COl\t\fISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COM\mNITIES

COM(94) 333 final

Bru$$e Is. 27. 07. 1994

EUROPEAN SOCIAL POLICY -

A WAY FORWARD FOR THE UNION

A WHITE PAPER

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION: PRESERVING AND DEVELOPING THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL

JOBS - THE TOP PRIORITY

INVESTING IN A WORLD CLASS LABOUR FORCE

III ENCOURAGING HIGH LABOUR STANDARDS AS PART OF A COMPETITIVE EUROPE

BUILDING A EUROPEAN LABOUR MARKET

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN

SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION - AN ACTIVE SOCIETY FOR ALL

VII - ACTION IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC HEALTH

VIII - TRADE UNIONS , EMPLOYERS' ORGANISATIONS AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONSAS PARTNERS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGE

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION - THE ROLE OF EUROPEAN SOCIAL POLICY

TOWARDS A MORE EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF EUROPEAN LAW

NEXT STEPS

PREFACE

In common with the rest of theindustrialised - world, Europe is - living_through a period of profound change.

The globalisation of trade and productionthe huge. impact of new technologies onwork, society and individuals , the ageing ofthe population and the persistent high levelof unemployment are all combining to putunprecedented --strains on the economicand social fabric of all the Member States.

These were the challenges addressed inthe Green Paper on Social Policy.

Europe needs a blueprint for themanagement of change. The White Paperon Growth Competitiveness andEmployment set out the important elementsoLhow to combine the macro-economicpolicies needed for sustained growth withincreased competitiveness and the searchfor more job creation with a highemployment intensity of that growth.

Many of the challenges are for individualMember States to face , but the Union canand must play its role.

Social policy at European level has a vitalpart to play in underpinning the process ofchange. The Union cannot do everythingand certainly should not seek to supplantthe responsibilities at national , regional andlocal level.

This White Paper seeks to set out the mainlines of action at Union level for thecoming years.

It is based around the principle that Europeneeds a broadly based, innovative and

forward looking social policy if it successfully to meet the challenges ahead.

Jobs - must continue to come top~ ot theagenda, and the proposals on employmentand training in this White Paper are anintegral part of the process initiated by theWhite Paper on Growth , Competitivenessand Employment.

But social policy goes beyond employment.It affects.people when they are at work but

- also when they are not

- -

their family lifetheir health and their old age. It is clearthat the profound changes currentlyaffecting our societies means that thecomplex interaction of policies that makeup social policy will need to develop in newways in the future.

This White Paper sets out a framework forUnion action in the face of thesechallenges. It aims to consolidate and buildon the achievements of the past'-particularly as concerns labour law, healthand safety, free movement and equaltreatment between men and women. Andit aims to create- a new dynamic by puttingforward new proposals in these and otherareas, such as social protection, equalopportunities for all and public health.

In doing so, it also seeks to stimulate anew cooperative partnership betweenMember States , social partners , voluntaryand civic organisations , European citizensand international bodies in the process ofchange.

The objective in the coming period must beto preserve and develop the European

social model as we move towards the 21 century, to give to the people of Europe theunique blend of economic well-being, socialcohesiveness and high overall quality of lifewhich was achieved in the post-war period.

1 0..

INTRODUCTION - PRESERVING AND DEVELOPING THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL

A - SHARED VALUES

1. The Commis~ion s Green Paper on

European social policy1 started by asking

the question: "what sort of a society do theEuropeans want ?" The debate which theGre.en Paper stimulated has involved theUnion institutions Member Statesemployers, trade unions and a wholerange of other civIc institutions, not tomention some individuals who volunteeredtheir views. This White Paper is the resultof that consultative procedure. While itcannot pretend to give satisfaction to allpoints of view, it is an attempt to answerthat question by responding to the socialgoals. that the European Union has beengiven by its Members, of which Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union is theclearest expression:

to promote throughout theCommunity harmonious andbalanced development of economicactivities sustainable and non-inflationary growth respecting theenvironment high degree

convergence of economicperformance high level

employment and of social protectionthe raising of the standard of livingand quality of life, and economic andsocial cohesion and solidarity amongMember States.

2. A society that could provide all thesebenefits to everyone would be a worthyone. Europe has not yet been able to dbthat, but it can fairly be claimed thatnowhere else in the world has so muchprogress been made towards such goals.It is also fair to claim that the human faceof the Union is more deeply embedded inthe life of the Union than credit is givenfor.

The contributions to the Green Paper

confirm that there are a number of sharedvalues which form the basis of theEuropean social model. These includedemocracy and individual rights freecollective bargaining, the market economy,equality of opportunity for all and socialwelfare and solidarity. These values -which were encapsulated by theCommunity Charter of the FundamentalSocial Rights of Workers - are heldtogether by the conviction that economicand social progress must go hand in hand,Competitiveness and solidarity have bothto be taken into account in building asuccessful Europe for the future.

4. All Member States have reaffirmedtheir commitment to the social dimensionas an indispensable element of building anever closer Union just as a welldeveloped social system is both necessaryand desirable in each individual MemberState. European social policy must servethe interests of the Union as a whole andof all its people, both those in employmentand those who are not. There widespread agreement that these sharedvalues have to be preserved, even.if quiteradical changes are required in the way inwhich they are applied in practice.

5. This is essential because theefficiency of our societies as a wholeconditions how competitive they may beand the growth they can deliver. Ifeconomic growth is to increase humanwell-being, it must also take into accountsocial and environmental concerns.Equally, the pursuit of high socialstandards should not be seen only as a

cost but also as a key element in thecompetitive formula. It is for theseessential reasons that the Union s social

policy cannot be second string toeconomic development or to thefunctioning of the internal market. Growthin the numbers of the poor .and of the

unemployed, the possible emergence ofan -underclass, increasing pressures social services (eg, unemployment andhealth services) and increasing criminalityall drain the resources available, Thefinancing of social security now posesmajor challenges for all Member States. Inthe Union , increased confidence can comeonly from a reconciliation betweeneconomic growth policies and theirtranslation into higher social developmentwith upgraded living standards for all,Knowing that this may give the Union itscompetitive edge will also equip the Unionto have a stronger external influence onthe world stage.

6. This V\lhite Paper seeks to set outthe Commission s approach to the nextphase of social policy development (1995-9) during the final years of this century. Itprovides the opportunity, requested byseveral Member. States, for the otherUnion institutions, the Member States andall other interested parties to discuss theproposals in the second half of 1994before the incoming Commission issues itsdefinitive work programme in this field inthe course of 1995.

7. The technique of using a GreenPaper to provide a structured opportunityfor consultation on policy options prior tothe elaboration of proposals represents

one of many examples of theCommission s determination to ensure thatthe added-value of its actions is widelyappreciated and its initiatives transparentto the public.

8. The Commission is encouraged bythe fact that there was a wide rangingdebate within Member States and beyondon the Green Paper. The EuropeanParliament and the Economic and SocialCommittee examined the text and issuedtheir opinions on it, and in all , more than500 reactions have been received from awide variety of sources. At the invitation ofthe Commission , the European Foundation

for the Improvement of Living and WorkingConditions has prepared a synthesis of thedifferent submissions. This synthesistogether with the responses received fromthe Member. States and the UnionInstitutions is published as accompanying volume to this White Paper.

9. The Commission s White Paper on

Growth Competitiveness andEmployment2 and the European Council'

conclusions about it (December 1993Brussels) marked a turning point in thedevelopment of concerted Union action totackle European employment problems aspart of a broader economic strategy. Itraised a number of fundamental questionswhich are central to the -ftlturedevelopment of social policy, notably thatcompetitiveness is crucial for wealth andjob creation and that labour marketpolicies in particular need to be reoriented.The principles set out in the \Nhite Paperneed to be borne in mind in theformulation of future Union social policy,as do the Union macro-economicguidelines.

10. The White Paper and the GreenPaper have therefore provided a valuablecomplementary focus in the debate aboutthe need to create more jobs and at thesame time preserve the basis of socialprotection which the people of Europehave come to prize. The two documentshave been considered together in thedrafting of this White Paper, in the lightmoreover of the conclusions of theEuropean Councils adopted in Brussels inDecember 1993 and Corfu in June 1994and this White Paper seeks to facilitate theimplementation of the action plan agreedat the Brussels European Council, in thecontext of the future development of theUnion s social policy.

11. The issuing of this White Paper 6months prior to the forthcomingenlargement of the Union in 1995 is alsodesigned to facilitate the entry of the new

members into the Union on the basis of aclear overall vision of the future. As theGreen Paper made clear, the Union hasalready developed a substantial " acquisof measures in the socialfield stimulatedin particular by the adoption in 1989 of theCommunity Charter of the FundamentalSocial Rights of Workers and theeommission s subsequent social actionprogramme. This paper is intended to setout how to build adynamic link betweenthe existing "acquis" and the agenda forthe future.

B - GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVESFOR THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE UNION

12. Social progress can be achieved onlythrough a cooperative partnership betweenthe European Union , the Member Statesthe social partners and European citizens.The key to this must be a positive andactive conception of subsidiarity. This

means that the Union shall take actiononly if, and in so far as., the objectivescannot be sufficiently achieved by or withinthe Member States themselves and cantherefore , by reason of the scale or effectsofthe proposed action , be better achievedby the Union. Activities should be selectedon the basis of prior appraisal and shouldyield a Union added value while achievingmaximum cost efficiency.

13. Achieving a Europe of opportunitiesfor all requires change, While employmentgrowth in the European Union has beenweak as compared with the United Statesand Japan , levels of social solidarity havebeen higher. But such solidarity has beenmainly passive, It is devoted tomaintaining the incomes of large groups insociety - by providing cash benefitsthrough the redistribution of incomeshouldered to a large extent by an everdeclining active population - withoutpreparing them or encouraging themsufficiently to contribute to economicactivity.

14. The resources transfer now has to begradually supplemented and substituted bya better distribution of opportunities~ Thetwo objectives are closely linked , but theaccent has to be shifted to the second ifthe human and social costs of thestructural changes are to be reduced , anda shift from a passive to a more activeapproach achieved. The accent has to beshifted from the objective of assistance tothe objective of employment generation.

15. The principles and objectives whichshould inspire the action of the Union inachieving this are:

Social and economicemployment is the key

integration:

16. Unacceptably high levels ofunemployment poverty and socialexclusion are in conflict with the Unioncommonly agreed goals in relation toemployment, social protection and equopportunities. The financing of socialpolicy systems across the Union dependson jobs. For the Union to reconcile high

social standards with the capacity tocompete in world markets, it is thereforenecessary to give the highest priority tocreating new jobs , enabling everyone tointegrate into the economy and society.

Competitiveness and social progress:two sides of the same coin

17. Continuing social progress can bebuilt only on economic prosperity, andtherefore on the competitiveness of the

European economy. The key to this iscontinuing productivity gains, which willenable the Union to reconcile high socialstandards with the capacity to compete inglobal markets. Europe needs to movetowards an efficient, quality-basedeconomy with a high rate of investment innew technologies. The key resource will

be a well-educated and highly motivatedand adaptable working population. Whilewealth creation is essential for social

progress , the social environment is also anessential factor in determining economicgrowth. Progress cannot be foundedsimply on the basis of the competitivenessof economies, but also on the efficiency ofEuropean society as a whole. In thiscontext, account also needs to be taken ofthe linkages between environmental andsocial poricies.

Convergence which respects diversity

18. All the comments on the GreenPaper stress the need to respect thediversity of European societies. The futuredevelopment of the Union needs to buildon the richness of its diversity, which addsto the quality of life and to the vigour ofsocio~eConomic systems in the face ofnew and unforeseen challenges. Thisdiversity means that total harmonisation ofsocial policies is not an objective of theUnion. However, the convergence of goalsand policies over a period of time by fixingcommon objectives is vital, since it willpermit the co-existence of differentnational systems and enable them toprogress in harmony towards thefundamental objectives of the Union.

level playing field of commonminimum standards

19. Minimum standards are needed topreserve the cohesion of the Unionhaving regard to differing national systemsand needs, and to the relative economicstrengths of the different Member States.They should not over-stretch theeconomically weaker Member States , andthey should not prevent the moredeveloped Member States fromimplementing higher standards. Theestablishment of a framework of basicminimum standards which theCommission started some years agoprovides a bulwark against using lowsocial standards as an instrument of unfaireconomic competition and protectionagainst reducing social standards to gain

competitiveness , and is also an expressionof the political will to maintain themomentum of social progress. - Thecontinuing aim should be to develop andimprove standards for all the Members ofthe Union.

C - THE INSTRUMENTS FOR ACTION

20. In seeking to put these principles andobjectives into practice the Unionintervenes in a variety .of different wayswhich .are often but not always interactiveand which must be deployed in a policymix that constantly evolves to meetchanging needs.

Legislation and Community-levelcollective agreements

21. The Treaties provide for a range oflegislative powers to achieve commongoals. These powers are exercised inaccordance with the principles ofsubsidiarity and proportionality, whichrequire .an assessment of both the needfor and the intensity of action at the Unionlevel. This implies that the Union wouldpropose the form of legislation mostcompatible with the aims to be achieved.

It requires the Union to respect MemberStates choices about how to achieve theirgoals, and equally the Member States torespect Union-wide objectives andstandards.

22. Given the solid base of Europeansocial legislation that has already beenachieved , the Commission considers thatthere is not a need for a wide rangingprogramme of new legislative proposals inthe coming period. Legislation will beconsidered only when strictly necessary toachieve the objectives of the Union andwhen the issues addressed cannot besolved at Member State level. Proposalsand adopted legislation should continue toseek to promote a framework in order toallow for the diverse national systems todetermine detailed methods

implementation , and will be preceded byan evaluation of the economic and socialcosts and benefits to all concerned.Proposals will also take account of thepotential impact on the competitiveness ofindustry, with particular regard to theneeds of SMEs.

23. The. Agreement on Social Policyintroduced by the Treaty on EuropeanUnion provides a new basis for Unionaction, and the Commission intends to useboth this and the other Treaty provisions

to ensure a dynamic social dimension ofthe Union. Th.e CommissionCommunication on the application of theAgreement:! explained that theCommission intends to decide on a caseby case basis, in the light of objectivecriteria, when it should make use of theAgreement. This Communication has nowbeen examined in the other institutions ofthe Union, and the approach it proposeshas been broadly welcomed by allconcerned. The Commission has notedthe strong desire of all Member States to

. proceed as 12 wherever possible and ithopes "that Union social policy action will inthe future once again be founded on asingle legal framework. This is vital if theintegrity of the law and the principle ofequal opportunities for all in the Union areto be upheld. However, the desire to actas 12 cannot be used as an excuse forstanding still.

24. Given the new possibilities which theTreaty on European Union opens up forcollective agreements , it is also clear thata new balance needs to be struckbetween the legislator at Community leveland collective agreements between thesocial partners and between theEuropean and national levels for suchnormative actions.

Financial support and incentives

25. The Union also provides financialsupport to achieve its objectives. The

Structural Funds represent the main Unioninstrument for promoting cohesion withinthe Union. Action, especially by theEuropean Social Fund , will be developedin an integrated and comprehensiveapproach (see Chapter II). Most aspects ofsocial policy are affected includingcombating unemployment and exclusionpromoting equal opportunities, supportingthe integration of young people, promotingthe - mobility of workers and theiradaptation to industrial change , and, in theregions lagging behind, strengtheningeducation science and technologyservices and training for the health sector.In addition, the Union also providesfinancial support to many valuable pilotprojects and programmes in the socialfield, and promotes the exchange ofexperience and information throughprogrammes such as LEONARDO (seeChapter II).

