European Social Policy articles from July 2006

European Social Policy archives from July 2006

HIGHER EDUCATION : 1,377 STUDENTS TO RECEIVE ERASMUS MUNDUS GRANTS IN 2006-2007.
July 13, 2006... The Erasmus Mundus programme of master's degree courses "has proven so popular since its launch in 2004 that it had to be expanded to keep up with demand", the European Commission announced on 15 June. The 57 Erasmus Mundus master's...

RESTRUCTURING & RELOCATION : A DIRE NEED TO REMOVE THE GREY AREAS IN AID REPAYMENT.
July 13, 2006... The latest wave of industrial restructuring programmes to hit the motor and computer industries for starters - like Peugeot's Ryton plant in the UK, General Motors' Opel assembly lines in Portugal and Hewlett-Packard elsewhere in Europe -...

SAFETY AT WORK : AGENCY LAUNCHES HEALTHY WORKPLACE INITIATIVE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has launched "The Healthy Workplace Initiative" (HWI) to provide both employers and employees of SMEs in Eastern European countries with easy access to information about how to improve their...

AGREEMENT ON EDUCATION PROGRAMMES.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers reached a political agreement on 27 June on education programmes over the 2007-2013 programming period. Allocated an overall budget of 6.2 billion (2004 prices), the sub-programmes concerned (see Europolitics 3091)...

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS : AUSTRIA PRAISED FOR REVITALISING SOCIAL AGENDA, NOT FOR FOLLOW-UP.
July 13, 2006... The Social Platform, an alliance of representative European federations and networks of NGOs active in the social sector, gives credit to the Austrian Presidency for havingaput the fight against poverty and social exclusion back at the core of...

SERVICES OF GENERAL INTEREST : BELGIUM CALLS FOR SEPARATE LEGISLATION ON HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
July 13, 2006... In an informal document ( non-paper') submitted to his counterparts in the EU Council of Ministers, Rudy Demotte, the Belgian Minister for Health and Social Affairs, supported the idea of creating a legal framework specifically for social...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : CANARY ISLANDS IMMIGRANTS COME FOR WORK, NOT ASYLUM.
July 13, 2006... The roughly 9,000 migrants landing on the Canary Islands' shores each year are mostly economic migrants, not asylum-seekers, a delegation of MEPs has concluded. "Migrants told us they were prepared to make the sacrifice of leaving their...

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE : COMMISSION BRACING FOR A SILENT REVOLUTION'.
July 13, 2006... In an effort to face up to the challenges posed by demographic changes, the European Commission is preparing a new Communication for the autumn which may be presented to the European Council on 20 October in Lahti, Finland. The first elements...

INNER CITIES : COMMISSION CLEARS FRENCH URBAN REGENERATION SCHEME.(European Commission)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... France has been authorised to continue its existing urban tax-free zones scheme until 31 December 2011, to include 15 new zones under the scheme and to extend the area covered by the 29 existing zones. The European Commission approved the...

TAXATION : COMMISSION FINDS GERMAN PENSION INCENTIVES DISCRIMINATORY.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... While the European Commission strongly encourages all citizens to establish additional pension schemes, this does not entitle such schemes to discriminate against the free movement of workers or people. This in essence is the base of the...

EDUCATION : COMMISSION LAUNCHES CALLS FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS.(European Commission for the Leonardo da Vinci programme )(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... LEONARDO The European Commission has launched a call for proposals (EAC 22/06) as part of the second phase of the Leonardo da Vinci programme for the award of grants for actions to develop and test the European Qualifications Framework...

HEALTH : COMMISSION LAUNCHES CONSULTATION ON ORGAN DONATION.
July 13, 2006... The European Commission has launched a new public health initiative with a view to combating both the shortage of organ donations in the EU and organ trafficking. It therefore opened a consultation on 27 June to identify the main problems...

HUMAN RIGHTS : COMMISSION PLANS TO HELP CHILDREN UNVEILED.
July 13, 2006... A strategy to promote the rights of the world's 2.2 billion children has been unveiled by the European Commission. There will be an EU-wide six-digit telephone child helpline and a hotline for missing and sexually-exploited children by the end...

