quality and
productivity at work; adaptation to new technologies in the workplace, determined action to transform undeclared work into
regular employment (Integrated guideline No 20). See also integrated guideline “To promote greater coherence between macroeconomic and
structural policies” (No 4).
To maximise job creation, preserve competitiveness and contribute to the general economic framework, overall wage
developments should be in line with productivity growth over the
economic cycle and should reflect the labour market situation. Efforts to reduce non-wage labour costs and to review the
tax wedge may also be needed to facilitate job creation,especially for low-wage employment.
Guideline. Ensure employment-friendly wage and other labour cost developments by encouraging the right
framework for wage-bargaining systems, while fully respecting the roleof the social partners, to reflect differences in
productivity and labour market trends at sectoral and regional level; and monitoring and, where appropriate, reviewing the
structure and level of non-wage labour costs and their impact on employment, especially for the lowpaid and those entering
for the first time the labour market (Integrated guideline No 21). See also integrated guideline “To ensure that wage developments
contribute to macroeconomic stability and growth” (No 5).
3 INCREASE INVESTMENT IN HUMAN CAPITAL THROUGH BETTER EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Europe needs to invest more in human capital. Too many people fail to enter or remain in the labour market because of a
lack of skills, or due to skills mismatches. To enhance access to employment for all ages, raise productivity levels and quality
at work, the EU needs higher and more effective investment in human capital and lifelong learning for the benefit of
individuals, enterprises, the economy and society. Member States are committed to arning strategies by 2006.
Knowledge-based and service-based economies require different skills from traditional
industries; skills which also constantly need updating in the face of technological change and innovation. Workers, if they
are to remain and progress in work, need to accumulate and renew skills regularly. The productivity of enterprises is
dependent on building and maintaining a workforce that can adapt to change. Governments need to ensure that educational
attainment levels are improved and that young people are equipped with the necessary key competences, in line with the
European Youth Pact. All stakeholders should be mobilised to develop and foster a true culture of lifelong learning from
the earliest age. To achieve a substantial increase in public and private investment in human resources per capita, it is
important to ensure fair and transparent sharing of costs and responsibilities between all actors. Member States should make
better use of the Structural Funds and the European Investment Bank for investment in education and training.
Guideline. Expand and improve investment in human capital through: the establishment of efficient lifelong learning
strategies, according to European commitments, including appropriate incentives and cost-sharing mechanisms for
enterprises, public authorities and individuals, in particular to significantly reduce the number of pupils leaving school early;
increased access to initial vocational, secondary and higher education, including apprenticeships and entrepreneurship
training ; and enhanced participation in continuous and workplace training throughout the life-cycle, especially for the low-
skilled and older workers (Integrated guideline No 22). See also integrated guideline “To increase and improve investment in R&D”
(No 12).
Setting ambitious objectives and increasing the level of investment by all actors is not enough. To ensure that supply meets
demand in practice, lifelong learning systems must be affordable, accessible and responsive to changing needs. Adaptation
and capacity-building of education and training systems is necessary to improve their labour market relevance, their
responsiveness to the needs of the knowledge-based economy and society and their efficiency. ICT can be used to improve
access to learning and better tailor it to the needs of employers and employees. Greater mobility for both work and learning
purposes is also needed to access job opportunities more widely in the EU at large. The remaining obstacles to mobility
within the European labour market should be lifted, in particular those relating to the recognition and transparency of
qualifications and competences. It will be important to make use of the agreed European instruments and references to
support reforms of national education and training systems.
Guideline. Adapt education and training systems in response to new competence requirements through: better
identification of occupational needs and key competences, and anticipation of future skill requirements; broadening the
supply of education and training tools; developing frameworks to support the transparency of qualifications, their effective
recognition and the validation of non-formal and informal learning; ensuring the attractiveness, openness and high quality
standards of education and training systems (Integrated guideline No 23).