Mobilisation and cooperation

26. The Commission has a role in the

mobilisation of efforts to achieve commongoals within an agreed framework, leadingto the convergence of objectives andpolicies such as in the fields ofemployment and social protection, TheCommission recognizes that there is need for better synergy between theUnion s efforts and those of the MemberStates, and for more cooperation andconcentration of the action involved. Forthis mobilisation role to be effective, it willincreasingly be necessary to define theagreed goals with more precisionincluding the definition of quantitativetargets when appropriate , and for MemberStates to take action to meet the agreedobjectives. A clear example of suchmobilisation has been provided by theCommission s White Paper on Growth

Competitiveness arid Employment.

27. It is also necessary to promote moreand better structured cooperation ' andexchange of experience on matters of

common concern , which may be decidedby the Member States according to needand for which the Com mission can usefullyprovide the framework and. technicalunderpinning.

28. Furthermore, social policy dependsfor its success on a wide variety of actorsand organizations especially at loca1andregional level. The Commission will assistthese groups to establish strongercooperation via networks across theUnion, or parts of the Union, and to

stimulate their contribution to achieving thegoals of the Union, especially through

actions which are both innovative andcross-national.

Information

29. The provision of clear and accessibleinformation on developments in the socialfield is essential if social policy is to havea real impact on people s everyday lives.The Commission will therefore seek toprovide more and better information toEuropean citizens concerning their socialrights and opportunities and developmentsin the social sphere, to help achievetransparency and better understanding ofthe Union s actions. In addition to the

specific proposals elsewhere in this WhitePaper (particularly Chapters IV and X), the

Commission will also seek to enhance therole of its Information Offices in theMember States in the provision ofinformation in the social field.

Analysing future trends

30. It is increasingly clear that theprocess of change requires collective

reflection and coordinated action across awhole range of issues. Important

questions are being raised about the

future of work itself, and the impact that

the Information Society will have on workand on people s everyday lives. Examplesof this include changes in the organisationof time, the balance between work and

leisure, and the social consequences ofchanges in different work sectors as theboundaries between work -andqualifications become increasinglyblui'red.The process of managing these changeswill need to be taken forward in synergywith the social science elements of theUnion s research programme, and the

Commission will seek to develop its

medium term research capacity in thesocial field,

31. The various Observatories which theCommission operates in the social field4in collaboration with the Member States,provide a valuable instrument for thecollection, analysis and dissemination ofinformation , a function which is becomingincreasingly important in view of the needto understand and assess th rapid

changes currently taking place in the fieldof social policy, especially in the labour

market. This information is an important

element of the policy formulation process.The Commission will also use the

Observatories to produce accessible andinformed analyses of specific problemsand will promote a greater synergy andinterpl.ay between the differentObservatories , so as to develop a greatercapacity for inter-disciplinary analysis ofsocial policy issues.

32. In this context , the Commission willalso continue to develop its sectoral

reports , such as the annual Employment inEurope Report (Chapter I), the proposedannual Equality Report (Chapter V), theannual report on demography (Chapter VI)and the Social Protection report (ChapterVI) to provide a forward looking analyticalunderpinning to its work in the social

policy field.

33. . Furthermore, the Commission will

also keep under review the role of therelevant agencies , especially the European

Foundation for the Improvement of Livingand Working Conditions and the EuropeanAgency for Health and Safety.

particular, building..oo.its work to-date, theEuropean Foundationforthe Improvementof Living and Working C.onditions hj3s important role to play in analysing the keydevelopments and factors.. of chaJ1ge

...

concerning living and working conditions inthe Union. In this context, the Foundationtaking account of its tripartite structure,can play an essential role in. thedissemination of information andexchanges of experience.

34. The Commission will seek to improveits links with the Foundation and tor~jnforce cooperation for -. the . future inorde.r~ to exploit fully the_.__sp.ecific

otributiop t119~ the Foundation can make.In particular, the Foundation will be invitedby the Commission to develop further itscapacity for . comparative analyses andpromoting exchanges of experience.

I - JOBS - THE TOP PRIORITY

1. The pursuit of more good , stable jobsis both a central objective of the Union anda means of addressing more effectively

many of the Union s wider social objectives.To this end , employment policies need to-adapt. For too long, Europe has focusedon the management of unemployment

instead of promoting job creation as the toppriority.

A - UNION EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES

2. Unemployment in the Union nowstands at 11 % and has averaged close to10% for a decade. It is seen as the gravestsocial problem throughout the Union.

Special concern focuses on the lack of

prospects for new entrants to the labourmarket - young people and women

especially - and on those who havebecome excluded from regular workparticularly when they are long-term

unemployed. Overall EU employmentperformance is markedly worse than in theUS or Japan. The Union s employment

rate has declined steadily since 1960 andis now less than 60% of the working-agepopulation while that of the US has steadilyincreased to over 70%. EU-wide youthunemployment stands at over 20% forexample , as against 13% in the US and5% in Japan. The share of long-term

unemployment stands at over 40% of thetotal in the EU , but 11 % in the US.

3. Policy initiatives within the Union withregard to employment have beendeveloping progressively over the pastyear, reflecting the shared preoccupation ofall Member States to find new ways ofcreating and preserving employment. InMay 1993, the Commission proposed anEmployment Framework Initiative which setout the basis of a concerted strategy foremployment. The major step forward camein December 1993 with the CommissionWhite Paper on the interrelated issues of

Growth , Competitiveness and Employmentwhich developed that employment strategyin the wider econom ic, industrial and socialcontext of Union. The Union strategy wasendorsed by the European Council atBrussels in December 1993.

4. Member States now all recognise thatdynamic structural changes, as well asstronger. economic growth and increasedlabour market flexibility, are urgently

needed if the Union is to break out of thelow employment, high unemployment trap,and to broaden access to work and spreadincome more widely. It is also recoQnised

that stronger partnerships betweennational, regional and local levels andbetween different actors of society - and atUnion level - are necessary in support ofthat strategy, and in support of the widerdevelopment of the Union labour market.

5. The European Council in Brusselsidentified seven areas for particular

attention by the Member States in its actionplan resulting from the Commission s White

Paper:

(i) improving education and training

systems especially continuingtraining;

(ii) improving flexibility within enterprisesand in the labour market;

(iii) the reorganisation of work atenterprise level;

(iv) targeted reductions in the indirect

costs of labour (statutorycontributions), particularly of lessskiUed work;

(v) better use of public funds set asidefor combating unemployment;

(vi) specific measures concerning youngpeople without adequate training;

(vii) developing employment in connectionwith new requirements.

Progress to date

6. The report presented to the Council inJune 1994 summarizing follow-up to theWhite Paper, indicates that almost .allMember States have undertaken reforms oftheir employment systems in recent years.The Commission considers that althoughaction is -under way in Member States oneach of the 7 aspects, it clearly does notyet go far enough to meet the employmentchallenge of the 1990s and the nextcentury.

7. Over the past mon~hs the economicoutlook for the Union s economy hasimproved. Present growth forecastssuggest that output growth in the Union

could rise to 3 percent or more in 1.996.Employment, however, is still expected todecrease in 1994. The unemployment rateis expected to stabilize only in 1995 , at ajobless total of 18miUion or some 11.6% ofthe labour force. As the White Paper urgedeconomic policies must remain on a long-term basis resolutely oriented towardscreating jobs, both by promoting a strongand employment-creating growth process

by encouraging active labour marketpolicies and by improving access to thelabour market, particularly for the young.

8. Increased economic growth brings apositive and welcome improvement to theemployment climate, However, asrecognised at Corfu by the EuropeanCouncil , there is a danger that it may offeran illusion of relief from the pressures forstructural change rather than beingharnessed to work systematically towardsthe changes required in that bettereconomic environment. There is thus arisk that, in the absence of new structuralmeasures for creating more employmentgrowth will not become more labourintensive, and that the effect of existing,pre-White Paper, structural reforms willonly be sufficient to compensate for theincrease in productivity resulting frompolicies aiming at increasing efficiency and

competitiveness. The implementation ofpolicies outlined in the employment part ofthe White Paper is thus fundamental formaking growth more labour-creating, andfor ensuring that the benefits of suchgrowth are directed towards more jobs.

9, The White Paper stresses the need towiden considerably access to work, towiden the concept of work, and to build anew solidarity based on using productivitygains to create new jobs rather thanincrease incomes of those in employment.In particular, it underlines the need toensure that progress in achieving equalopportunities is further pursued , particularlyin view of the increased participation ratesof women , changing family structures androles, and the need to maximise thepotential of all the Union humanresources. Much more attention needs tobe focused on new jobs and the mostpromising sectors for employment growth.The White Paper also focused on the needfor a new sustainable development modelbased on the incorporation ofenvironmental costs in market prices.

10. It is important to ensure that, as wellas supporting high productivity jobs, theUnion maximises its ability to generate .andsustain jobs at other levels , particularly inthe unskilled , semi..skilled and personal andlocal services fields. This will requireacknowledging and addressing theinstabilities inherent in rapid change andglobal competition through a range ofrelated measures , including the integrationof macro-economic policy with an activestructural development policy accompaniedby labour market measures. This will helpto make the European economy moreeffective in terms of employment, andenable it to make full use of theopportunities offered by liberalisation inareas such as the telecommunicationssector and technological progress in areaslike the Information Society andbiotechnology.

11. All Member States, in their differentways , are seeking to introduce changes totheir labour market policies, directly or

indirectly related. to the White Papersuggestions. The White Paper has been

carefully examined as a valuable point ofreference in all Member States , includingby social partners at national level.-However; the urgent need for collective

reflection and coordinated action across thewhole range of policies affecting the broademployment environment has not yet beenrealised. A fragmented approach persistswith old and complex national regulationsstill in force in many Member States. Thereforms in the employment systemsadopted so far often appear incompleteand it is difficult at this stage to assesstheir wider impact. Most Member Statesnow recognise, however, the need to bui.the long-term social consensus in favour ofstructural changes especially where theyaffect people living and workingconditions.

12. Member States generally recognisealso that this search for consensus impliesthat greater labour market efficiency andlong-run competitiveness is to be soughtnot through a dilution of the Europeanmodel of social protection , but through theadaptation , rationalisation and simplificationof regulations, so as to establish a better

balance between social protectioncompetitiveness and employment creation.

13. Increased labour market flexibilitymeans different things to Member Statesand needs to be ana lysed carefully, as theterm deregulation is often used withdiffering connotations. The starting pointfor most Member States , is a large body oflaws regulations or collectivearrangements. Their ending point, in terms

of the nature and scale of change required, therefore , likely to differ widely - even

after substantial review - particularly interms of the degree of, and approach tochange in social protection. In analysingthese developments, differences between

Member States have to be taken carefullyinto account

14. MostMember States stress the needfor a more dynamic contribution from thesocial partners at local and sectoral levels,and a stronger partnership between themand public authorities at those levels. Atnational level, some Member Statesrecognise the importance of buildinggreater complementarity between publicpolicy and contractual negotiations. AtUnion level, discussions with the socialpartners have continued within theframework of the social dialogue, with aparticular focus on White Paperemployment issues. The Council'Standing Committee on Employment-hasalso discussed issues of work organisationand working time in a positive way.

15. Among the social partners, positive

attitudes - reflected for instance in certc:iin

agreements - co-exist with reticence toaccept the change necessary to takeaccount of the interests of the unemployed.The need for far-reaching reform of theemployment systems has yet to becomegenerally accepted. Greater publicawareness and acceptance thatadjustments in the short-term are neededfor the creation of more jobs will benecessary to ensure the adoption and

implementation of these reforms. Major

political difficulties have been encounteredby governments seeking to undertakereforms in this sense. Resistance fromthose who feel threatened by the changesis not compensated by any obvious publicsupport from those people who wouldbenefit most but who are largelydisenfranchised or excluded from thelabour market at present.

16. The need to alter fundamentally, andupdate, the structure of incentives which

influence the labour market is still notadequately recognised, Co-operationacross Ministerial boundaries within

Governments in the development of

policies needs to be given greater priority.Further organisational and administrativechanges will be needed if theimplementation of the White Paper strategyis to be pursued effectively. In this contextsome Member States have developed orare in the process of setting up. inter-ministry action on specific subjects. Alsomost are already decentralising the deliveryof labour market (including training)measures as part of a move tow~rds moreactive targeting of those at risk especiallythe long term unemployed. Some areseeking to integrate and combine servicesat local/regional level instead of thepreviously fragmented range of servicesavailable. These different changes-need tobe given further impetus and to be linkedwithin a global effort.

17. In redesigning policies and systems itwill be important to develop the addedvalue of Union-wide action and mutual

support, in exploiting the diversity ofMember State experiences. This requirescareful examination of the efficiency of

different national systems in achievingemployment objectives. It means lookingat the possibilities to "pick and mixdifferent elements of policy and goodpractice from different nationa: systems. Italso means the pursuit of increasedcompatibility between Member Statessystems , so as to ensure that they do notdevelop in ways which conflict with overallUnion employment objectives or standardsdistort conditions of competition, or inhibitthe development of free movement ofpeople within the Union.

18. In this respect, the increased co-operation between the Member States andthe Commission with regard to the follow-up to the White Paper is encouraging, butwill need to be pursued much moresystematically during the coming years.

B - THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE UNION

19. During the second half of 1994;' theCommission , in close consultation-with theMember. States

, -

. will prepare a morespecific action plan at the level of theUnion and of the Member States. This willbe directed in the short term at reversing

the trend of unemployment and , by the endof the century, significantly reducing thenumbers of unemployed. This action planis to consist of :

(i) the general framework concentratingon fixing more specific objectives forthe implementation of the sevenpoints identified by the BrusselsEuropean Council , leaving to MemberStates the choice of means;

(ii) specific accompanying measures tobe coordinated or adopted at the levelof the Union; and

(iii) a monitoring procedure underpinnedby closer cooperation betweenMember States on employmentissues and by the intensification ofthe process of exchange ofinformation and best practices.

This framework will have to draw on theassessment of progress carried out so farand seek to exploit successful experiencesand should have as one of its objectives tosupport, and to help overcome theobstacles to , the adoption of the necessaryreforms in the Member States.

20. The action plan will be proposed foradoption by the European Council at itsmeeting in Essen in December 1994. TheEuropean Council held at Corfu in Junehad an in-depth discussion on the differentelements of the action plan, and placed aparticular emphasis on the encouragementof reforms in Member States intended toimprove the efficiency of systems ofemployment and on specific measures tofully exploit the employment potential ofsmall and medium-sized enterprises.

Support for Member State policies andmeasures

21. The Commission will continue toencourage the Member States to fellow up-systematically the different suggestionsmade in the White Paper on GrowthCompetitiveness and Employment. As afurther contribution to the pooling of ideasbetween Member States, the Commissionwill shortly be issuing its annualEmployment in Europe report on the

employment situation in 1994 in the Unionand will sponsor a second EuropeanEmployment Week in November 1994.

22.. In the meantime, the Commissionwilldevelop further its own capacity tocontribute to the development of theUnion s medium term employment planand to strengthen its cooperation in this.field with Member States. To this end , theCommission proposes to :

strengthen its existing co-operationwith Member State authorities

notably the Directors-General

Employment regarding policydevelopment, and to present regularreports taking forward theCommission s "tableau de bord"

comparative information on theprogress of the Member States infollowing up the action plan agreed atthe Brussels Summit;

41& develop Union-level co:.operationbetween all- Directors-General whoseresponsibilities concern or affectemployment including EmploymentSocial Protection and Education andTraining Ministries;

expand the policy content of itsannual Employment in EuropeReports and extend the policy debatein its annual Employment in EuropeConference to assess the impact

current economic policy onemployment;

strengthen its EmploymentObservatory system and data baseson labour market measures. cooperation with the Member Statesand work with the Member States, inparticular by developing better, andmore up to date comparativestatistics on the structure

employment;

consolidate the EuropeanEmployment Service (EURES), set upto inform, counsel and place jobseekers across Europe (see ChapterIV).