HEALTH : COMMISSION SUGGESTS WAYS TO REDUCE ACCIDENT AND INJURYaBURDEN.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Reducing the burden of accidents and injuries on our societies is now a priority of the European Commission's health programme. It will therefore finance actions undertaken within the member states. In a Communication and an Action Plan,...

COMPROMISE ON WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE?(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Addressing the Employment Committee at the European Parliament on 21 June, the Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities at the European Commission, Nikolaus van der Pas, said he was still optimistic about reaching...

ANIMAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH : CONSIDERABLE IGNORANCE OVER RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH AVIAN INFLUENZA.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... There are significant gaps in Europeans' knowledge about the risks associated with avian influenza, according to a special Eurobarometer survey on the disease published by the European Commission on 7 July.aMost respondents (between 70% and 80%...

CONTAMINATED NEEDLES IN THE WORKPLACE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament has urged the EU Commission to take action to protect health service workers against the risk of infection through the handling of contaminated needles. Adopted on 6 July by 465 votes to 18 with 13 abstentions, the...

EMPLOYMENT LAW : COURT OF JUSTICE RULES ON FIXED-TERM CONTRACTS.(European Court of Justice)
July 13, 2006... The judgement passed down on 4 July by the European Court of Justice, on a complaint filed by Mr Adeneler and 17 other Greek public sector employees, is one of the first to rule on application of Directive 1999/70 and the social partners'...

HEALTH & SAFETY AT WORK : COURT OUTLINES LIMITS ON EU HARMONISATION.
July 13, 2006... The European Court of Justice refused on 15 June to condemn Sweden for an alleged failure to fulfil its obligations and a breach of Directive 89/391 of 12 June 1989 on the health and safety of workers (Case C-459/04). The European Commission...

TEXTILES INDUSTRY : DB APPAREL EUROPEAN WORKS COUNCIL CONVENED TO DISCUSS LAY-OFFS.(Dim Branded Apparel )(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Works Council of Dim Branded Apparel (DBA) met in Paris on 22 June to discuss the textile company's plan to lay off 950 staff across Europe. Best-known on the market for its Dim, Playtex, Wonderbra and Chantal Thomass lingerie...

REGIONAL POLICY : DESPITE SOME PROGRESS, STARK DISPARITIES REMAIN IN THE EU.
July 13, 2006... Economic and social disparities in the EU are narrowing with rapid and sustained growth in the least prosperous member states, though the least-developed regions will need further assistance in closing the gap sustainably, says the European...

IMMIGRATION & ASYLUM : DETAINING A MIGRANT COSTS POLAND EURO 284 PER DAY.
July 13, 2006... Member states spend hundreds of millions of euros a year keeping illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers in detention centres. That, at least, is according to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), a pro-immigrant organisation campaigning to make...

SOCIAL SECURITY / HEALTHCARE : DISCRIMINATION ON GROUNDS OF SICKNESS CANNOT BE PENALISED.
July 13, 2006... The European Court of Justice ruled on 11 July that discrimination on grounds of sickness at work cannot be penalised in the context of EU law since no specific provisions apply. This is the first time the Court has issued a ruling on the...

WORKING TIME : DIVIDED, SOCIAL PARTNERS LEAVE MINISTERS TO FIND A SOLUTION.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Invited to participate in preliminary work at the informal Council of EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers in Helsinki from 6 to 8 July, the social partners showed no inclination to grab the amended Working Time Directive by the horns,...

SOCIAL SECURITY : DUTCH BENEFITS FOR YOUNG DISABLED PERSONS NOT EXPORTABLE.
July 13, 2006... The benefits paid in the Netherlands under the Disablement Assistance Act for Handicapped Young Persons (Wajong) should be considered as "special non-contributory benefits" under Regulation 1408/71/EEC on social security systems, maintained the...

POVERTY : EAPN CONCERNED AT LACK OF AMBITION IN TACKLING SOCIAL EXCLUSION.(European Anti Poverty Network)
July 13, 2006... In a letter sent on 12 June to EU heads of state and government, the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) argues that leaving the goal of social inclusion out of plans for implementing the Lisbon Strategy would strip previous Council...