***
In taking action, Member States should pay special attention to ensuring good governance of employment policies. They
should establish a broad partnership for change by involving parliamentary bodies and stakeholders, including those at
regional and local levels. European and national social partners should play a central role. Member States should define
commitments and targets in line with the EU Guidelines and Recommendations. Good governance also requires
transparency in the allocation of administrative and financial resources. In agreement with the commission, Member States
38
should target the resources of the Structural Funds, in particular the European Social Fund, on the implementation of the
European Employment Strategy and report on the action taken. Particular attention should be
paid to strengthening institutional and administrative capacity in the Member States.
In implementing the policies guidelines set out above, Member States should note that the national recommendations,
progress indicators and targets set in the 2003 Employment Guidelines and 2004 Recommendations remain valid as
background references.
ANEXA 5
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 308 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(3),
Whereas:
(1) The completion of the internal market and the improvement it brings about in the economic and social situation
throughout the Community mean not only that barriers to trade must be removed, but also that the structures of production
must be adapted to the Community dimension. For that purpose it is essential that companies the business of which is not
limited to satisfying purely local needs should be able to plan and carry out the reorganisation of their business on a
Community scale.
(2) Such reorganisation presupposes that existing companies from different Member States are given the option of
combining their potential by means of mergers. Such operations can be carried out only with due regard to the rules of
competition laid down in the Treaty.
(3) Restructuring and cooperation operations involving companies from different Member States give rise to legal and
psychological difficulties and tax problems. The approximation of Member States' company law by means of Directives
based on Article 44 of the Treaty can overcome some of those difficulties. Such approximation does not, however, release
companies governed by different legal systems from the obligation to choose a form of company governed by a particular
national law.
(4) The legal framework within which business must be carried on in the Community is still based largely on national laws
and therefore no longer corresponds to the economic framework within which it must develop if the objectives set out in
Article 18 of the Treaty are to be achieved. That situation forms a considerable obstacle to the creation of groups of
companies from different Member States.
(5) Member States are obliged to ensure that the provisions applicable to European companies under this Regulation do not
result either in discrimination arising out of unjustified different treatment of European companies compared with public
limited-liability companies or in disproportionate restrictions on the formation of a European company or on the transfer of
its registered office.
(6) It is essential to ensure as far as possible that the economic unit and the legal unit of business in the Community
coincide. For that purpose, provision should be made for the creation, side by side with companies governed by a particular
national law, of companies formed and carrying on business under the law created by a Community Regulation directly
applicable in all Member States.
(7) The provisions of such a Regulation will permit the creation and management of companies with a European dimension,
free from the obstacles arising from the disparity and the limited territorial application of national company law.
39
(8) The Statute for a European public limited-liability company (hereafter referred to as "SE") is among the measures to be
adopted by the Council before 1992 listed in the Commission's White Paper on completing the internal market, approved by
the European Council that met in Milan in June 1985. The European Council that met in Brussels in 1987 expressed the
wish to see such a Statute created swiftly.
(9) Since the Commission's submission in 1970 of a proposal for a Regulation on the Statute for a European public limited-
liability company, amended in 1975, work on the approximation of national company law has made substantial progress, so
that on those points where the functioning of an SE does not need uniform Community rules reference may be made to the
law governing public limited-liability companies in the Member State where it has its registered office.
(10) Without prejudice to any economic needs that may arise in the future, if the essential objective of legal rules governing
SEs is to be attained, it must be possible at least to create such a company as a means both of enabling companies from
different Member States to merge or to create a holding company and of enabling companies and other legal persons
carrying on economic activities and governed by the laws of different Member States to form joint subsidiaries.
(11) In the same context it should be possible for a public limited-liability company with a registered office and head office
within the Community to transform itself into an SE without going into liquidation, provided it has a subsidiary in a
Member State other than that of its registered office.
(12) National provisions applying to public limited-liability companies that offer their securities to the public and to
securities transactions should also apply where an SE is formed by means of an offer of securities to the public and to SEs
wishing to utilise such financial instruments.
(13) The SE itself must take the form of a company with share capital, that being the form most suited, in terms of both
financing and management, to the needs of a company carrying on business on a European scale. In order to ensure that
such companies are of reasonable size, a minimum amount of capital should be set so that they have sufficient assets
without making it difficult for small and medium-sized undertakings to form SEs.