23. In-this-perspective , the Social AffairsCouncil is called upon to playa pivotal-folelinking with other ministerial/sectoralCouncils, notably ECOFIN, so as contribute to proposals and measureswhich have a much more significantimpact. 24. The social partners will beencouraged to intensify their cooperationwithin the framework of the social dialogueat European level both at aninterprofessional and sectoral level. It will

be necessary to invite them to review theefficiency of the existing machinery for thispurpose in particular in relation toaddressing the concerns of theunemployed (see Chapter VIII).

25. The Commission will continue tomonitor employment aids to ensure thatthey are targeted on priority needs and donot distort conditions of employment. Inaddition, the Commission is also launchinga process of examining the impact on

employment of existing Union and nationallegislation on employment andcompetitiveness.

26. Small and medium-sized enterprises'are universally recognised as being a majorsource of new employment. The creationof new SMEs and the development ofexisting SMEs is therefore crucial in the

search for new jobs. Within the frameworkof its integrated programme in favour ofSMEs the Commission is therefore payingparticular attention to

.. .

encouragingimprovements in the administrative andlegal environment for SMEs.

Support for successful job creationpolicies and practices

27. Ina series of Resolutions adoptedsince 1983, the Council has invited theCommission to promote the exchange ofinformation and experience about thedevelopment of policies and practicesabout successful job creation experiences.With the active collaboration of MemberStates and the support of the EuropeanParliament, the Commission has set up aseries of policy-centred action research

activities (ERGO, LEDA, SPEC, LEI , etc.which have been developed alongsideMISEP (Mutual information system onemployment policies) and are designed toassist the rapid transfer of good practiceand know-how between all kinds ofenterprise - small, medium and large - andlocalities - rural, industrial and urban -across the Union. During 1994, thesedifferent activities are being carefullyrevi~wed by the Commission in the light ofthe priorities set by the White Paper onGrowth, Competitiveness and Employmentthe need to secure value for money fromUnion-level actions and to streamline themachinery for policy interaction. TheCommission will present in early 1995:

Communication rationalising andstreamlining the existing policy-centred action research activitiesreferred to above, and designed

build new cooperative frameworkfor closer and more structuredcollaboration between Member Statesand the Commission with regard toemployment and labour market policy.Account has also to be taken of theimminent launching ora series of newCommunity Initiatives notably ADAPTand EMPLOYMENT, as well as thesecond phase of other CommunityInitiatives such as LEADER.

28. This cooperation will be designed tocomplement the scope and thrust- of-theCommunity Initiatives , and should focus inparticular on such issues as the emergenceof new jobs, the contribution of differentkinds of enterprises to job creationpromising locally-based initiatives andpartnerships, the switch from passive toactive labour market measures, and thegeneral encouragement of entrepreneurialactivity to stimulate the creation of moreSMEs. lt will also consider initiatives tofoster the entrepreneurial activities ofwomen in the labour market and ways ofencouraging increased employmentopportunities for women and men in non-traditional occupations. .It would thusunderpin the systematic exchange of goodpractices and feed the results of itsanalysis into the overall process ofcooperation in this fi~ld.

II - INVESTING IN A WORLD CLASS LABOUR FORCE

1. Investment in education. and trainingis now recognized as one of the-essentialrequirem ents for the com petitiveness of theUnion as well as for the cohesion of oursocieties. This was one of the seven areas

- identified-by the Brussels European Councilin its action plan resulting lrom the WhitePaper on Growth, Competitiveness and

Employment.

Building the skill levels of the present

and future workforce

2. In their official responses to the

Commission all Member states have

expressed their determination to improvethe quality of their education and training

systems to better meet the challenge oflong-term competitiveness, and to providethe supply of a highly skilled and adaptableworkforce. A qualified .and well-motivatedworkforce is a corner-stone of. a

competitive economy. This is vital asindividuals will in future have to change

careers or jobs more frequently during their,life times. All Member States haveunderlined the need to sharpen publicawareness that investment in the

qualifications and skills of the present andfuture workforce is as indispensable

investment in real capital. Special concernhas been expressed by some Member

States about the need for bettercoordination of the policies pursued by theEducation and Employment Ministries

which in most Member States haveoverlapping responsibilities with regard tovocational training. Without closecoordination between education andvocational training systems , and closer ties

with research and development, it will beimpossible to ensure progression forindividuals to build or add to their skills and

. qualifications throughout their life time.

3. Most Member States emphasised theneed to put a higher premium on the

importance of vocational qualifiCatrons , and

-to place them. on a par with academicqualifications within the framework of aunified national system of certification inplace of existing disparate certification

arrangements. Most Member States stresstoo the importance of a much closerassociation of the social partners with thedesign, management and delivery of

. training, especially at local, regional andsectoral levels. All agree that national

qualification systems should be developedalong convergent, but not harmonised

lines, at the .Ievel ot-ihe Union so as tounderpin the free movement of persons ona transparent and practical basis.

4. There is little evidence of adequatespecial measures designed to eliminate theproblem of - basic illiteracy faced in niostMember States , as well as the lack of otherbasic skills, on the part of many sphool-

leavers. These unqualified school-Ieavers

inevitably become the hard-core of thelong-term unemployed. Virtually all MemberStates, however, have taken or are now

taking steps to ensure that all young

people are offered a sound , broadly-basedinitial vocational training. Member Stateshave welcomed the Commission s Youth

Start scheme as a further stimulus tonational efforts. Although a number measures targeting young people havebeen introduced .in many Member Statesover the last few years the range ofschemes sometimes make it difficult toperceive how the individual is meant to findhis or her way through the systems. Somesimplification and streamlining could beuseful within Member States and lead togreater transparency and comparability ofthe different qualification systemsthroughout the Union.

5. Most Member States have recently

committed themselves to the following

priorities designed to :

revitalise and extend the coverage oftheir apprenticeship systemimproving quality and standardsincluding the work-based component;

develop further the bridges betweenthe worlds of school and workincluding the introduction of moreopportunities for work experience and

. the introduction of credits for youngpeople (having left full compulsoryeducation) to choose an approvedcourse;

review their arrangements forvocational guidance, though withoutmuch evidence of the ne~d exam ine the links between suchservices and employment/placementservices , whether public or private;

review the training of trainers andinstructors and their qualifications;

encourage active partnershipsbetween higher education andindustry, including the two-waytransfer of staff between institutions ofhigher education and companies;

encourage management training forpotential entrepreneurs to improve thesurvival rate of new SMEs;

improve foreign language teachingand encourage a spirit of enterpriseamong young people so as develop skills to support job creationand economic development , includingthe use of technology in the school

curricula.

6. So far as continuing training isconcerned all Member States areconcerned to improve and extend accessand participation and stress the importanceof in-company training with appropriatevocational assessment of employees andalso to strengthen the links with local andregional authorities especially in terms of

foreGasting skill needs and shortages. Highpriority is being accorded to continuingtraining for the least qualified unemployed,and the creation of more incentives for thisgroup. These P.9licies were given a usefulstimulus by the Council Recommendationadopted on 30 June 19936. Neverthelessoverall , Member States still have much todo to create a transparent and dynamicsystem of lifelong learning. This must beacentral priority for the Union.

7. At European level , the representativesof the trade unions have offered to take upthe suggestion made in the CommissionWhite Paper on Growth , Competitivenessand Employment and to negotiate acollective bargaining agreement .. oncontinuing training so as to extend accessto and participation in continuing training.This could build on the previous jointopinions agreed on this subject within theframework of the social dialogue. At thisstage, however, UN ICE has not taken up

this offer. The Commission will encourageand support further dialogue on thissubject, recognising the importance ofimproving the motivation and quality of theworkforce as a whole.

8. There is some evidence of theintroduction of tax relief or financialassistance through loans for individualspaying for their training, and also to helpsmall employers to invest in developing theskills of their employees. There are somesigns too - of a new approach to theorganisation of working life , with a higherdegree of alternation between worktraining and leave, for example, leaveschemes so as to increase job rotationunder which continuing training ofemployees is combined with job training ofunemployed persons who are recruited assubstitutes for those on training leave.

9, There is growing evidence of theinternal flexibility of firms being promotedthrough new training efforts enablingemployees to reorganize their work and

their working time on a more flexible basis.However generally participation incontinuing training of those employed insmall and medium sized firms continues tobe relatively weak.

10. In accordance with Article 127 of theTreaty, the Commission will cqntinue todevelop progressively a vocational trainingpolicy building on the various achievementsto date at the level of the Uni~n. TheCommission fully recognises that MemberStates have responsibility forimplementation in this field. TheCommission will concentrate .its effort onthe definition of objectives so as to set apolicy framework at the level of the Unionwhich is essential so as to provide urgentstimulus to the efforts of Member Statesand to ensure high standards throughout

the Union.

11. The development of a coherenttraining strategy, underpinned by thedifferent instruments at the disposal of theUnion , could thus serve to improve trainingperformance and to inform and stimulatenational sectoral and local training

systems. This concerted Union-widestrategy, could then be followed up by eachMember State in the different national andregional training actions. The nationaltraining strategies should be published bythe Commission so as to further the

exchange of experience, and exploited

through discussions with the Directors

General of Vocational Training and thesocial partners.

12. The Commission proposes to present

further proposals during 1995 , within theframework of Article 127 and taking

account of the recent decisions onLEONARDO and SaCRA TES , linked to the

overall plan of action for employmentfocusing on the following priority aspectsset out in the White Paper on GrowthCompetitiveness and Employment anddesigned in the context of national

structures to:

build Union-wide guarantee thatno young persons can unemployed under the age

of 18: they~hould be guaranteed

plac~ in theeducation and training system or in

linked work and training placement.The contribution of the Union is

underpin this with the Youthstartinitiative;

set progressive targets up to the year2000 for the elimination

of basicilliteracy, and lack of other basic

skills, on the part of school-Ieavers;

raise the status of initial vocationaleducation and training, andencourage the deve/opmenLof theentrepreneurial skills

of young people

and their capacity to exploit the newtechnologies throughout appropriate

work experience;

extend the scope and range

existing apprenticeship schemesand/or other forms of linked work andtraining, in active cooperation with thesocial partners;

improve the coordinated provision

of guidance and placementservices, notably at local level, toprovide systematic advice to youngpeople on career and jobopportunities;

examine ways of introducing tax

incentives for firms and individualsto invest in their continuing training,as an expression of public policy

commitment to the development

life-long learning opportunities foradults.

13. In addition, in cooperation with the

Member States , the Commission will reviewthe arrangements for managementeducation and training in the Union andidentify ways of promoting cooperation and'the dissemination of good practices.

14. While recognising the vital importanceof linking employment and training, theCommJssion is also sensitive to the riskthat training schemes can simply becomemechanisms for containing unemployment.,or can, if not properly implemented , giverise to abuse in the form of the substitutionof unemployed people for those

. .

-employment. In labour market terms, this

would represent a downgrading ofparticipants in such schemes, and wouldalso have a generally negative effect onterms and conditions of employment acrossthe board.

15. Finally, a new research initiative oneducation and training has been introducedwithin the Fourth Framework programmewith the objectives of assisting MemberStates in their efforts to develop linksbetween research , education and trainingand improve their education and trainingsystems, through dissemination of goodpractice. Research in this field can providevaluable support to building the skill levelsof the present and future workforce.

The European Social Fund

16. In the context of its policy ofeconomic and social cohesion , the Unionhas at its disposal in the Structural Fundsa very significant financial instrument whichcan strongly support this process. TheStructural Funds and especially the SocialFund must increasingly make a carefullytargeted contribution to the development ofa skilled, adaptable and mobile workforce.The development of human resources is afundamental component of the Union

strategy for growth , competitiveness .andincreased employment.

17. The Structural Funds , with a financialenvelope of more than 141 billion ECUbetween now and 1999 , will provide a verysubstantial contribution to investment human resources the fight againstunemployment and the working of thelabour market. The European Social Fund

in particular will account for some 40 billionECU over the coming period. It istherefore, of the greatest importance thatlast year the 'Council and the ParHamentaccepted the Commission s proposal for aradical overhaul of the Social Fund tomake it a more effective and flexibleinstrument.

18. On a Union-wide basis the SocialFund is focused on combatting long-termunemployment and exc;lusion from thelabour market, on seeking to ensure that allour young people are given the necessaryskills and the opportunity to work, onpromoting equal opportunities and, in thecontext of the new and innovative Objective, on helping to adapt the work-for..ce to

industrial change. In an integratedapproach the Structural Funds make aparticularly significant Hcontribution to thedevelopment of those. regions facingparticular development problemsparticular Objective regions wherestrengthening education and sciencetechnology services is amongst theadditional priorities. In addition, newflexible structural instruments have beencreated to help meet the social challengesfaced by certain industries, such as thefishing sector. Moreover, the setting-up ofcompany-based training plans, linked tocompany business plans , will- be widelyencouraged , drawing appropriately on thepossibilities opened up by the newObjectiveA.

19. The Commission is presentlynegotiating Community SupportFrameworks (CSFs) with Member Stateswhich will set out a strategy for the use ofthe Structural Funds between now and theend of the century. As far as the SocialFund is concerned, the Commission promoting a targeted approach based onthree priority themes:

improving access to and quality

initial training and. education

especially through the implementation

of - Youthstart"

increasing competitiveness andpreventing unemployment by adaptingthe workforce to the challenge

change through systematicapproach to continuing training;

improving the employmentopportunities of those exposed tolong-term unemployment andexclusion, through the development

package of measures which form

pathway of reintegration.

Promoting equal opportunities for women inthe labour market is an integral part to allof these themes.

20. The Commission will continue to seekin partnership with the Member States to

. ensure that the priority to be accorded toinvestment in human resources isreaffirmed and reflected in the CSFs andprogrammes agreed for the coming period.It is also important that the CSFs andprogrammes now adopted contain sufficientflexibility to make it possible to adaptactions and financial efforts to the ongoingimplementation of the White Paper

Growth , Competitiveness and Employmentwhich will put a premium on quality and willalso help to redress the balance towardsmore adequate investment in humancapital. The Commission will in this regardtake steps to ensure systematic monitoring,evaluation and control throughout theperiod so that programmes are amendedas necessary, so that those programmeswhich are more effective are givenadequate support arid so that the mostsuccessful experiences and practices aredisseminated rapidly throughout the Union,

21. It is also important to ensure bettercoordination between departments andbetween national or regional authoritiesand other relevant actors. Member Stateswill be encouraged to reviewimplementation mechanisms in order to

increase efficiency and transparency in thegranting of suppor:t and to ensure thatimplications for employment and skills arefully taken into account when decisions tofund . 1nfrastructure and productiveinvestment projects are being made. addition to seeking closer national inter-departmental cooperation efforts are

needed to promote a broader partnershipinvolving NGOs, community bodies, local

authorities, the social and economicpartners and the . private as well as thepublic sector to bring in new knowledgeand expertise.

22. Experience has shown the growingimportance of the local level and ofdecentralised management.

. --

Thedevelopment of implementationmechanisms which facilitate a bottom-upapproach is especially relevant for the twonew themes of the -ESF: combatingexclusion and promoting adaptation toindustrial change, where much experienCelies outside the public domain. A series ofnational conferences will be promoted witheffect from 1995 , together with a Europeanlevel event, to highlight for the wider publicthe practical uses of the ESF.

23. A key challenge for the future will alsobe the phasing-in to the ESF of measurescurrently implemented under the EuropeanCoal and Steel Community. Useful lessonscan be learned from experience gained

with the ECSC which has operated inexceptionally close association with thesocial partners and with co-financing fromthe industries in the form of a levy onoutput. This system has cushioned thesocial impact of tremendous job lossesover the past twenty years and more.