SERVICES : ECJ CONDEMNS FRENCH CURBS ON PERFORMING ARTISTS.(European Court of Justice)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... With EU law-makers due to adopt the controversial Services Directive soon, the Court of Justice has just given a ruling covering highly pertinent issues. France was condemned by the ECJ on 15 June for red tape it imposed on self-employed...

EMPLOYMENT : EP CALLS ON COMMISSION TO ACT ON INDUSTRIAL RESTRUCTURING.(European Parliament)
July 13, 2006... MEPs have adopted a resolution calling on the Commission to adopt a more decisive strategy to manage industrial restructuring and its social impact. In the text, put forward by PPE-ED, PES, ALDE and the UEN political groups, the MEPs consider...

VOCATIONAL TRAINING : EP READY FOR THE EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK.
July 13, 2006... To enable a German worker to receive recognition for his professional training qualifications obtained while working in a factory in Sweden, or an English manager to have his on-the-job experience acknowledged, is the key objective of the...

TRADE UNIONS : ETUC CALLS ON PRESIDENCY TO BOOST SOCIAL EUROPE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Heading a delegation of trade union leaders, John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), presented the trade union movement's main demands for the forthcoming EU Presidency to Finnish Prime Minister Matti...

LABOUR MARKETS : EU EMPLOYMENT RATE UP 0.3% IN FIRST QUARTER 2006.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... According to provisional national account estimates published by Eurostat on 14 June, the seasonally-adjusted employment rate in the EU rose by 0.3%aduring the first quarter of 2006 (+612,000 people employed). The euro-zone employment rate also...

SAFETY AT WORK : EU INSTITUTIONS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT YOUNG WORKERS.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Commission, the Austrian and Finnish Presidencies of the EU Council of Ministers and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work launched the "Safe Start!" campaign on 20 June to improve the health and safety at work of young...

EMPLOYMENT : EU LABOUR COSTS ON THE RISE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Total hourly labour costs in the EU rose at an annual rate of 2.4% in nominal terms in the first quarter of 2006, up from 2.5% in the previous quarter, according to Eurostat. The two main components of labour costs, wages and salaries and...

EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND : EURO-MPS APPROVE NEW REGULATION.
July 13, 2006... Meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg on 5 July, the European Parliament adopted a report by Jose Silva Peneda (EPP-ED, Portugal) approving the Council of Ministers' common position on the new Regulation governing the European Social Fund...

WORKING CONDITIONS : EUROPEAN MINIMUM WAGE RESURFACES, THANKS TO DELORS.
July 13, 2006... It was again up to the former "promoter of projects", Jacques Delors, to raise the question of a minimum European wage. During a seminar in Brussels organised by the Party of the European Socialists on the EU social model, the former...

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION : EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BACKS POSITIVE ACTION.
July 13, 2006... Responding to the European Commission's Green Paper on a strategic framework for non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all, the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report on 15 June, outlining its vision for combating all...

SOCIAL POLICY / EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT : EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL IS AN ASSET NOT A PROBLEM.
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee approved a joint Socialist-EPP own-initiative report on the "European social model for the future" on 22 June. Drafted by Ireland's Proinsias De Rossa (PES) and Portugal's Jose...

INTERVIEW WITH HANS-GERT POTTERING, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EPP-ED GROUP LEADER : EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL SHOULD LEAVE MORE ROOM FOR INDIVIDUALISM.(Interview)
July 13, 2006... Europolitics: How can Europe improve on its social aspects?Hans-Gert Pottering: We are in favour of a social market economy. This means the market on one side and social aspects, for improving people's quality of life, on the other. It's a...

EUTHANASIA INITIATIVE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The Belgian Socialist MEP Veronique De Keyser would like to open the debate on ending life and euthanasia at European level. On 13 June in Strasbourg she announced her wish to set up a parliamentary intergroup "Dying with dignity" when the...

EU PRESIDENCY : FINNISH PRIME MINISTER SETS OUT HIS STALL.
July 13, 2006... The future of Europe, competitiveness, external relations, transparency policy and criminal and civil law cooperation are the central priorities for the newly-installed Finnish Presidency of the European Union over the second half of 2006, set...

INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL : FOCUS ON DEBATE OVER SOCIALLY-SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTIVITY.
July 13, 2006... The first Ministerial meeting under the Finnish Presidency, the informal Employment and Social Affairs Council in Helsinki from 6 to 8 July, was due to review three key points for the future: flexicurity', extending working life and health in...

RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS : FRANCE, GREECE AND SPAIN TARGETED FOR INFRINGEMENTS.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Failure to properly apply EU rules on recognising foreign professional diplomas has led the European Commission to take legal action against France, Greece and Spain, it announced on 29 June. Doctors, dentists and midwives based in other...

DRUGS : FRATTINI DOUBTS LEGALITY OF ALLOWING DRUGS PRODUCTION.(Franco Frattini )(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... A draft Dutch law legalising drug production could breach EU legislation, Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini has warned. "I think member states cannot produce or make trade in drugs", Mr Frattini said on 26 June. Under...

HEALTH : HEALTH SINGLED OUT AS A PRIORITY SECTOR FOR FINNISH PRESIDENCY.
July 13, 2006... The Finnish Presidency, which took up the EU helm on 1 July, aims to follow a horizontal approach on public health, promoting health issues across all areas of EU policy over the next six months. ECONOMIC BENEFITS "We regard health as...

FOOTBALL : HOME-GROWN PLAYER QUOTA COULD BE IN TROUBLE.
July 13, 2006... A new rule forcing football clubs to have more home-grown' players could breach EU anti-discrimination law, a European Commission legal expert has said. While the rule does not impose quotas of non-nationals, it may discriminate indirectly,...

RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS : IRISH CURBS ON SETTING UP PHARMACIES LEGAL, ECJ SAYS.(Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland )(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... An Irish law aimed at restricting the number of pharmacies on the territory is in line with EU law, the European Court of Justice has found. The 1985 Recognition of Qualifications Directive (85/433/EEC) grants member states the option of not...

LABOUR DISCRIMINATION IN LATVIA.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... French Socialist MEP Martine Roure has expressed dismay at the news that Latvia's Parliament has again rejected a Bill proposing to introduce a ban on all gender-based discrimination in labour law. In December 2005, the Saeima amended the...

IMMIGRATION : LOUIS MICHEL CONDEMNS SELECTIVE IMMIGRATION'.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... A few days after the first Euro-African Ministerial conference on immigration in Rabat, Morocco, which he was unable to attend, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel adopted a critical stance. During a press conference...

GLOBALISATION FUND : MEMBER STATES PICK OVER NEW FUND PROPOSAL.
July 13, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers' working group on social questions focused at its meeting on 13 June on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund in the hope of making progress on the dossier. According to the last review of work, the proposal...

WOMEN'S RIGHTS : MEN BEAR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROSTITUTION.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Forced prostitution should be openly condemned. This is the message MEPs from across the political spectrum are keen to put across to politicians and sports representatives. "FIFA President Mr Blatter hasn't understood this any more than other...

GLOBALISATION FUND : MEPS CALL FOR MORE FLEXIBLE INTERVENTION CRITERIA.
July 13, 2006... "We are in uncharted territory", commented Roselyne Bachelot (EPP-ED, France) when she presented the first elements of her report on the Globalisation Adjustment Fund to the European Parliament's Employment Committee on 10 July. Indeed, even...

MENTAL HEALTH : MEPS CRITICISE SHORTCOMINGS IN HEALTHCARE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety unanimously adopted the report by John Bowis (EPP-ED, United Kingdom) on 13 July on mental health. The amendments adopted notably emphasise the links...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : MEPS EXPLAIN HOW TO INTEGRATE IMMIGRANTS.
July 13, 2006... There is no such thing as one clear-cut solution for successfully integrating immigrants, the European Parliament says. On 6 July, MEPs adopted a non-binding report setting out their priority actions, which range from letting immigrants vote to...

MEPS OUTRAGED OVER PAEDOPHILE PARTY.(Charity, Freedom and Diversity Party (NVD))(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Nine Italian MEPs have launched a campaign to stop a new pro-paedophile party in the Netherlands being recognised. The Alleanza Nationale deputies call for the suspension of the Dutch government's voting rights in the EU Council of Ministers -...

RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA : MEPS PASS MOTION AGAINST RISING RACIST AND HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE.
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament, on 15 June, adopted a resolution condemning the increase in racist and homophobic violence in Europe (301 votes in favour, 161 against and 102 abstentions). The motion is a joint initiative of the Socialist (PES),...

SAFETY AT WORK : MEPS RESUSCITATE REPORT ON ACCIDENTAL NEEDLESTICK INJURIES.(member of the parliaments)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... It was trial and error time for MEPs in the European Parliament's Employment Committee on 21 June when they sent back to plenary once again a revamped report by Stephen Hughes (Socialists, United Kingdom), requesting the European Commission to...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : MIGRATION MANAGEMENT IMPETUS FROM EU LEADERS.
July 13, 2006... Apart from pondering Europe's future, the European Council of 15-16 June also focused on how to manage migration better. The issue was catapulted onto the agenda by the continuing mass influx of African illegal immigrants in Europe, the Canary...

HUMAN RIGHTS : MINISTERS PUSH FOR DEAL ON NEW AGENCY.
July 13, 2006... The mandate of the future human rights agency is causing division among EU member states. EU Foreign Ministers had been due to debate the matter at theirmeeting in Luxembourg on 12 June, but all debate of any substance was put off as they have...

HEALTH SERVICES : NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES DEEMED TO BE A SOCIAL' ACTIVITY.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The Court of Justice of the European Community has rejected an appeal by the Spanish federation of scientific, medical, technical and dental enterprises (FENIN) against the European Commission (Case C-205/03). The FENIN in 1997 had...

EU/INTERNATIONALaLABOUR ORGANISATION : NO TARIFF PREFERENCES FOR COUNTRIES VIOLATING ILO CONVENTIONS.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) adopted on 22 June an oral question to the Commission and an accompanying motion for resolution by Jan Andersson (PES, Sweden) since members are worried about the fact...

INDUSTRIAL RELOCATION : OPEL'S MOVE TO SPAIN DEEMED A "NORMAL PROCESS".(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The closing of the Opel factory in Azambuja (Portugal) at the end of October is still making waves. The car manufacturer which has been awarded funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) intends, in the future, to concentrate its production...

DRUGS : OVERHAUL OF AGENCY IN LISBON AGREED.(European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction )(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... MEPs have agreed to a revamp of the 1993 Regulation that established the EU drugs agency, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). The proposal aims to streamline the Lisbon-based agency's administration in light of...

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : PARLIAMENT LOSES CHALLENGE TO FAMILY REUNION DIRECTIVE.
July 13, 2006... Making children over 12 years old who wish to join their family in a European Union country pass an integration test is acceptable, the EU Court of Justice has found. Its 27 June ruling is a blow for the European Parliament, which took the case...

YOUTH POLICY : POLITICAL AGREEMENT ON YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Following the agreement on the 2007-2013 financial perspective, finalised at the beginning of May (see Europolitics 3093), the EU Council of Ministers reached a political agreement on 27 June on the proposal for a Decision establishing a Youth...

POOR MIGRANTS.(migration and poverty)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Caritas Europa, a group of Catholic salvation organisations, has placed the emphasis of its third report on poverty in Europe on the exclusion of immigrants. 'Migration - a passport to poverty' lists asylum-seekers and irregular migrants...

PORTUGAL TO INVEST MORE IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has announced that Portugal will allocate a more significant part of its financial aid from the EU to vocational education. Between 2007 and 2013, Portugal should thus devote 37% of aid ( 6 billion)...

POSTING OF WORKERS: VOTE DEFERRED.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee has decided to defer its vote on the report by Elisabeth Schroedter (Greens-EFA, Germany) on the posting of workers until after the summer recess. The various political groups...

PROGRESS: VOTE AFTER THE SUMMER RECESS.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee has decided to postpone its vote on the report by Karin Jons (PES, Germany) on the employment and social solidarity programme (Progress) until September. It failed to receive the...

QUALIFICATIONS LAW IN FRANCE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... France has been condemned by the EU Court of Justice for not implementing the Directive on recognition of professional qualifications (2001/19/EC). The ECJ on 8 June (Case C-164/05) sided with the Commission, which brought the case. The...