(14) An SE must be efficiently managed and properly supervised. It must be borne in mind that there are at present in the
Community two different systems for the administration of public limited-liability companies. Although an SE should be
allowed to choose between the two systems, the respective responsibilities of those responsible for management and those
responsible for supervision should be clearly defined.
(15) Under the rules and general principles of private international law, where one undertaking controls another governed by
a different legal system, its ensuing rights and obligations as regards the protection of minority shareholders and third parties
are governed by the law governing the controlled undertaking, without prejudice to the obligations imposed on the
controlling undertaking by its own law, for example the requirement to prepare consolidated accounts.
(16) Without prejudice to the consequences of any subsequent coordination of the laws of the Member States, specific rules
for SEs are not at present required in this field. The rules and general principles of private international law should therefore
be applied both where an SE exercises control and where it is the controlled company.
(17) The rule thus applicable where an SE is controlled by another undertaking should be specified, and for this purpose
reference should be made to the law governing public limited-liability companies in the Member State in which the SE has
its registered office.
(18) Each Member State must be required to apply the sanctions applicable to public limited-liability companies governed by
its law in respect of infringements of this Regulation.
40
(19) The rules on the involvement of employees in the European company are laid down in Directive 2001/86/EC(4), and
those provisions thus form an indissociable complement to this Regulation and must be applied concomitantly.
(20) This Regulation does not cover other areas of law such as taxation, competition, intellectual property or insolvency.
The provisions of the Member States' law and of Community law are therefore applicable in the above areas and in other
areas not covered by this Regulation.
(21) Directive 2001/86/EC is designed to ensure that employees have a right of involvement in issues and decisions
affecting the life of their SE. Other social and labour legislation questions, in particular the right of employees to
information and consultation as regulated in the Member States, are governed by the national provisions applicable, under
the same conditions, to public limited-liability companies.
(22) The entry into force of this Regulation must be deferred so that each Member State may incorporate into its national
law the provisions of Directive 2001/86/EC and set up in advance the necessary machinery for the formation and operation
of SEs with registered offices within its territory, so that the Regulation and the Directive may be applied concomitantly.
(23) A company the head office of which is not in the Community should be allowed to participate in the formation of an
SE provided that company is formed under the law of a Member State, has its registered office in that Member State and
has a real and continuous link with a Member State's economy according to the principles established in the 1962 General
Programme for the abolition of restrictions on freedom of establishment. Such a link exists in particular if a company has an
establishment in that Member State and conducts operations there from.
(24) The SE should be enabled to transfer its registered office to another Member State. Adequate protection of the
interests of minority shareholders who oppose the transfer, of creditors and of holders of other rights should be
proportionate. Such transfer should not affect the rights originating before the transfer.
(25) This Regulation is without prejudice to any provision which may be inserted in the 1968 Brussels Convention or in any
text adopted by Member States or by the Council to replace such Convention, relating to the rules of jurisdiction applicable
in the case of transfer of the registered offices of a public limited-liability company from one Member State to another.
(26) Activities by financial institutions are regulated by specific directives and the national law implementing those directives
and additional national rules regulating those activities apply in full to an SE.
(27) In view of the specific Community character of an SE, the "real seat" arrangement adopted by this Regulation in
respect of SEs is without prejudice to Member States' laws and does not pre-empt any choices to be made for other
Community texts on company law.
(28) The Treaty does not provide, for the adoption of this Regulation, powers of action other than those of Article 308
thereof.
(29) Since the objectives of the intended action, as outlined above, cannot be adequately attained by the Member States in as
much as a European public limited-liability company is being established at European level and can therefore, because of
the scale and impact of such company, be better attained at Community level, the Community may take measures in
accordance with the principle of subsidiarity enshrined in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of
proportionality as set out in the said Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary to attain these objectives,
ANEXA 6
41
Ensure open and competitive markets inside and outside
Problem
• The global economy is still too closed by tariff and non-tariff barriers to the goods and services that Europe has to
sell.
• There are distortions of competition arising from restrictive business practices and from subsidies.