Community Initiatives

24. The new series of CommunityInitiatives will be launched later this year.These include EMPLOYMENT, whose main

objective is to improve access toemployment for certain disadvantaged

groups (such as the young unemployed,

disabled people the socially excluded andwomen), and ADAPT, which aims to assistworkers at risk of unemployment throughindustrial change to adapt to new workingpractices and methods. They are designedto have an important catalytic effect onnational, regional and local efforts topromote employment and to improve thequality and standards of training provision.An important feature of the CommunityInitiatives will be the emphasis placed ondeveloping a strong transnational andinnovative dimension. The Commission willestablish with all concerned a carefullyconstructed programme of monitoring andinformation exchange so as to exploit allthe possibilities opened up by theseprogrammes.

Community Training Programme

25. Moreover, so far as action at the levelof the Union is concerned, the recent

adoption by the Council of the commonposition on the LEONARDO programmewill provide a further impetus to

cooperation , building on the successfulexperience of the previous programmes(COMETT, FORCE, EUROTECNETLINGUA and PETRA). This programme isdesigned to promote and support qualityand capacity of innovation in the field oftraining. It wilL be developed in synergywith the structural intervention of the Unionespecially, as far as the ESF is concerned.with the new set of Community Initiatives.Arrangements will be made to ensure aregular flow of information from thesedifferent actions to the Member States.The Council should decide the programmebefore the end of 1994 so that with effectfrom January 1995 the next phase ofcooperation in the field of vocational

training can benefit from the full range ofactions to be developed in the frameworkof the LEONARDO programme.Implementation of this programme willbenefit from the reinforced link withCEDEFOP, (European centre for thedevelopment of vocational training),especially as regards the regularproduction of comparative descriptions oftraining systems.

III - ENCOURAGING HIGH LABOUR STANDARDS AS PART OF A COMPETITIVE EUROPE

1. Legislating for higher labour standardsand employee rights has been an important ..part of the Union s achievements in the

social field. The key objectives have beenboth to ensure that the creation of thesingle market did not result in a downwardpressure on labour standards or create adistortion of competition , and to ensure thatworking people also shared in the newprosperity. The main areas of focus havebeen equal treatment between men andwomen , free movement of workers , healthand safety, and - to limited extent -labour law.

2. Since the adoption of the SingleEuropean Act, the emphasis has shiftedfrom harmonisation to the adoption ofminimum standards, and the 2nd SocialActionProgramme7 which resulted from theSocial Charter adopted in 1989 foresaw 21proposals for directives, most of whichwere based on Article 118A. TheCommission has proposed all of these and13 have been adopted. Important progresshas therefore been made on health andsafety at work, including the Directives onthe protection of pregnant workers , the

protection of young people at work9 and theorganisation of working time , which, bylaying down minimum standards, haverecently further extended the socialprotection of workers. As regards labourlaw, important decisions have been takenwith the Directive on an employers.obligation to inf.orm employees of theconditions applicable to the employmentcontract11 and the amendment t.o thecollective dismissals Oirective

3. Nonetheless , a number of proposalsremain .outstanding. Four proposals in thehealth and safety area are still underdiscussion in the Council (see part C). Inaddition, there are 4 other proposalsoutstanding before the Council. These are:

(i) ,.. information and consultati.on. w.orkers

(ii) non-standard employment:. working conditions

. distortion of competition(iii) posting of workers

4. In the next phase of social policy, theC.ommission believes that - the highestpossible pri.ority must be given to bringingthese proposals to a successful conclusion.

5. The priorities for the future will

therefore be completion of the existingSocial Action Programme , the cons.olidationof a good base of labour standards andthepromotion of health and safety at work.

A - COMPLETING THE EXISTING SOCIALACTION PROGRAMME

Infcrmaticnemployees

and ccnsultaticn .of

6. In April 1994 the Commissionpresented a proposal to improve theinformation and consultation of employeesin Community scale undertakings underArticle 2(2) of the Agreement on Socialpolicy . The Social Affairs Council on 22June reached a Common Position on thetext and the Commission expects it to beadopted by the end of 1994, TheCommission will give careful attention~ to

assisting the implementation of theDirective, and to ensuring cooperativeexchanges between those involved. Inaddition:

.once this Directive is adopted theCommission will examine its impact

the seven proposals for Councildirectives which concern or containprovisions concerning information andconsultation of employees14

which are

currently an the table of the Cauncil.

Posting of workers

7, It is urgent that progr~ss is made onthis important problem. The Commissionproposal15 seeks to establish a core ofminimum standards to protect workersworking temporarily in another MemberState. The completion of the single market

. .

makes this all the more necessary.

If no success can be achieved in theCouncil on this text by the end

1994 the Commission withoutprejudice to the legal framewbrk, willinitiate further discussions with thesocial partners and, in the light

their opinion, consider further whetherthis problem can be resolved by newproposals for action in this field,

New forms of employment

8. The last - four years have seendramatic developments in the labourmarket brought about in particular bychanges in both the production model andthe service sector, leading to more flexibleforms of work contract (fixed termtemporary and part-time), This is not onlybecause management wants to increaseflexibility, but also because the workersinvolved quite often prefer alternative workpatterns. If these flexible forms of work areto be generally accepted , it is important toensure that such workers are given broadlyequivalent working conditions to standardworkers, and there is a general concern tomake a breakthrough at Union level in thisarea. The Commission recognises that, as

a result of these developments, its originalproposals in this area16 may now need to

be reformulated. The measures adoptedwill also need to take account of theprinciples of the ILO Convention on part-time work adopted in June 1994.

If no progress can be made in theCouncil on the basis of the current

proposals by the end of 1994 theCommission will initiate consultations

with the social partners under theAgreement on Social Policy. Theseconsultations will consider what furtheraction might be taken, including thepossibility of first step through newdirective on part time work,

In the same context, the Commissionwill also examine the possibility of aframework directive covering theissues of reconciling professional andfamily life, including career breakssuch as parental leave. Such proposal would seek gradually toencourage the development of newmodels better suited to the changingneeds of European society, and bespecifically designed to facilita./ft. thefull integration of women into thelabour market (see also Chapter V). Itwould set minimum standards within

framework designed to encourage

competitive solutions in changingworld. In this event the existingproposal on Parental Leave17 will be

withdrawn.

Working time

9. The Working Time Directive, which

sets provisions regarding minimum dailyand weekly rest periods, a maximum 48hour working week, paid annual leave andnight work was adopted in November199318, In addition , the Commission hasgiven a commitment to the Parliament tomake proposals to complement the existingDirective to cover aU employees. Providedthat certain minimum standards arerespected flexibility in working timearrangements should be encouragedparticularly at company level as part ofdeveloping new patterns of work and inorder to improve competitiveness and

increase employment . opportunities.

Consultations with the social partnersand/or studies by the Commission areproceeding in the case of sectors (fivetransport sectors plus sea fishing) and

activities (other work at sea anddoctors in training) excluded from theworking time directive, TheCommission considers, thatagreements between the socialpartners would be the best solutionbut if no agreements can be reachedduring 1995 proposals for Directivesbased .on Article 118A will bec.onsidered.

B - CONSOUDA TING A GOOD BASE OFLABOUR STANDARDS

10. With the completion of the existingSocial Action Programme, a substantialbase of labour standards has beenconsolidated in European law. Thequestion of where to go from there iscomplex and controversial because theissue of labour standards is at the heart ofthe debate about the relationship betweencompetitiveness , growth and job creation,

11, On the one hand , there are those whoargue that excessively high labourstandards result in costs which blunt thecompetitive edge of companies in onecountry or region as compared with others.On the other hand, many believe thatproductivity is the key to competitivenessand that high labour standards have alwaysbeen an integral part of the competitiveformula,

12. The tension between these two viewshas been very evident in the differentsubmissions which the Commission hasreceived as a result of the Green Paper. Itmust be said that there is no clearconsensus on this point and that MemberStates and others remain divided in theiropinions about the need for furtherlegislative action on labour standards atEuropean level.

13. A number of Member States, withsupport in particular from the EuropeanParliament, the Economic and SocialCommittee and the ETUC , developed the

idea of extending the floor of binding andenforceable minimum standards, as theappropriate instrument for making gradualprogress towards economic and socialconvergence in the Union , having regard tothe economic strength and capacity of thedifferent Member States. In addition tosupporting adoption of current proposalsrange of other areas were put forward forlegislative action at Union level. Theseincluded: (i) protection against individual dismissal;(ii) protection of the privacy of workers in

particular with regard to theprocessing, including the collectionand disclosure of workers' data;

(iii) requirement of equal treatment in caseof part-time work and work on fixed-term contracts (see part A above);

(iv) the prohibition of discriminationagainst workers who uphold theirrights or refuse to perform unlawful~s~;

(v) the right to payment of wages onpublic holidays and during illness;

(vi) the right of the worker to be heard ininternal company matters whichconcern him or her personally.

14. The Commission is alreadyundertaking detailed studies on the situationin the Member States on points (i) and (ii)above and expects to be able to publish theresults within the next nine months. It willalso encourage debate in the Council andParliament , and with the social partners onthese issues. The need for proposals forfurther legislation at European level in anyof these areas will be considered in the lightof this debate , taking into account the workalready undertaken in relation to theproposal for a general framework directiveon data protection, In addition , there are anumber of other areas - for example

homeworking and teleworking - where newapproaches might be developed and whichshould be further explored with a view topossible Union action in the future.

15. Other issues mentioned in responsesinclude the prohibition of discrimination onthe grounds of race, religion, age and

disability (see Chapter VI) and the informaleconomy. With regard to the complexproblems surrounding the issue of theinformal economy, the Commissionproposes, drawing on past discussion, to

encourage the exchange of experiencebetween Member States with a view tocreating a new impetus and identifyingpossible solutions. In the light of this

process the Commission will:

present proposals to address the

issue of illegal work, including its linkswith illegal immigration.

16, More generally, the Commissionbelieves that, in the imme9iate futureconsolidation and implementation of theexisting corpus of law - in this as in allareas - in order to ensure that competitionis not distorted by non-transposition will beat least as important as the presentation ofnew proposals (see Chapter X). Thissituation may change once the presentprocess of adaptation of labour law whichis underway in all Member States hassettled down. Once the new patterns ofworkers rights are clearer at national levelthe question of how best to underpin this atEuropean level will no doubt return to theagenda. In this context, given that it isalmost five years since the adoption of theSocial Charter, the Commission believesthat it is now time to take stock for thefuture. It therefore plans to:

organise during 1995 in collaborationwith the European Parliament jointhearing to assess the achievementsproblems and perspectives followingthe Social Charter, five years on. Thiswill also draw on the 1994 report onprogress in achieving the objectivesof Article 1 of the Agreement on

Social Policy, which the Commissionis required to draw up by Article 7 ofthe Agreement and which will, for

practical purposes, be merged withthe report on the application of theSocial Charter.

PROMOTING HEALTH AND SAFETY ATWORK

17. The Commission s Communication onsafety, hygiene and health protection atwork19 sets out the main areas for action tobe undertaken up to the year 2000.

-" 18. A ' key priority remains the' need tomake progress on the health and safetyproposals currently under discussion in theCouncil , with a view to their adoption during1994 and 199520, In addition , following theconsultation of the Union Institutions on theCommunication, a fourth programme ofaction on safety and health will be drawn upin 1995. The key features of thisprogramme will be :

appropriate development of . Unionlegislation in the light of neWknowledge or technical progress, or toremedy identified shortcomingsespecially in relation to high risksituations and harmful agents;

consolidation of existing provisions inorder to reflect advances in scienceand technology and to make them

more easily applicable by allconcerned;

promotion of information, educationand training activities targeted atemployers and workers as well

cooperation between Member Statesand the social partners to improveawareness of health and safetyissues;

promotion and development

preventive measures and protectiveservices, especially in relation to riskassessment;

study of problems encountered in

undertakings and enterprises such

small and medium-sized enterprisesand in particular by specific groups

well as issues connected with wellbeing at work;

development of non-legislativeaccompanying measures in order topromote and supplement legislativeobjectives.

19. The. Parliament has called on theCommission to develop a programme to becalled Safety Action For Europe (SAFE).The Commission intends to respond to thisrequest in its fourth action programme. Asforeseen in the above Communication , theCommission will also:

make proposals to develop andformalise the role of the Senior

Labour Inspectors group.

20. On 22 June 1994 the Councilapproved a Regulation establishing aEuropean Agency for Health and Safety atWork, based in Bilba0 , The Agency will

. have as its main tasks the collection anddissemination of technical , scientific andeconomic information on health and safetyat work, the promotion of and support forexchanges of information and experiencebetween Member States organisingconferences and seminars, providing theinformation necessary for the Commissionin the preparation and evaluation oflegislation, the establishment ofa networklinking Member States' national networksand the collection and dissemination ofhealth and safety information from outside

the Union. The Commission will place aspecial emphasis on ensuring that theAgency becomes operational during 1995.

IV - BUILDING A EUROPEAN LABOUR MARKET

1. One of the great successes ofEuropean integration has been totransmute economic migratory movementsbetween Member States into freemovement based on free movement ofpersons who draw their rights from theTreaty, which contributes to a concrete

and practical expression of. Europeancitizenship. This is a real testimony to thevalues inherent in the European socialmodel, and in particular the rights andresponsibilities of individuals.

2. The pursuit of the goal of freemovement for the citizens of the Unionand the more so for settled third countryimmigrants, is obviously more difficultunder conditions of high unemployment.This is a reality which cannot be ignored,but it has to be seen against thebackground of the European tradition ofopenness, the historical successes ofEurope in integrating immigrants and thecontribution this has made to economicsuccess and demographic and societalvitality.

A - THE FREE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS

WITHIN THE UNION

3. Article 8 A of the Treaty gives everycitizen of the Union the right to move andreside freely within the territory of theMember States. In reality, certain personswithout resources are hindered from

exercising this right in particularunemployed people without benefits , thosewho live on social benefits and certaindisabled people, and gypsies, whoencounter practical and adm inistrativedifficulties in residing in the Member Stateof their choice. An in-depth reflection onthe notion of the citizenship of the Union isnecessary, with a view to re-examining theconditions set by derived law for theexercise of free movement, in particular asregards the right to stay and reside , taking

also into account the need to avoid , as faras possible, creating additional financial

burdens or potential irregularities.

4. The challenge to the Union now istherefore to create real European

mobility area in which freedom ofmovement becomes not only a legalentitlement but also a daily reality forpeople across Europe. This calls for amore complex interaction of policies thanin the past Such free movementcontributes to achieving the objectives ofthe single market as well as theestablishment of a more flexible andefficient European labour market In otherwords, it is clear illustration of theintegration of social and .economic policiesthat the debate on the Green Paper hasemphasised. The Commission thereforeproposes:

to review all aspects of the operationof the single market with regard

the free movement of people(employed, self employed, studentspensioners and others), and will

establish high level panel to assessthe problems faced and to proposepossible solutions. The panel will

report to the Commission during1995.

5. In this context , the Commiss ion willalso seek to ensure the provision of clearand accessible information to peopleseeking to move about the Union , buildingon the information already providedthrough the EURES data bases (seesection C).

6. In order to remove the remaininglegal barriers to free movement workers, the Commission will press foradoption of the proposed measures in theareas of family reunion equality of

treatment, and the strengthening of the

entitlement to residence for workers in anatypical employment situation

In addition , the Commission will:

use all available means to ensurereal and effective implementation

the rules, including legal procedureswhere necessary. Member Statesshould provide adequate training andinformation to officials at all levels inorder to alleviate cumbersomeadministrative procedures;

evaluate the measures already takenat Union level on the mutualrecognition of diplomas and thecomparability of qualifications, to

exchange experiences andinformation and to achieve greatertransparency both for employers andfor workers. In addition, measures

promote academic recognition

diplomas and study periods shouldbe considered in order to facilitatethe mobility of students andresearchers;

propose to extend the generalsystem of recognition of diplomas toprofessions not yet covered andcontinue the evaluation of measuresalready taken to facilitate theprovision of services by and theestablishment of regulatedprofessions in the Union;

make proposals additional to itsRecommendation of 21 December199323 to solve the taxation problemsof workers who exercise freemovement in particular frontierworkers with the aim

guaranteeing equal treatment.