EU/AFRICA : RABAT - NEW DEPARTURE OR EMPTY PROMISES?
July 13, 2006... Two possible destinies lie in store for the action plan on migration and development adopted at the Euro-African Ministerial in Rabat on 10-11 July. It could become the blueprint for future policy like the Tampere European Council in 1999 was a...

AVIATION : REGULATION ON REDUCED MOBILITY PASSENGERS ADOPTED.
July 13, 2006... The EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg on 9 June adopted the new Community Regulation on the rights of air passengersawith reduced mobility. The text forbids air carriers and trip organisers from refusing to allow persons with reduced...

ROAD TRANSPORT : RULES ON DRIVING TIME STILL NOT BEING RESPECTED.
July 13, 2006... According to a report published by the European Commission on 21 June, the number of lorry and coach drivers in breach of EU rules on driving time and rest periods is continuing to rise. The report (COM(2006)321) reviews implementation of...

SOCIAL DIALOGUE : SECTORAL COMMITTEE FOR STEEL INDUSTRY FORMED.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The steel industry's social partners - the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) and the European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries (Eurofer) - launched the European Social Dialogue Committee for Steel on 21 June. This is the 32nd...

SERVICES DIRECTIVE APPROACHING FINAL HURDLE.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The controversial draft Services Directive is edging towards adoption but there could still be a hiccup en route. The European Parliament's rapporteur, Evelyne Gebhardt (PES, Germany), told the EP's Internal Market Committee on 20 June that...

SOCIAL DUMPING IN CHINA.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on 20 June denounced reports that the European Chamber of Commerce in Beijing had said that if new labour laws were introduced to cut working time and improve pay rates, this would push up Chinese...

MARITIME LABOURaSTANDARDS : SOCIAL PARTNERS TO CONSIDER COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT.
July 13, 2006... The EU social partners are to consider scope for integrating the consolidated Maritime Labour Convention of 2006 into EU law. A European Commission Communication on enhancing maritime labour standards, due to be adopted on 15 June, invites them...

EMPLOYMENT : STATUTORY MINIMUM WAGES VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE EU.(European Union)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... In January 2006, eighteen of the 25 member states of the European Union had national legislation setting statutory minimum wages. The level at which these were set varied widely, from 129 per month in Latvia to 1,503 per month in Luxembourg....

TRADE UNION MERGER.(International Confederation of Free Trade Unions)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) endorsed on 22 June a draft constitution for the organisation which will come into force in the autumn, and which will finally unite the two main currents, lay and Christian, present...

SOCIAL SECURITY / HEALTHCARE : TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION COSTS NOT REFUNDABLE, SAYS ECJ.(European Court of Justice)
July 13, 2006... In yet another addition to EU case-law on reimbursement of care costs for individuals covered by social security schemes incurred in another member state, the Court of Justice handed down a ruling on 15 June in a casea (Case C-466/04, Herrera)...

UK CHARITY DISCRIMINATION PROBED.(United Kingdom)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... The United Kingdom is in trouble for only allowing gifts made to UK-based charities to be deducted for tax purposes. On 10 July, the European Commission said it had sent London a reasoned opinion or pre-court warning, accusing it of illegally...

MIGRATION : VAST DISPARITIES IN LONG-DISTANCE MOBILITY WITHIN THE EU.(European Union, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions)
July 13, 2006... A recent analysis published by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (the so-called Dublin Foundation) argues that, in general, the level of mobility in the EU is not that low compared with trends in the...

WORKING TIME - A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... In the margins of the informal Employment and Social Affairs Council in Helsinki, the majority of the discussions in the corridors centred on the reform of the Working Time Directive, which four EU Presidencies have failed to resolve. Member...

ENLARGEMENT : WORLD BANK: LABOUR MARKET FLEXIBILITY IS TURKEY'S TOP PRIORITY.
July 13, 2006... Current member states are far from totally convinced that Turkey should join the European Union for a number of reasons. One of the most often mentioned reasons is the poor performance of the Turkish labour market. A recent World Bank report...