Solution EU Level
• Use sectoral anti-trust inquiries particularly in liberalised markets such as energy, telecoms, transport and financial
services. Businesses and consumers should be feeling the full benefits of competition.
• Reform state aid rules to ensure that money is spent where it will contribute to improving Europe's
competitiveness (innovation, R&D and SMEs) rather than delaying necessary structural change.
• Further develop special trading benefits for "vulnerable" developing countries that ratify and effectively implement
27 international treaties on the environment, human rights and labour standards by 2008 (the so-called GSP+).
• Develop a fair and open set of trade rules that improve market access for European goods and services in third
countries through rewriting of international trade rules in the Doha Development Round. Europe has made an
ambitious offer on ending agricultural export subsidies – now it is looking to others to broaden areas of agreement.
The EU can also pursue fair and open rules through its bilateral trade agreements.
• Tackle abuses of fair competition in the international trading system. In particular it must call for better respect
and enforcement of intellectual property rights, an end to distortive subsidies and dumping.
• Sound macro economic policies and economic reform inside, but also outside the Union.
• Regulatory Reform.
• Financial market integration – strengthening corporate governance.
• Reinforce synergies between trade and sustainable development. Better consideration of trade and environment
linkages and sustainable development considerations in bilateral/regional trade agreements is also a priority at EU
level.
Article III-209
The Union and the Member States, having in mind fundamental social rights such as those set out in the European Social
Charter signed at Turin on 18 October 1961 and in the 1989 Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of
Workers, shall have as their objectives the promotion of employment, improved living and working conditions, so as to
make possible their harmonisation while the improvement is being maintained, proper social protection, dialogue between
management and labour, the development of human resources with a view to lasting high employment and the combating
of exclusion.
To this end the Union and the Member States shall act taking account of the diverse forms of national practices, in
particular in the field of contractual relations, and the need to maintain the competitiveness of the Union economy.
They believe that such a development will ensue not only from the functioning of the internal market, which will favour the
harmonisation of social systems, but also from the procedures provided for in the Constitution and from the approximation
of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action of the Member States.
Article III-210
1. With a view to achieving the objectives of Article III-209, the Union shall support and complement the activities of the
Member States in the following fields:
(a) improvement in particular of the working environment to protect workers' health and safety;
42
(c) social security and social protection of workers;
(f) representation and collective defence of the interests of workers and employers, including co-determination, subject to
paragraph 6;
(g) conditions of employment for third-country nationals legally residing in Union territory;
(h) the integration of persons excluded from the labour market, without prejudice to Article III-283;
(i) equality between women and men with regard to labour market opportunities and treatment at work;
(k) the modernisation of social protection systems without prejudice to point (c).
(a) European laws or framework laws may establish measures designed to encourage cooperation between Member States
through initiatives aimed at improving knowledge, developing exchanges of information and best practices, promoting
innovative approaches and evaluating experiences, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member
States;
(b) in the fields referred to in paragraph 1(a) to (i), European framework laws may establish minimum requirements for
gradual implementation, having regard to the conditions and technical rules obtaining in each of the Member States. Such
European framework laws shall avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints in a way which would hold
back the creation and development of small and medium-sized undertakings.
In all cases, such European laws or framework laws shall be adopted after consultation of the Committee of the Regions
and the Economic and Social Committee.
3. By way of derogation from paragraph 2, in the fields referred to in paragraph 1(c), (d), (f) and (g), European laws or
framework laws shall be adopted by the Council acting unanimously after consulting the European Parliament, the
Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee.
The Council may, on a proposal from the Commission, adopt a European decision making the ordinary legislative
procedure applicable to paragraph 1(d), (f) and (g). It shall act unanimously after consulting the European Parliament.
4. A Member State may entrust management and labour, at their joint request, with the implementation of European
framework laws adopted pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 or, where appropriate, with the implementation of European
regulations or decisions adopted in accordance with Article III-212.
In this case, it shall ensure that, no later than the date on which a European framework law must be transposed, or a
European regulation or decision implemented, management and labour have introduced the necessary measures by
agreement, the Member State concerned being required to take any necessary measure enabling it at any time to be in a
position to guarantee the results imposed by that framework law, regulation or decision.
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