B - SOCIAL SECURITY AND FREEMOVEMENT

Adequate protection Union

provisions in the field of social security isa pre~ondition to the effective use of theright to move and to stay within the Union,Without such protection, the existingdisparities between the social securitysystems of the different Member Stateswould adversely affect people movingacross frontiers. They would risk losing allor part of their rights acquired or in theprocess of being acquired under nationallegislation (for example to pensions , healthinsurance , unemployment benefits , familybenefits), when leaving their country towork, to look for a job, to reside or to stayelsewhere in the Union.

9. In more than thirty years of Europeanaction in this field many obstacles to freemovement have been removed , but otherswhich discourage people from moving stillremain. The overall approach is not aimedat harmonising the Member Statessystems of social protection, but achieving effective coordination of thesesystems throughout the Union.Coordination is dynamic andnever-ending process reflecting the rapidevolution of the national social security

schemes and changing requirements.

10. To thisproposes:

end Commissionthe

wide-ranging technical revision andrestructuring of the coordination ofsocial security provisions in .order tokeep pace with developments andthe needs of people, and simplify theexisting rules, The Commission willidentify the relevant problems, inorder to assess the extent and theimplications of the necessarychanges, This analysis will serve

basis for discussions on thestrategy for modernization andsimplification, involving governmentsand social partners, and for thedevelopment of a concrete proposal.

11. In the meantime , Union action is also

necessary to preserve and to improvewhat has been achieved so far. TheCommission will therefore bring forwardlegislative proposals covering:

, .

the need to maintain adequateprotection for people moving acrossborders as regards occupational andother complementary social securityschemes supplementing orsubstituting for protection guaranteedby law. As regards occupationalpensions, it is envisaged .that theUnion role in overcoming theobstacles to mobility alreadyidentified in the CommissionCommunication of 199124 will be toestablish general framework

broad objectives, and.a proposal fordirective will be presented towards

the end of 1994;

coordination provisions for some newand modern types of benefits whichhave been created by MemberStates in recent years, such

education benefits and benefits forpersons in need of long-term care;

third country nationals who arelegally employed and resident withinthe Union and who, when stayingtemporarily in another Member Statesuffer multiple disadvantagesbecause they are not covered by thecoordination provisions. As firststep, they should be entitled tonecessary health care benefits;

the need to adapt Union rules onunemployment benefits for personslooking for work in another MemberState. The existing rules wereadopted when unemployment rateswere comparatively low, and need

be adapted to today s labour marketsituation without creating, howeveradditional financial burdens orincentive for abuse;

solutions to the problems posed byearly retirement schemes based onindustrial agreements, which are notcovered by the coordinationregulations and which pose variousproblems affecting, in parlicularfrontier workers.

12. In addition , the existing provisions oncross-border access to health care are toorestrictive and no longer appropriate totoday requirements. With a view toenabling greater and more efficient use ofexisting facilities, especially irt borderregions, the Commission will encourageco-operation in this field between MemberStates and their appropriate institutions.

13. Finally, the modernisation of theexchange of data between .social securityinstitutions is vital for the efficiency of thewhole coordination system and theprovision of a better service to the public.The further development of a telematicnetwork will therefore be given aprominent place in Union action in the

coming years. It is planned that thisnetwork, linking social security institutionsin all Member States , will be in placebefore the end of 1998,

C - EURES

14. The current economic andemployment crisis has highlighted the factthat a true European employment marketdoes not yet exist. EURES (EURopeanEmployment Services) has been set upboth to act as a .comprehensive Europeanemployment agency with a mandate toinform, counsel and place job-seekers

across Europe,and to provide a forum fordiscussion of European employmentissues at operational level. EURESoperates through a partnership betweenthe Commission, national employmentservices in 16 countries, and otherinstitutions interested in labour mobility,such as employer organisations, tradeunions and universities.

15. It reflects the demand from Europeanemployees and employers for a tool to tapinto the enormous potential of a trueEuropean labour market, above all byproviding good information ontransnational job and recruitmentopportunities. By facilitating transnationalrecruitment and experience . it can reduceexisting structural labour market barriersand can help develop the links betweentraining and employment at Europeanlevel. The object is also to draw successful ideas in one country or regionto tackle the challenges of another.

16. The core network of 400 trainedadvisers to deal with transnational job

seekers and job providers is already inplace. By the end of 1994 , a computerisedjobs data bank will be fully operationalsupplemented by a living and workingconditions data bank treating matters fromaccommodation to contract law to taxation,EURES will also have a particular focuson the creation of true frontier-freecross-border employment regions in areasof potentially high mobility,

17. This tool will be developed tofacilitate the liaison between other initiatives (e.

g.

training initiatives, ESFCommunity Initiatives) .and the world ofwork; and become transnationalframework for the exchange of experienceand good practice relating to all issues inthe field of employment

0 - INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS

18. In February 1994 the Commissionissued a Communication on immigrationand asylum policies25 as a basis for a newand wide-ranging debate about how thepossibilities which the Treaty on EuropeanUnion creates can be used to provide thecoordinated response necessary, and theframework , to guide the Union in its futurework.

19. The Communication stresses that

action in the area of integration policyremains an essential element of the widerneed to promote solidarity and integrationin the Union, To achieve this integrationpolicies must be directed in a meaningfulway towards improving the situation ofthird country nationals legally residentwithin the Union by taking steps which willgo further towards strengthening theirrights relative to those of citizens of theMember States.

20. The framework for action by theUnion set out in the. Communicationconstitutes the basis for the action plan

which will enable the Union to pursue anactive . and comprehensive migrationpolicy. In particular, the Commission will:

make proposal by the end of 1994recommending the ratification byMember States of the International

Convention on the protection of allmigrant workers and members

their families, adopted by the UN on18 December 1990;

encourage the social partners toaddress, in the framework of thesocial dialogue, the question of theconditions of employment forthird-country nationals legallyresiding in the Union;

finalise, during 1994, a review of theimplementation by Member States ofthe Decision of the EC- TurkeyAssociation Council on the situationof Turkish workers employed in theUnion. This will be followed bysimilar reviews concerning thesituation of workers from theMaghreb countries and, in laterstage, of workers from Eastern andCentral European countries withwhich the Union has concludedagreements.

21, An internal market without frontiers inwhich the free movement of persons is

ensured logically implies the freemovement of all legally resident thirdcountry nationals for the purpose ofengaging in economic activities. Thisobjective should be realised progressively.

Asa first step the Commission will:

present proposal in 1995 to ensurethat Member States give priority tothird-country nationals permanentlyand legally resident in anotherMember State when job vacancies

cannot be. filled by EU nationals ornationals of third countries legallyresident in the Member State.

22. At a later stage access toemployment in response to an offer employment will have to be secured; thetiming for the realisation of full freemovement rights, will depend on thelabour market situation.

23. Successful integration in the hostcountry is perhaps the ultimate test of

effectiveness of the Union freemovement policy, and it is important thatthe migrant communities themselves havea voice in their own integration process.Migrants associations can often serve asmediators in promoting integration in thehost country. The Commission willtherefore start , in 1994:

an evaluation of integration projectsand projects against racism carriedout by NGOs with financial supportfrom the Commission, in order to

develop guidelines which canbe used at national, regional or locallevel.

E. COMBATTING RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

24. As agreed at the Corfu EuropeanCouncil , the Union will step up its efforts todevelop a global strategy at Union levelaimed at combatting racism andxenophobia. For its part, the Commissionwill:

continue to encourage thedevelopment of systems to monitorincidents of racial harassment, whereseveral Member States have madeprogress and discussions areproceeding on how cooperationwithin the Union could stimulatefurther progress.

increase existing financial support foranti-racism projects, with the purposeof pump-priming national and otherefforts in this field, and continue tofund organizations whose aims andprogrammes contain large anli-racist element,

consult the social partners

European level in 1994 on thepossible adoption of a code of goodemployment practice against racialdiscrimination.

25. The Commission will also press forspecific powers to combat racialdiscrimination to be included in the Treaty(see Chapter VI),

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN

1, The European Union has a longstanding commitment to equal opportunitiesbetween women and men (Article 119 ofthe Treaty of Rome), and it is now widelyrecognised that the legal frameworkreflecting social policy at European Unionlevel has been a catalyst for major changein the Member States. In turn theclarification and interpretation of the lawusually through legal cases , has benefitedthe development of equal opportunities.Nevertheless, much remains to be done.The need for a strong legal frameworkremains , and there should be a consistentapplication of existing equality legislationacross the Union.

2. The economic context of equalitypolicy has changed dramatjc~lIy over thepast years and this needs to be reflected inthe development of European policy. Theincrease in women activity rates hastaken place in spite of and in parallel withhigher rates offemale unemployment (12%compared to 9% for men), and experiencein some countries shows that increasedactivity by women is not automaticallylinked with the growth in part-time work.The difficulty of finding work has notdiscouraged women from increasedeconomic activity, including enterprisecreation: women were responsible forcreating a significant proportion of newsman enterprises set up in the EU in the1980s.

3. This adaptability and creativity ofwomen is a strength that should beharnessed to the drive for growth andcompetitiveness in the EU. Lower activityrates of women in the EU (66%) comparedto women in the US , Japan and non countries (72%) is a factor which militatesagainst achieving greater competitivenessespecially given the current predominanceof women in second and third leveleducation in the EU and their generally

higher educational attainments. Greater

competitiveness can also be achieved byupgrading working conditions in flexible andlow protected , low paid or informal jobs sothat their economic role in production aswell as consumption is increased throughappropriate recognition and remuneration.

4. The contribution which women canmake to the revitalizing of the economy isone of the reasons why the issue ofequality should be seen as a key elementto be taken into account in aU relevantmainstream policies. European effortsshould be redoubled to develop actionsand policies which reinforce women s rightsand maximise their potential contributions.They should be underpinned by evaluation of the economics of equalopportunity, especially the costs of notapplying equal opportunity policy.

5. Women are not a homogeneousgroup. Much discrimination comes fromthe same historical and cultural roots andaffects all women. However, policies needalso to address the differing needs andexpectations of, for example, disabled,

elderly, migrant and/or ethnic minority,young women , or those who live in ruralareas or inner cities. Specific attention isgiven to women in other relevant sectionsof this White Paper.

A - DESEGREGATING THE LABOUR MARKETAND PROMOTING THE V AWE WOMEN S WORK

6. The gender balance of activities in theeconomy is likely to be deeply affected bystructural economic change, in particular

the growing role of services, the new

technologies and the new flexibility of workorganisation , working time and the newtechnologies and the new flexibilities ofwork contracts that public and privateenterprises are seeking. Positive and

sustained action is needed to maximise theopportunities and reduce the dangers. Thisis especially relevant to homeworking andteleworking, which offer significantopportunities for women - the majority ofworkers in these fields - but where there isalso a need to guard against the dangerthat they may generate poorer workingconditions and isolation for women. It willbe necessary to reassess the value givento jobs traditionally performed by womenjobs like childcare, care of elderly peoplework in family enterprises and care in thehome local services. In addition, newforms of work organisation will tend tocreate more flexible jobs not only forwomen but also for men. Policies arenecessary which will lead to both sexestaking advantage of the potential benefitsof flexibility,

7. To achieve this, changes in theworkplace must be accompanied by actionto eliminate discrimination , by, for examplethe use of codes of practice covering pay,training and vertical desegregation (Le.

- opening all levels of seniority to women),All forms of women s productive work mustbe appropriately paid (by, inter aliaim plem enting gender-neutral job evaluationand job classification schemes) and thatsocial protection can guarantee anindependent life for the individual worker.

8. Equally, ensuring real choice andequal opportunities in education andvocational training together with access tolife-long learning opportunities , is essentialto maximise women s career opportunities.Moreover , more attention should be paid tothe benefits of integrating specific social

objectives into the strategic plans ofbusiness. The social partners couldparticipate in devising measures to supportpositive action within the public and privatesector by encouraging the use of equalityaudits within enterprises, using flexibletargets and publishing the results; providingpractical guidance to help employersespecially SMEs , calculate the cost and

benefits of positive action and "family-friendly" policies , and publishing examplesof best practice in European enterprises.

The Commission will therefore:

introduce codes of practice on .equalpay for work of equal value (a follow-up to the Memorandum adopted inJune 1994), on training and onvertical desegregation;

develop measures to encourage theskilling and development

professional qualifications of womenincluding measures designed to helpwomen set up their own businesses;

make proposals for the removal

discriminatory fiscal and socialprotection policies and for theindividualisation of rights (see

Chapter VI);

B - RECONCILING EMPLOYMENTHOUSEHOLD/FAMILY LIFE

AND

10. The growing participation of women inthe economy has been one of the moststriking features of recent decadessuggesting that there is now an urgentneed , in the interests of society as a wholefor working life .and family life to be moremutually reinforcing. Technologicalproduction and societal trends are leadingenterprises to be at the forefront of suchsocial changes , in some respects ahead oflegislation and public policy, The latter isnow confronted with major issues such asthe relationship between working time andcare time. Changing demographic trendsmean that the responsibility for elderlydependants is moving up the socialagenda , although childcare is still the majorproblem for working parents in manyMember States. New social infrastructuresare needed to support the household andthe family, and the question of how familiescan be helped to carry the costs remains tobe addressed.

11. Progress towards new ways ofperceiving family responsibilities mayslowly relieve the burden on women andallow men to playa more fulfilling role insociety. However greater solidaritybetween men and women is needed if menare to take on greater responsibility for thecaring role in our societies and if flexibilityin employment is not to lead to newpressures on women to return to the ranksof the non-salaried population or be obligedto accept paid work at home in isolationfrom the community. This solidarity will beassisted by the implementation of theprovisions of the 1992 CouncilRecommendation on Childcare , which

calls for the provision of leavearrangements for fathers as well asmothers throughout the Union. Positivepolicy action is also needed to help theprocess of change and to promote a morenearly equal sharing of parentalresponsibilities, another element in theChildcare Recommendation.

12. Drawing on the experiences ofMember States. and with a view tfostering greater cooperation theCommission will:

follow up the ChildcareRecommendation by assessing theimplementation of theRecommendation establishingbaseline data on childcareinfrastructure and services in theMember States. and looking at waysof addressing the issues of stereotyperoles of the sexes in society

undertake an economic assessmentboth of the job-creation andreflationary potential of child anddependent~care infrastructures andservices. This will include anassessment of the use of quantitativeand qualitative targets for theimprovement of childcare provision

and the potential use of fiscal andfinancial instruments to improve these

infrastructures and services. In thelight of this assessment theCommission will make appropriateproposals.

C - ACCELERATING THE PARTICIPATION OFWOMEN IN DECISION-MAKING

13. The role of women in decision makingis fundamental to the progress of society.Indeed , the objective of equality betweenwomen and men will be frustrated if muchmore rapid progress is not made in theinvolvement of women in decision-makingin all sectors of society. The great stridesthat have been made towards equalopportunities for girls arid women ineducation have laid the foundation for amajor step forward in the next decade. TheCommission considers that there is a neednow to move to the next phase, focusingon equal treatment as well as equalopportunities not only in the labour marketbut in society as a whole. Experience nowshows ' that formal equal opportunitiesalone do not automatically result in eitherequal treatment or proper representation ofwomen at decision making levels. Closerexamination is required of the entrenchedinstitutional and cultural barriers that inhibitor prevent the proportional representationof women in public and political bodiesincluding organisations of the socialpartners. The European Union shouldexercise leadership by taking concretesteps to enhance the role of women in itsown institutions, and should assist theMember States and other Europeaninstitutions to make progress in the same-direction.

14. Drawing on the experiences ofMember States, and with a view to

. fostering greater cooperation theCommission will:

continue to develop research intoinformation on training for andproposals for action on the increasedparticipation of women in decision-

making in both the public and privatesectors,

D- NEXT STEPS

15. The Commission will continue topromote equal opportunities throughintegrated action programmes. The currentThird, Action Programme is due to becompleted by the end of 1995. A mid-termevaluation will be published in the secondhalf of 1994. In the light of that evaluationand this White Paper, the Commission will:

publish during 1995 a Fourth Action

Programme on Equal Opportunitiesbetween Women and Men, to comeinto force in 1996

publish, beginning in 1996 an annualEquality Report" which will review

developments in equality at MemberState and Union level and serve as amonitoring instrument for equalitypolicies,

16. Furthermore , the Commission will:

press for the adoption of theproposed Directive on parental leaveand/or other legislation on leavearrangements (see Chapter fII);

encourage the adoption of theoutstanding proposal for directiveon the burden of prooF7. If this is notadopted by the end of 1994 theCommission will consider withdrawingthe proposal and issuing

Communication on procedures andremedies for the implementation

Article 119 and the equality directives(access to justice, time limits, burdenof prob~ and remedies and sanctionsetc.), building on the existing case lawof the ECJ;

use all available means to ensure thereal and effective implementation

all applicable legal provisionsincluding legal procedures wherenecessary;

following the recent CouncilResolution on the promotion of equalopportunities through the StructuralFundg28 and in line with demandsfrom the European Parliamentdevelop mechanisms to integrate theequality dimem~ion in the operation

the Funds including the CommunityInitiatives through the use of moreprecise targets, data collection andmonitoring of the participation

women, Criteria will be developedwhich can be consistently appliedacross. all Member. States to enableeffective collection of information andcomparison at trans-national level.The European Advisory Committeecould play key role in thedevelopment of such criteria and inthe monitoring process. In parallelthe Commission will encourage by allmeans at its disposal the successfultake-up and operation of theEMPLOYMENT-NOW" Community

Initiative;

examine how to build monitoring bygender into all relevant Union policiesand make it requirement in theirevaluation.

17. To deepen the social dialogue with

regard to equality, the Commission willpropose that regular meetings be heldbetween the social partners and the headsof the national equality agenciesrepresented on the Advisory Committee forEqual Opportunities, It will also developcontacts and consultation of womenorganisations in the context of theproposed social policy Forum (see ChapterVIII),

VI - SOCIAL POLICY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION - AN ACTIVE SOCIETY FOR ALL

1. The responses to the Green Papermake clear that the traditianal socialpratection systems of Europe - based onthe concept of the welfare state - are animportant achievement that needs to be

-. .

maintained. But it is also clear that- thereneeds to be a mave away from marepassive income maintenance measurestowards active labour market measuresdesigned ta ensure the economic andsocial integration of all people. This means

, giving a top priority ta employmentsecuring new links between employmentand social policies by developing atrampoline safety net and recognising

that those who are not in the labour marketalso have a useful role to play in society.While the European social model pravides

good foundation it needs ta bedeveloped to provide a new synergybetween the welfare and wealth-creatingfunctions of society.

2. This is all the more important becausethe European Union will experiencesignificant changes in its demographicstructure within the next 20 years , mostespecially the ageing of the po~~lation , andsocial protection schemes wIll need toadapt to aU these develapments. The shareof people over 60 will rise from 20% to23% by 2010 while the share of youngpeople under 20 will decrease from 24% to21 % over the same period, Life expectancywill continue to increase, by one year everyfive years. The active and creativecontributian .of older people to societytherefore needs to be encouraged. At thesame time, family patterns are changing:larger number of families are being formedoutside marr~ge, people are havingchildren later and partnerships are oftenless stable.

3. The Commission is monitoring thesechanges , and will produce a regular reporton demography in the EU , the first of which

will be issued at the end of 1994. The mainobjective of. this report will be to illustratethe ways in which demography - in theshart and longer term - will impact an andinterrelate with sacialand economic palicy.

A - MAINTAINING AND ADAPTING THEEUROPEAN MODEL OF THE WELFARESTATE

4. Twa years ago , the European Unioncampleted a lang period .of discussionculminating in the adoption by the Councilof a Recommendation on the Convergenceof Social Protection Objectives andPolicies In this Recommendatian,Member States acknawledged that a singlemarket can be created while maintainingthe diversity .of sacial protectiansystemsthat exist within the.- Unian - mainly asregards the arrangements for financing aridorganizing them - and that comparabletrends in Member States lead to commanproblems ~nd challenges (unemplaymentageing, changing family structures , healthcare cost-containment, etc.). In order topermit the co-existence of different natianalsystems and to enable them to progress inharmony with one another towards thefundamental objectives of the UnionMember States have agreed to foster theconvergence of their social protectionpolicies , and have fixed common objectiveswhich will act as pointers to the way theirsystems are modified to take account ofthechaUenges set out above.

5. The Commission, at the Council'request will ' continue to analyse thedevelopment of social protection palicieswithin the Member States andcooperation with them, to evaluate theiroutcome, so that each of them can fullybenefit from the experience of others,

This exchange of experience willfocus on the relationship between social

protection, employment promotion andcombating exclusion, and in particular onways to combine the grant of benefits.including the guarantee of a minimum levelof resources, with an active employmentpolicy. The financing of social security, inorder to better adapt it to employmentpromotion , is again an important issue forthe exchange of experience, as is the needto . guard ag~inst potential abuses of thesystem. Furthermore , ways of containingthe cost of health care services andadapting social protection systems to thedevelopment offamily structures where thiscreates new social protection needs willalso be addressed.

7. The Green Paper addressed the issueof the social transition to economic andmonetary Union. Most of the contributionsreceived deal with this question , but theyshow contrasting views. However, it is clear

that the problem of rising social protectionexpenditure, which currently amounts toone quarter or even one third of the GDPof individual Member States raisesimportant questions. In order to integratethe economic and social approaches, theCommission thereJore intends:

to monitor the social challenges thatMember States face as regardssocial protection expenditure, throughregular joint discussions with

Directors General for Employmentand for Social Protection andconsultations with the social partnersand other economic and social actors,The Social Protection in Europereport will playa key role in thismonitoring.

8. Drawing on these exchanges experience, the Commission will give

consideration to:

complementary Recommendationon the adaptation of social protectionsystems to changing family structuresnotably through the individualization

)f rights and contributions on theoasis of comparison of actualgender inequalities in social security.

Recommendation on the financingof social security setting out commonguidelines to promote betteradaptation of social security toemployment promotion whilemaintaining solidarity networks andpermitting the co-existence of differentnational systems,

Recommendation on long-term careinsurance for people who becomedependent.

9. Finally, in order to ensure the equaltreatment of women and men in the field ofsocial protection, the Commission will

propose:

modification to the. Directive onequal treatment in occupational socialsecurity schemes3O in line with the

Barber judgment, the additionalprotocol to Article 119 in the Treaty

on European Union, and the ECJ postBarber judgments clarifying theapplication of Article 119 in the fieldof occupaffonal social security.

10. It will also pursue its work to completethe adoption of the principle of equaltreatment in social security

B - PROMOTING THE SOCIAL INTEGRATION

OF All

11. The marginalisation of major socialgroups is a challenge to the social

cohesion of the Union and calls for amobilisation of efforts by Member Statesand all the parties concerned , and for areinforcement of the bulwark of social

rights. It is clear that contemporaryeconomic and social conditions tend toexclude' some groups from the cycle ofopportunities. The responses to the GreenPaper confirm the need to respond to this

challenge and focus on the well-being of allpeople , workers and others.

12. This is not just a question of socialjustice; the Union simply cannot afford to lose the contribution of marginalised groupsto society as a whole. At a time whenmajor technological, economic and socialehanges are increasing the insecurity of agrowing number of people, the Unionneeds to ensure that the most vulnerable(people excluded from social and economiclife, young people unable to find a footholdin the economy, long-term unemployed,disabled and older people , for example) arenot excluded from the benefits of - andfrom making an active contribution to - theeconomic strength of a more integratedEurope.

13, While the basic responsibility for thislies with the Member States fullcooperation between them, within theUnion, plays an important role. MoreoverArticle 2(2) of the Agreement on SocialPolicy gives the Union a role in supportingand complementing the activities ofMember States. The Commission willtherefore continue to develop the basis forequal rights, spread new ideas on bestpractice, and support innovation andexperimentation, increasingiy of a trans-

national character, through the StructuralFunds, and notably the European SocialFund. The fight against poverty and socialexclusion

14. At present , with more than 52 millionpeople in the Union living below thepoverty line social exclusion is anendemic phenomenon , stemming from thestructural changes affecting our economiesand societies. It threatens the socialcohesion of each Member State and of theUnion as a whole.

15. Exclusion processes are dynamic andmultidimensional in nature. They are linked

not only to unemployment and/or to lowincomes, but also to housing conditionslevels of education and opportunitieshealth discrim ination citizenship andintegration in .the local community. As aresult, preventing and combating socialexclusion calls for an overall mobilisation ofefforts and combination of both economicand social measures. At European levelthis also implies also that social exclusionshould be addressed in the framework ofall Union policies.

16. The creation of more jobs is a vitalfactor in the struggle against socialexclusion, but the provision of new jobsalone - even in substantial numbers- willnot lead to the elim ination of socialexclusion. Since the mid-1970s, Unionlevel action through the three PovertyProgrammes has demonstrated a numberof lessons , and it is clear that it is possiblefor such action to have a multiplier effect.This message was reinforced by, forexample, the European Conference oncombatting social exclusion held Copenhag~n in June 1993. TheCommission will continue its efforts in this.respect, and in particular will:

make every effort to ensure theadoption by the Council of the nextprogramme of Union action in thisfield, on the basis of the proposalspresented by the Commission September 199333

continue actions currently underway,in particular strengthening thedialogue with representative bodiesand working towards public solemndeclaration against exclusion.

17. In addition , further efforts are requiredto stimulate a European-wide solidarityinvolving all partners in fighting exclusion.While the primary responsibility for bothpolicy and action must lie with MemberStates , and indeed at regional and locallevels , action is also needed at the Union

level. The Union must demonstrate that itis not silent or inactive on this issue, andthat it is able to act not only in the interestsof the. employed but also of theunemployed and socially excluded.Moreover, Article 2(2) of the Agreement onSocial Policy gives the Union a specific rolein supporting and complementing the.activities -of the Member States as regardsthe integration of persons excluded fromthe labour market. The Commissiontherefore believes that there is a good casefor examining the possibility of:

further Union action on the integrationof those excluded from the labourmarket, covering both the economicand the social dimensions of thisintegration, providing a. legalframework for supporting andstimulating the efforts in the MemberStates.

18, The purpose of such a proposal would.be to define common objectives andguidelines, rather than detailed provisions

or uniform solutions. It would seek to. underpin the emphasis on moving frompassive to active labour market measuresby taking forward the 1992Recommendation on sufficient resourcesand combining the guarantee of a minimumlevel of resources with an active policywhich would maintain financial incentives toget a job. This might include proposals forthe gradual implementation by MemberStates of minimum requirements on, for

example , measures to help those seekingemployment to make a full contribution tosociety, and the social integration of thosewho cannot join the labour market.

19. In addition , the new Research andDevelopment programme contains aspecific subprogram me on social exclusionwhich will enable research on indicators aswell as on the impact of policies in the fieldof social exclusion to be carried out.Moreover, the Structural Funds , and particular the Social Fund, within the

framework of the new Objective 3 and ofthe new Community Initiative Programmeon Employment and Human Resourcesalso make a major contribution tocom bating exclusion.

20. Housing is also a key issue incombating social exclusion and may alsobe an important source of new jobs.Further projects will be pursued on housingissues, in particular through exchangespromoted by the regular meetings ofMinisters responsible for housing andexchange programmes developed in thiscontext. These different actions will becoordinated by the Commi~sion so as toprovide a well structured andcomprehensive contribution in this field.

21. In addition , the Urban Initiativeagreed by the Commission on 15 June

seeks to target help on a limited number ofneighbourhoods within cities where accumulation of factors (highunemployment levels low educationattainment, poor housing, environmentaldecay, high crime rates, etc.) make for agenerally poor quality of life.Unemployment in poor urban areas tendsto be significantly higher that nationalaverages. The problems will need to betackled in an integrated way, by means ofconcerted action by national and city

authorities. Similarly, the RuralDevelopment Initiative (Leader II) aims tocombat the problem faced . by rural

communities , when an overall developmentstrategy, based on the combined efforts ofthe local partners and the development oftheir skills, has proved to be a profitableapproach. Promoting the social integration

disabled people

22. More than 10% of the total

population of the European Union havedisabilities. The needs of individual

disabled people may vary considerablydepending on the nature of their disability,

coupled 'With factors such as theirprevious experience, their level of skill. andtheir personal circumstances. Assistanceoften needs to be tailored to the severityof a disability. However, as a group,people with disabilities undoubtedly facea wide range of obstacles which preventthem from achieving full economic and

. social integration, There is therefore aneed to bui.ld the fundamental right to.equal opportunities into Union policies.

23. . .Considerable help has been givenfrom the European Social Fund, theHORIZON Initiative and the HEllOS ActionProgramme including the Handynetsystem , to support and promote the trainingof disabled people so as to enable them toenter or re-enter the labour market. Theaim of this assistance is to demonstratethat enabling people to develop theirabilities is beneficial not only to themselvesbut also to society as a whole. This workwill continue. In addition , the Commissionwill:

build on the positive experience of theEuropean Disability Forum to .ensurethrough appropriate mechanisms thatthe needs of disabled people aretaken into account in relevantlegislation programmes andinitiatives. This includes ensuring thatto the maximum extent possibleUnion programmes are accessible todisabled people and that they areactively encouraged to participate inthem;

prepare an appropriate instrumentendorsing the UN Standard Rules onthe Equalisation of Opportunities forPersons with Disabilities;

as part of a process to encourage

model employers, prepare code

good practice in relation to its ownpersonnel policies and practices, andencourage discussions within theframework of the social dialogue on

how such model could be extendedmore widely,

24. It will also examine how Union actioncould contributE! to the key issue ofimproved access to means of transport andpublic buildings , and press for the adoptionof the proposed Directive on the travelconditions of workers with motordisabilities

The economic and social role of olderpeople

25. The concerns of today s - andtomorrow s - older citizens go beyond thetraditional issues of pensions and careservices, vital as these policy area~ willcontinue to be. The chal!engE! - is bigger: itis to maintain a high level of integration ofthe older population as Europe ages.

26.. Achieving this will require new

thinking on many issues that have beentaken for granted until now, such astraditional career patterns , retirement ageand the role of the nuclear and extendedfamily. Account also needs to be taken ofthe fact that women are in a majorityamong older people, and that women ofthis age usually have much lower incomes.The European Year of Older People andSolidarity between Generations 1993showed how new ideas and new practicescan be promoted at European level. In

order to take forward this work, the

Commission will shortly make a proposalfor:

Decision for further Union-wide

actions to help meet the challenges

an ageing population covering, inparticular, the role and contribution the active retired population.

Equal opportunities for all

27. A number of contributions to theGreen Paper - including the EuropeanParliament, the Economic and Social

Committee and the ETUC - called on theCommission to take further concrete actionto combat discrimination on the grounds ofrace, religion, age and disability. V\lhile theTreaties as they stand do not provide. anyspecific competence for legislation in thisarea, this is an omission that is becomingincreasingly difficult to justify in today

. -

Europe. The Union must act to provide aguarantee for all people against tt:Je fear ofdiscrimination if it is to make a r~ality offree movement within the single market. Inaddition to its existing work in these areas.

(see above and Chapter IV) theCommission therefore believes that, at thenext opportunity to revise the Treaties

serious consideration must be given to theintroduction of specific reference tocombatting discrimination on the grounds ofrace, religion , age and disability. With thisin mind, the Commissic:m will undertakefurther work aimed at demonstrating thevalue added of specific Union level actionsin this field, as a natural complement towhat can be achieved at national , regional

. on~ven local level.

VII - ACTION IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC HEALTH

1. Both this White Paper and the earlierGreen Paper refer to the significant linksbetween public health and social andenvironmental policy. These include theadverse effects of poverty, unemployment

. .and social exclusion on health; theincreasing pressures on health and socialprotection systems caused by demographicchanges notably the ageing of thepopulation; the role of preventive andrehabilitative health programmes infostering social integration; the impact ofenvironmental conditions on public health;and the specific health problems and needsarising from increased mobility within theUnion and migration into it.

2. In its Communication on theframework for action in the field of publichealth37 the Commission describes thecurrent health and related problemsconfronting the Member States and definesan approach for implementing theprovisions of Articles 3(0) and 129 of theTreaty,

3. Following an assessment of the scopefor action at Union level theCommunication provides for the possibilityof multi-annual programmes in a number ofareas. Proposals for Decisions on three of

these programmes have been adopted bythe Commission to be considered by theCouncil and Parliament under the co-decision procedure for implementation

1995. These are programmes on:

cancerhealth promotion, informationeducation and trainingprevention of drug dependence

4. The Commission intends to bringforward further programmes on AIDS andother communicable diseases and 'health data and indicators, including themonitoring and surveillance of diseases, asa matter of priority, Consideration is alsobeing given to the possibility of further

programmes in areas such as accidentsand injuries, pollution - ,related diseasesand rare diseases.

5. The Commission has also set up aninter-departmental group on health whichaims , in line with the provisions of Article129 to ensure that policies beingdeveloped in other sectors take full accountof health protection requir-ements.

6. In formulating and 'developing theUnion s action, the Commission will takefull account of the links with other areasand will aim to maximise synergy betweensocial and health measures while beingcareful to respect the differences instructures , organisation and implementationbetween the two areas.

7. In the light of experience inimplementing the Union s health protectionobjective, the Commission will considerwhat further actions may be required, Inparticular, the Commission will respond torequests from Member States and facilitatecooperation between them in areas suchas fundamental health choices , the deliveryof services and new health-relatedtechnologies. One particular area forconsideration is that of assisting MemberStates to respond to health issues such asincreased access to services and facilitiesarising from improved mobility within theUnion.

VIII - TRADE UNIONS, EMPLOYERS' ORGANISATIONS AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS AS

PARTNERS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGE

1. The challenges set out in the GreenPaper and the responses to them from allsides leave . no doubt that consensus isneeded if social reforms are to effectively realised. Moreover, in a fast-changing Europe, the legal process hasdifficulty in keeping pace with events. Theinternationalisation of the forces behindchange, both economic and social as wellas demographic, also argues for new

mechanisms which , in synergy with the lawmaker allow legislation and stateregulation to find their proper place.

2. The historical and cultural traditions ofthe Member States have made it possibleto build a European social mod~1 consensus reconciling economiceffectiveness and social solidarity. Thesocial partners have played a crucial role inthis process, both through cooperationbetween the state , employers and the tradeunions on economic and social policiesand through the establishment of relationsbased on agreement between employers

and trade unions. In particular, collectivebargaining has proved to be a flexibleinstrument in creating consensusencouragingan equitable distribution oftheresults of economic progress and smoothadaptations to shifts in the productive

process and social changes, For examplein the EGSC industries (coal and steel),where suc!1 shifts and changes have beennumerous, both passive and active socialmeasures have been carried out in theframework of sectorial consultation andconsensus. The high level unemployment illustrates the need for thesocial partners to give more weight in thecollective bargaining process to thereintegration of the unemployed. Equally,a strong role is played in all Member Statesby the large number of voluntary andwelfare organisations.

3. The massive structural changescurrently facing the Union pose newchallenges for this system. Thedevelopment of the Union s labour law isnow confronted with a need for new, moreflexible mechanisms of social regulationwhich can adapt to the speed and theextent of these changes. This requires anew complementarity between legislativeregulation and collective agreements. theincreased participation of the social partnersin the preparation of the measures underconsideration at Union and national leveland stronger cooperation betweenemployers and workers organisations. Thecorresponding social adjustments will alsorequire the full involvement of the voluntaryand other representative organisations.

A - PROMOTING AND STRENGTHENING THESOCIAL DIALOGUE

4. The existing cooperation betweenmanagement and labour has now beenconsolidated by the new framework definedby the Agreement on Social Policy, TheAgreement recognises and formalises thedouble function of the social dialogue:

consultation of the social partners at the

Union level, and the right of the socialpartners to negotiate agreements which caneither be given binding legal effect or placeobligations only on the signatories. Fromnow on, it is possible for European socialregulation to rest on both the legislativeinitiative of the Union institutions andcollective bargaining between the socialpartners, This process, which needs evolve and develop over time , will enablethe development of a new partnershipbetween economic and social actorsmaking it possible to adapt effectively tostructural change.

5. The Commission has issued aCommunication on how these new

procedures will operate . The keymessage of the Communication i~ that

although some elements of a Europeanlevel social dialogue are already in placeits development towards anorganic andstructured system of industrial relations forthe Union still requires progress,

6. In terms of structures, action needed on a number of points. Specifically,the existing consultative committees needto be restructured in order to take accountof a number of new elements such as theenlargement of the Union with theaccession of new members; thecomposition of the social partnersdelegations and the question ofrepresentativity; the relationship betweenlegislation and collective agreements; andthe relationship between consultatipn andnegotiation.

7. The Commission will therefore bringforward proposals for Decisions designedto reexamine:

the mandate and composition of theStanding Employment Committee inthe light of the implementation of theAgreement on Social Policy.Consideration will be given to giving it

new role so that it would become

Standing Committee .on Employmentand Social Policy, and

the number, mandate, coverage andcomposition of the sectoral socialdialogue committees. The linkage withthe existing and/or strengthenedinterprofessional ConsultativeCommittees will be improved.

8. The promotion of European levelsocial dialogue necessarily relies in the firstinstance on the social partnersorganisations themselves. The contributionof the Commission to this process rests onthe following objectives: balanced supportfor the parties; training and information onEuropean issues; extending the results ' of

the European social dialogue at nationallevel; and the relationship between thevarious levels of dialogue.

9. With a view to helping the socialpartners to develop the social dialogue , theCommission therefore proposes to bringforward:

discussion document on thedevelopment of the social dialogue,

focusing on balanced support for theparties and implementation of Articles

and 4 of .the Agreement on SocialPolicy.

10. This would include inter aliaproposals for the establishment of aEuropean training centre for industrialrelations; the rationalisation of financialsupport for the social partners with.a viewto strengthening action to ensure balancedsupport for both sides of the socialdialogue; and dissemination andawareness-raising programme about theEuropean level social dialogue, with a viewto extendil1.g it at national level. This willinvolve the promotion of meetingsseminars, studies publications (JointOpinions, agreements, etc. and exchanges at Union national andinterregional levels.

11. More generally, the Commissionbelieves that, in order to respond to thecurrent changes in the labour market, thesocial dialogue could usefully be broadenedin a number of ways. In this context, it willmake proposals to :

encourage the social partners atEuropean level to consider how thesearch for high labour standards canbe pursued as an integral part improved productivity. In order tomaintain and improve labourstandards in competitive world

economy, Europe needs renewedcommitment from both sides

industry to the pursuit of quality

production processes withproductivity.

high

This would cover such issues

access to continuing training for allemployees (including management),new mechanisms for ensuringemployee participation and full

exploitation of all the newopportunities offered by the newtechnologies. The practical problemsfaced by very small companies inadapting to rapidly changing

business environment would needspecial attention.

stimulate the involvement of the socialpartners at European level in actionsto address the question of theconditions of employment of thirdcountry nationals legally resident inthe Union and the possible adoptionof good employment practice againstraCial discrimination (see Chapter IV),to devise measures to supportpositive action for women within thepublic and private sector (see ChapterV), to encourage model employers tohelp disabled people at work

(Chapter VI), and to address majornew issues such as reconciling familyand work, exclusion and ageing.

B - DEVELOPING THE ROLE OF THE

VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS

12. Whilst recognizing the unique roleplayed by consensus and collectiveagreements between employers and tradeunions in the European social model , it isclear that voluntary and otherrepresentative organisations have a right tobe consulted by the Union and to play theirrole in the process of change. It is for thisreason that a clear distinction has to be

drawn between the negotiating processesnow established under the Agreement onSocial Policy and the consultations which

the European Union must undertake to dealwith social problems which cannot be dealtwith by collective bargaining, In relation toproblems, such as exclusion, racismdemographic trends and ageing, the Unionneeds to develop partnerships with a widerrange of institutions , including employersand trade unions in view of their civic ratherthan their collective bargaining functions.

13. In addition to the strengthening of thesocial dialogue, the Green Paper raised thequestion of the need for an "appropriateforum for discussion in which the strategicproblems of European society could bedebated in an open and democraticmanner . The responses to this questionvaried. While the Commission does notthink it appropriate for the social dialogueas such to take on this role, given its

purpose of nourishing the process ofcollective agreements between the twosides of industry, it does agree thatappropriate mechanisms are needed toassociate other relevant organisations , withthe evolution of European social policy. Thisis also in line with the declaration in the

Treaty on European Union on cooperationwith welfare organisations.

14. The Commission therefore proposes:

to institute Forum for debate anddiscussion on social policy issuesalong the fines of the Green Paper

conference held in May 1994. This

Forum would be convened every

months and involve .the widestpossible range of interested bodies,

The first meeting will be held inOctober 1995.

IX - INTERNATIONAl.COOPERATION - THE ROLE OF EUROPEAN SOCIAL POLICY

1. The European social model is notimpervious to outside influences from otherparts of the world, nor can it be ignoredthat the. achievement in Europe of areasonable balance between wealth,creation, - freedom and social justiceappealed to the peoples of Central andEastern Europe and contributed to thecollapse of Communism. And whileEuropean rigidities were the subject ofconsiderable criticisms from the UnitedStates in the period after the oil shocks , thecurrent US/Europe debate (as for exampleat the G7 Summit on Jobs) recognizes thatmuch can be- learned from the Europeancommitment to a high level of socialprotection. On the other hand, theJapanese socio-economic model, whichhas been the subject of debate in Europeis..beginning to evolve towards a newbalance between security and flexibility.

A - BilATERAL ANDCOOPERATION

MULTilATERAL

2. The fact that European social policy isnow emerging increasingly in the context ofthe external relations of the Union arisesnot only from the interaction betweendifferent socio-economic models, but alsofrom the reality that world competition isincreasingly socio-economic 'in character.The Commission therefore intends:

to systematise exchange and contactswith other industrialised countries;

programme of exchanges

experience already exists with Japanand dialogue with the US in the socialfield will be widened. TheCommission also intends strengthen links with internationalorganizations such .as DECO, ILOthe Council of Europe and the UnitedNations.

3. The World Summit on SocialDevelopment, to be held in March 1995under UN auspices, demonstrates theincreasing importance being attached to ajoint consideration of the socialconsequences of the evolution andtransformation of the world. The Summitwill be an important forum for suchdiscussions, and will take employmentsocial integration and reduction of povertyas its central themes.

The Commission, in the light of itswork on the White Paper on GrowthCompetitiveness and Employmentand more broadly because of thevalues inherent in the Europeansocial model will have specialcontribution to make.

The Commission also intends:

to continue its long-standingcooperation with the InternationalLabour Organisation.

In this context, it will be important to ensurethat an acceptable solution is found toresolve in a- constructive fashion theoutstanding questions related to theparticipation of the Community and theMember States at the International labourConference, recognising that the tripartitenature of that body requires a particularlycareful approach to be taken by the EU.

5. In the run up to, the enlargement ofthe Union in 1995, the Commission willalso:

continue to play an active role inensuring cooperation on social policywithin the framework of the EuropeanEconomic Area agreement.

8 - RELATIONS WITH THE COUNTRIES OF

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

6. The Union has been actively engagedin assisting the transition process in Centraland Eastern Europe through PHARE , andnow has Europe Agreements with most ofthe countries concerned. Two of them

. .

(Hungary and Poland) have alreadyentered into force , and these two countrieshave applied to be members of the Union.Their future integration was agreed as anobjective by the Copenhagen EuropeanCouncil in. June 1993. This means thatpolicy cooperation between the two parts ofEurope needs to be reinforced , and thattechnical and financial assistance by theUnion within the G.24 framework needs torespond to the requirements for such policycooperation at European level.

7. With regard to the social aspects ofthe transition , there is now a need to lookagain at . the serious social problems thathave emerged, notably high levels of

unemployment poverty and socialexclusion, which have also, of course,

important political repercussions. Thesecountries need socio-economic policiesaimed at active, competitive and fairsocieties and which make the best possibleuse of their major comparative advantagesin the global economy. PHAREprogrammes have begun to supportinstitutional developments in that directionincluding the support of regionaldevelopment to promote an integratedapproach to industrial reconversionsupport for an autonomous civil society,structures for social dialogue, and the

promotion of SMEs and local job creationprogrammes.

8. The time is therefore ripe for a well-focused policy discussion between EU andCentral and Eastern European countries .a number of social issues. Making full useof the existing structures and mechanismsestablished by the Europe Agreements , itwill be one of the Commission s tasks:

to help formulate responses to themost acute difficulties (socialconsequences of industrialrestructuring, the implementation ofemployment policies, the fight againstpoverty and social exclusion andsetting up social security systems;etc.) and to organize cooperation withthe help and support of MemberStates.

C - SOCIAL QUESTIONS IN RELATION TO

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

9. The comments on the Green Papergenerally endorse the view that discussionis now necessary on the social rulesneeded to complement trade., The Union

recognizes that other regions may need tocompete on the basis of lower labour costsbased on lower wages , longer hours andmore difficult conditions , but it is not in theinterests of international cooperation thatthe exploitation of workers should becomean instrument of international competition,While rejecting for reasons of principle aprotectionist approach , it is in the interestsof all that social progress becomes agenerally held. political objective aseconomies develop. A multi-lateralprogressive and multi-faceted approach tosocial rules is therefore proposed, which isfounded on partnership and positiveincentives for social progress in lessdeveloped countries.

10. An important element of this is therecently adopted guidelines for the newten~year GSP scheme include specialincentives, one of which is the socialclause. It aims at ensuring the promotion ofquality development by helping developingcountries to face the additional cost ofmore advanced social policies, in particularthe right of association and of collectivebargaining, and the abolition of child

labour.

11. Another important contribution to thispositive orientation of the external union

policy is -the promotion of economiccooperation and aid by the European

Union , for example in Central and EasternEurope, which should recognise the socialdimension of economic progress and the

. need for improved social standards whenpossible.

. -12. In addition , the Commission considersthat the future World Trade Organizationwhich will play major role as aninternational forum for discussions on tradematters , must tackle the subject without.

delay,: so that respect for basic socialrights, notably the right of association andthe right to collective bargaining, forcedlabour and child labour, are reflected in thedecisions -taken. The Corfu EuropeanCouncil concluded that the European Unionwill play an active role in efforts to ensurethat the WTO can carry out effectively itstask of ensuring observance of the rulesdrawn up jointly and promote progress incombatting unfair trade conditions, and thatenvironmental and s_ocial issues will haveto be' discussed in this context.

x - TOWARDS A MORE EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF EUROPEAN LAW

1. This White Paper has made clear thatmuch has already been achieved by theUnion in terms of legislative action in thesocial field. But if such legislation is to havea real impact on the situation of individualsin Europe, it is ess~ntial to ensure that it isnot only adopted, but that it is also properlyapplied. This has been a problem in someareas in the past, and the Commission iscommitted to ensuring that, in the futuregreater emphasis will be placed on theeffective implementation and enforcementof Union law.

A - TRANSPOSITION AND IMPLEMENTATION

OF DIRECTIVES

2. Article 155 of the Treaty states thatthe Commission shall "ensure that theprovisions of this Treaty and the measurestaken by the institutions pursuant theretoare applied...

3. Directives require transposition innational law, and the first step in thisprocess is the notification to the

.--

Commission by Member States of thenational measures adopted to implementagreed Union law. The Commissionconsiders that the current level ofcompliance and transposItion of Unionlegislation , as shown in Table 1 neees tobe improved.

TABLE 1 : PROGRESS IN TRANSPOSING DIRECTIVES APPLICABLE TO EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIALPOllCy40

Member States Directive$ applicable Directives for whichon 31.12. measures have been

notified as at 31.12.

Belgium

Denmark

Germany 3841

Greece 3642

Spain

France

Ireland

Italy

luxembourg

Netherlands

Portugal 3643

United Kingdom

Note: Table 1 concems Directives: 68/360 , 75/117, 75/129 , 76/207, 77/187, 77/576 , 78/610, 79/00779/640 , 80/987 , 80/1107 , 82/130, 82/605 , 83/477 , 86/188, 86/378, 86/613 , 88/035 88/364, 88/642

89/391 , 89/622 , 89/654 , 89/655, 89/656, 90/239 , 90/269, 90/270, 90/394, 90/65S, 90/679 , 91/269

91/322 , 91/382 , 91/383 , 91/533, 92/041 , 92/057

4. The transposition situation particularly serious as concerns the healthand safety legislation flowing from thehealth and safety framework Directive. Asof 30 June 1994 , only one Member Statehad transposed all of the Directives whichwere in force, and five had not yet notifiedmeasures to transpose the frameworkDirective itself (see Table 2). During- the

course of 1994, in parallel with pursuinglegal action where necessary, theCommission has held a series of bilateralmeetings to discuss the problems transposing - these directives and encourage action to resolve them , and itwill continue to give priority to ensuringprompt transposition of all legislation in thesocial field.

TABLE 2 : STATUS OF TRANSPOSITION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION FLOWINGFROM THE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

-'..

Directives IRL

89/391Framework

89/654 31.12.

Workplace 1994

89/655 WorkeqUIpment

89/656Personalprotectiveequipment

90/269Manualhandling ofloads

90/270Display

. screenequipment

90/394Carcinogens

90/679 28.11.

Biological 1995

agents

92157Construction

92158Safety Signs

93/88 31.12.

Biological 1995

agents(amendment)

Transposition into national legislation communicatedNo communication of transposition

5. Once national transpositionmeasures have been communicated, theCommission carries out a detailed analysisto check the conformity of the national lawwith that adopted by the Counci.l andprepares an implementation report in thelight of any necessary further multilateraland bilateral meetings with Member States..1.1 also considers any complaints received

about the national measures that havebeenadopted and will collaborate closelywith the European Ombudsman, theParliamentary Committee on Petitions andthe Temporary Committee of Inquiries inthe investigation of alleged contraventionsor maladministration connected with the

implementation of Union law.

6. The participatipn of the socialpartners in implementation is alsoessential. The Commission will providesupport for the social partners in the

implementation of directives and

particular, will address when appropriatethe problem of implementation of directivesby collective agreements in Member Stateswhich have no legal tradition of ergaomnes collective agreements. TheCommission will ensure that agreementson the transposition of directives contain areference to these directives, and will

discuss with the social partners theCommission draft reports on theimplementation of certain directives andrecommendations in the social field.

7. The Commission pursuesnecessary, infringement procedures incases where Member States have eitherfailed to communicate the relevant nationallaw, or when that law is considered to bedefective. The Commission will also ensurethat infringement proceedings againstMember States are preceded by a generalevaluation of the national law concerned, toavoid, as far as possible, the initiation ofproceedings on single and isolated points.It will also cooperate with Member Statesinstitutions in the investigation ofinfringements.

B - ENFORCEMENT

8. The fact that Regulations are directlyapplicable in Member States, and thatDirectives have been implemented innational law does not

, .

in itself, ensure theeffective appl.ication and respect of suchlegislation. The Commission has aresponsibility on the basis of Article 169 ofthe Treaty to ensure that Member Statesrespect and apply Union obligations. Inaddition , Member States' authorities mustensure '" that Union legislation is fully

enforced through, inter alia, appropriate

systems of control or sanctions which areeffective in practice and have a deterrentvalue.

9. The Commission s Communication

on the development of administrativecooperation in the implementation and

enforcement of Community legislation inthe internal market44 set out a policyframework for cooperation betweenMember States' administrations, andbetween them and the Commission , for theenforcement of European law, which hasbeen endorsed by the Council Resolutionon the sa!TIe topic . In the field of social

policy this should involve the enhancementof existing, well established mechanismsfor administrative cooperation such as theAdministrative Commission in SocialSecurity, the Technical Committee on freemovement and the Senior LabourInspectors Committee. In addition, the

Commission will also encourage thereinforcement of the Directors General

networks (Employment, Industrial Relationsand Social Protection) and the extension oflabour inspectors networks to fields. otherthan those of health , safety and hygiene atwork. The existing partnership with nationalauthorities has also proved to be useful inthe implementation of the directives on themutual recognition of diplomas.

10. The Commission will also continueto develop, in the framework of the IDAProgramme (Interchange of Data between

Administrations) once adopted, the TESS-SOSENET Programme (Telematics forSocial Security) to improve the exchange ofdata between social ~ecurityauthorities inthe context of social security regulations formigrant workers, and the EURES network(see Chapter IV). The Commission willexamine to what extent telematic networkscould cover other social fields , s~ch asindustrial relations, public health, health

and safety at work and social protection.

11. The Commission also favours thecreation by each Member State of centralcontact points which will ensure the flow ofinformation between Member States , andbetween them and the Commission onsocial matters, in particular health andsafety at work, labour law and industrialrelations and equality of treatment betweenwomen and men. With respect to existinglegislation , the Commission proposes thatinformation on contact points should benotified by Member States before the endof 1994, Contact points have already beencreated for all Directives on theprofessional recognition of diplomas. Forfuture legislation this information shouldbecome a normal part of the process ofimplementation , to be communicated to theCommission with the transposition text.

12. Where a Member State fails to takethe necessary measures to comply with ajudgement of the Court of Justice, theCommission , following the procedure laiddown by Article 171 of the Treaty will , ifnecessary, bring the case before the Courtof Justice together with a proposal , of theamount of the lump sum or penaltypayment to be to be paid by the MemberState concerned which it consideredappropriate in the circumstances,

c ~ ADAPTING EXISTING lEGISLATION TO ACHANGING WORLD

13. The Commission accepts that, inorder to adapt to a changing world , Unionregulations should be regularly review

and, if necessary, amended or evenrepealed, For example, with regard tolabour law Directives the collectivedismissals Directive was amendedrecently46 and the insolvency Directive isunder study, A proposal modifying theDirective on the acquired rights ofemployees in the case of transfers of

undertaking will be presented shortly.

14. On health and safety, the mainbody of legislation is very recent, and theComrl1ission main emphasis is onensuring the correct application of the textsadopted. However, where possible existingtexts on specific risks are being reviewedand consolidated into broader directives.An example of this is the proposedchemical agents directive , which

adopted will replace three previouslyadopted directives48 on specific risks.

15, The Commission will continue topropose the incorporation of revisionclauses in future directives; with a view toascertaining whether and to what extentlegislation -$hould be revised. In additionUnion legislation needs to be kept underreview in the light of Court judgementseither to consolidate the legislation to takeaccount of judgements of the Court, or toreview legislation in cases where Courtinterpretations raise the issue of the realintentions of the legislator. This processwill be carried out on a case by case basisby the Commission , in close cooperationwith the Council and Parliament.

D - IMPROVING ACCESS TO AND THE

TRANSPARENCY OF UNIONLEGISLATION

16. The final element in ensuring theeffectiveness of the Union sociallegislation is to ensure easy access to it forall. The Commission will provide more andbetter information concerning people

social rights and opportunities anddevelopments in the social field. addition to existing publications such as

Social Europe , the Social Protection reportand the annual Employment in Europe

report, the Commission also encourage, incooperation with Member States, thepublication of guides on Union sociallegislation and memoranda on theinterpretation of existing Union rules. Bythe end of 1995, this will include, thepublication of- a compendium on all. Unionsocial legislation guide to , nationalimplementing measures for suciallegislation, the distribution of guides onsOcial security. for European citizensmoving within the Union , the adoption of aMemorandum on acquired rights of workersin cases of transfers of undertakings, anda series of publications on equality in lawbetween men and women in the Union. Inaddition, a vademecum on the use of thegeneral system of diplomas will bepublished shortly, and a repertory ofnational and Union legislation on regulatedprofessions will be elaborated.

17. Furthermore in order to fosterincreased mobility with the Union, the

Commission will continue to provideinformation on living and working conditionsin the Member States, notably through theEURES database (see Chapter IV).

18. In order to improve the transparencyand clarity of Union law, the Commissionwill, inter-alia, undertake in 1995 thecodification of Regulations in the field ofsocial security for migrant workersconsolidate the Directives on collectivedismissals, and consolidate the Unionlegislation on rights of residence.

19. The Commission will also promotethe progressive introduction of efficientreliable and user-friendly communicationand data-exchange systems and adapt andimprove the efficiency of its data-basesystems, in particular Info ' , Celex

Eurobases and the electronic catalogue ofUnion publications.

20. Finally, the Commission believesthat the exchange of experiences and bestpractice among Member States should bepromoted. In this context, it will stimulatethe organisation of meetings, seminars andconferences on enforcement and foster theexchange of national officials and jointtraining programmes for enforcement. Thecomparative study on working conditions inthe twelve Member States published in theSocial Europe supplements of 1992 and199349 will also be updated andsupplemented at regular intervals.

NEXT STEPS

1. This White Paper has set out astrategy for consolidating and developingthe Union s action on social policy for thefuture. . It has proposed a number ofspecific measures where concrete progressean be achieved in the short term. It hasalso proposed other areas for considerationand development over a longer time frame.These actions will be consolidated in theincoming Commission s work programmewhich will be presented during 1995following consultations with the MemberStates, the Union Institutions and otherinterested bodies on the proposals set outin the White Paper.

2. It is clear that European social policyis at a watershed. Although much has beenachieved, this White Paper has made clearthat much remains to be done, The SocialCharter was an important milestone for theUnion , but many responses to the GreenPaper - including the European Parliamentthe Economic and Social Committee and

the ETUC - have called for a further step

forward, with the establishment of the

fundamental social rights of citizens as aconstitutional element of the EuropeanUnion. Doubtless this vital issue needs tobe considered in the context of futurerevisions of the Treaties. Certainly, there isa need to ensure that all people in Europeare aware of and are able to exercise,their fundamental social rights. This is theonly way of achieving- a Europe ofopportunities for all , which has been arecurrent theme of this White Paper. As itsspecific contribution to this process, theCommission will take forward during 1995its proposals for a joint hearing 0.0 thefuture of the Social Charter (Chapter III), ahigh level panel on free movement(Chapter IV) and a social policy Forum(Chapter VIII). These propo~als will playavaluable, interrelated, role in helping toidentify and give a stimulus to new waysforward, forming part of an ongoingprocess to ensure that European socialpolicy is P4t when it belongs, at the heartof the Union.

COM (93) 551 of 17.11.93supplement 6/93 of the Bulletin of the ECCOM (93) 600 final of 14,12.93 The Employment Observatol)', comprising MISEP (mutual information system on employment), SYSDEM (European system ofdocumentation on employment), NEC (Network of employment coordinators) and the Central and Eastern Europe bulletin;European Observatol)' of Industrial Relations (EURi); MIS$OC (mutual Information exchange on social protection); the EuropeanObservatol)' of national family policies; theObservatol)' on national policies to combat social exclusion; the Observatol)' on ageingand older people; and the Observatory on complemental)' pensions., Responsesto the 'M1ite Paper on Growth , Competitiveness and Employmentand to the Green Paper on Social Policy.OJ L181 OF 23,07,COM (89) 568 final of 29.11.92/85/EEC (OJ N' L 348 of 28. 11.92)COM (94) 88 of 30.03.94- adopted text not yet published in the Official Journal93/1 03/EC (OJ N" L 307 of 13.12.93)911533/EEC(OJ N" L288 of 18.10,91)92156/EEC (OJ N" L 2~ of 26.08.92)COM (94) 134 final of 13.04.Draft Directive conceming the European Compilny statute (OJ N" C 263 of 16.10.89), draft Directive (In procedures for informingilnd consulting employees (OJ N" C 297 of 15.11.80 ilnd OJ N" C 217 of 12.08.83), draft Directive on the establishment ofEuropeiln Works Council in Community-sCille undertakings (OJ N" C 39 of 15.02.91 ,md OJ N" C336 of 31.12.91), draft Fifth

Directive concerning the structure of public limited compilnies ilnd the powers ilnd obligiltions of their orgilns (OJ N' C 240 of19,08.83), draft Directive supplementing the statute for iI Europeiln ilssociiltion with regilrd to the involvement of employees (OJN" C99 of 21.04.92), draft Directive SUpplementing the statute for iI Europeilncooperative society with reg~rd to the Involvementof employees (OJ N' C 99 of21. 04.92), ilnd drilft Directive supplementingthe stiltute foril Europeanmutuill society with regilrdto the Involvement of employees (OJ N' C 99 of21. 04.92).COM (91) 230 linill of 19,06.COM (90) 228 finill of 13,08.COM (83) 686 of24,11.93/104lECOJ N' L307 of 13. 12.COM (93) 560 linill of19.11"Draft Directives on heillth ilnd Silfety for ilctivitles in the transport sector (OJ C 271 of 16.10.93), physiCilI ilgents (OJ C 77 of18.03,93), chemiCilI ilgents (OJ C 165 of 16.06.93), trilvel conditions of workers with motor diSilbilities (OJ C 15 of 21.01.92) ilndwork equipment (modiIiCiltion)(COM(94)56Iinill of 14.03.94)COM (90) 564 - ildopted text not yet published in the Officiill JournillOJ C119of15.05.OJ N" L39 of 10.02.SEC (91) 1332COM (94) 23 final of 23.02.921241/EEC OJ l123 of 08,05.COM (88) 269 of 11.05.Adopted text not yet published in the Official Journal92/442/EEC OJ N' L 245 of 26. 08.861378/EEC. OJ N" l 225 of 12.08.86 .

cf pending proposal COM (87) 494 of 16.10.Source: EUROSTAT. The figure covers people living in a household where the expenditure per equivalent adult is less than halfthe national average.

COM (93) 435 Final of 22.09.92/441/EEC OJ N' L 245 of 26. 08.OJ N" C 180 of 01.07.COM (90) 588 of 28.02.COM (93) 559linal of 24.11.1993COM (94) 83 of 29.03.COM (94) 202 of 01 ,06_COM (94) 234 of 08.06.COM (94) 600 Final of 14.12.11 th Annual report on the control of the application of Community lawDirective 90/659 sets transitional measures for health and safety directives following German unification , and therefore appliesonly to GermanyDirective 911382/EEC enters into force in Greece on 01.01.Directive 90/679/EEC enters into force in Portugal on 28.11.

COM (94) 29linal of 16.02.OJ N' C179ofO1.07.92/056/EEC OJ l 245 of 26.08.COM (93) 155linal of 14.05.80/1107/EECOJ l327 of 03.12.82/605/EEC OJ l 247 of 23.08.88/364/EEC OJ l179 of 09.07.Social Europe supplements 4/92 and 5/93

10.11.12.13.14.

15.16.17.18.19.20.

21.22,23.24.25.26.27.28.29.30.31.32.

33.34-35.36-37.38.

39.40.41.

42.43.44.45.46.47.48.

49.